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in 1930 and, together with
Charles E. Toney, also elected that year, thus became one of the first two black judges in New York state. He served as a judge until his retirement in 1950. He faced a particularly tough re-election campaign in 1940 when
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228:. Tammany Hall eventually relented and Watson was given the nomination and won re-election by a margin of nine-to-one. In 1943, Watson was the first African American to become a new member of the
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In 1920, Watson and two other black attorneys, S. T. Christian and J. E. Stevens founded their own law firm, where he would practice law until 1930. In 1922, he became
Special Assistant
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239:. He held this position until his death in 1952. His funeral was attended by over 3,000 people, including nearly every high ranking city official.
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foreman. His mother's name was
Elizabeth Jones Watson. After attending elementary school in Spanish Town, James S. Watson worked as a
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467:"Barbara M. Watson is Dead; Former U.S. Diplomat was 64", New York Times, Feb. 18, 1983
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Pioneering
African Americans in the Courts and the Legal Community Past and Present
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of New York in April 1914 and the next month was admitted to practice before the
157:, and graduated from high school in 1910. In 1908, he had begun working for the
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477:
Dennis Hevesi, "Douglas C. Watson, Design
Engineer, 73, In Military Aviation",
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Watson retired from the bench in 1950, becoming president of the
Municipal
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James and Violet Watson also had several nieces and nephews, including:
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until 1920, becoming head of their
Department of Corporate and Tax Law.
165:, as a clerk. From 1910 to 1913, Watson took night classes at both the
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328:(b. 1924)-Served in the Department of Health Education and Welfare
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United States
District Court for the Southern District of New York
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in the
Special Franchise Tax Division. He also represented
189:. Watson remained at House, Grossman and Vorhaus, now as a
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List of first minority male lawyers and judges in New York
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on May 29, 1882. His father, James
Michael Watson, was a
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James and Violet Watson had four children, including:
275:, Violet Lopez Watson was one of the founders of the
224:nominee in spite of Watson's being endorsed by the
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345:(b. 1937), the first African American to become
289:(1918–1983), who was the first African American
161:of House, Grossman and Vorhaus, located at 115
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153:. There he attended evening high school in
444:"Profile from Jamaican History Month 2007"
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304:United States Court of International Trade
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523:Jamaican emigrants to the United States
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302:(1922–2001), who became a judge of the
404:New York Law School Alumni Connections
553:20th-century African-American lawyers
142:, and then chief clerk at a hotel in
86:(1882–1952) was one of the first two
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339:(1927–2010), a prominent businessman
295:United States Ambassador to Malaysia
513:New York (state) state court judges
402:"James S. Watson, Class of 1913",
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347:United States Secretary of State
528:City College of New York alumni
277:National Council of Negro Women
220:denied Watson the position of
149:In June 1905, Watson moved to
1:
548:20th-century American lawyers
122:and would later work for the
543:20th-century American judges
291:Assistant Secretary of State
173:, from which he received an
106:James S. Watson was born in
47:1952 (aged 69–70)
317:Republic F-105 Thunderchief
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533:New York Law School alumni
124:Jamaica Government Railway
120:Jamaica Constabulary Force
211:Watson ran for municipal
181:on July 3, 1913. He was
538:New York (state) lawyers
518:People from Spanish Town
321:Republic F-84 Thunderjet
263:Watson married a fellow
237:Civil Service Commission
230:American Bar Association
167:City College of New York
144:Constant Spring, Jamaica
64:City College of New York
508:African-American judges
241:Vincent R. Impellitteri
326:Grace Elizabeth Watson
315:who helped design the
269:New Haven, Connecticut
245:Mayor of New York City
177:in 1913. He became a
271:in 1917. Along with
179:United States citizen
267:, Violet Lopez, at
198:Corporation Counsel
183:admitted to the bar
171:New York Law School
84:James Samuel Watson
68:New York Law School
337:J. Bruce Llewellyn
300:James Lopez Watson
293:and who served as
208:during the 1920s.
309:Douglas C. Watson
287:Barbara M. Watson
265:Jamaican American
247:, was one of the
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446:. Archived from
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94:in the state of
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313:design engineer
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88:Black Americans
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60:Alma mater
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23:James S. Watson
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481:, June 3, 1993
479:New York Times
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16:American judge
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311:(d. 1993), a
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90:elected as a
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452:. Retrieved
448:the original
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343:Colin Powell
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232:since 1912.
218:Tammany Hall
210:
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108:Spanish Town
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83:
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39:May 29, 1882
503:1952 deaths
498:1882 births
406:, June 2007
273:Mary McLeod
249:pallbearers
52:Nationality
492:Categories
454:2010-08-26
365:References
222:Democratic
136:bookkeeper
74:Occupation
35:1882-05-29
128:conductor
102:Biography
427:, p. 21.
353:See also
319:and the
163:Broadway
159:law firm
132:platform
116:Sergeant
96:New York
55:American
253:funeral
251:at his
140:cashier
118:in the
112:Jamaica
259:Family
243:, the
191:lawyer
155:Harlem
213:judge
175:LL.B.
126:as a
92:judge
77:Judge
169:and
130:and
44:Died
29:Born
200:to
494::
433:^
412:^
372:^
279:.
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146:.
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37:)
33:(
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