John W. Watson Sr. | |
---|---|
Florida State Senator - 13th District | |
In office 1925–1935 | |
Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives | |
In office 1901–1901 | |
Preceded by | Robert McNamee |
Succeeded by | Cromwell Gibbons |
Florida's House of Representatives - Osceola | |
In office 1897–1905 | |
Florida House of Representatives Dade | |
In office 1907–1919 | |
6th Mayor of Miami | |
In office July 18,1912 –November,1915 | |
Preceded by | Samuel Rodmond Smith |
Succeeded by | P.A. Henderson |
8th Mayor of Miami | |
In office November,1917 –November,1919 [1] | |
Preceded by | P.A. Henderson |
Succeeded by | W.P. Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | Oct 31,1859 North Carolina,US |
Died | Feb 8,1942 Miami,Florida,US |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Emma Cora Chafer Watson |
Children | J.W. Watson Jr.,Janet Watson Carson,Robert Osborne Watson |
Profession | Merchant |
John W. Watson Sr. (October 31,1859 - February 8,1942) was an American politician and businessman who served in a number of elected positions throughout Florida. [2]
Watson was born in North Carolina. He studied at Raleigh Academy then traveled and worked various jobs. He eventually settled in Kissimmee,Florida where he established a hardware business and became active in local and state politics. He expanded the business to Miami and eventually moved there,building an edifice that would be known as the Watson Building,downtown. [3]
Watson was elected as state representative for the area that included Kissimmee and later Miami. [4] He was later elected Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and a member of the Florida Senate [5] and served as the City of Miami's 6th and 8th Mayor. [6] His first Miami election was a landslide. [7]
In between political victories,he owned a grocery store,hardware company and grapefruit grove among his multiple business endeavors. [8]
He built several buildings in Miami which became important to the city's growth and long-term development. [9] The Watson family is considered to be among Miami's first settlers as they arrived before the railroad to town was complete. [10]
Watson testified before the House of Representatives' Committee on Indian Services regarding his first-hand knowledge of Seminole Indian culture and his distaste for the plans to drain the Everglades. [11]
He ran for Florida Governor unsuccessfully in 1911–1912.
Watson Island is named after him. He is buried in the Miami City Cemetery.
Fraternally he was connected with the Masonic order,the Knights of Pythias,and the Elks. [12]
Hialeah is a city in Miami-Dade County,Florida,United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 census,Hialeah is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida,which was home to an estimated 6,198,782 people at the 2018 census. It is located west-northwest of Miami,and is one of a few places in the county—others being Homestead,Miami Beach,Surfside,Bal Harbour,Sunny Isles Beach,and Golden Beach—to have its own street grid numbered separately from the rest of the county.
Ojus is a census-designated place and formerly incorporated town in Miami-Dade County,Florida,United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The population was 19,673 at the 2020 census,up from 18,036 in 2010.
Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County,Florida,United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. As of the 2020 Census,the population was 16,463,up from 15,219 in 2010.
Maurice Antonio Ferré was an American politician who served six terms as the Mayor of Miami. Ferréwas the first Puerto Rican-born United States mayor and the first Latino Mayor of Miami. He was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2010 elections for the U.S. Senate seat for Florida vacated by Mel Martínez for the Democratic primary.
The Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) is a system of libraries in Miami-Dade County,Florida.
John Washington Sewell was a businessman and the third Mayor of Miami.
Carlos Antonio Giménez is a Cuban-born American politician and retired firefighter serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 28th congressional district. He was redistricted from Florida's 26th congressional district. A Republican,he served as mayor of Miami-Dade County from 2011 to 2020. He served as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner from 2003 to 2011,and was the fire chief of the City of Miami Fire Department.
The South Florida Council is a 501(c)(3) organization chartered by the Boy Scouts of America to serve Broward,Miami-Dade,and Monroe Counties in South Florida. As of 2022,the South Florida Council had a membership of more than 20,000 youth and adults in traditional and in-school and after-school programs. The South Florida Council is Platinum rated charity by Guidestar and a Four out of Four-star rated charity by Charity Navigator.
Everest George "E. G." Sewell was a merchant and three-time Mayor of Miami,serving as the city's 13th,16th and 19th mayor.
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census,making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in the United States. It is Florida's third largest county in terms of land area with 1,946 square miles (5,040 km2). The county seat is Miami,the core of the nation's ninth-largest and world's 65th-largest metropolitan area with a 2020 population of 6.138 million people,exceeding the population of 31 of the nation's 50 states as of 2022.
John B. Reilly was the first Mayor of Miami.
Parker Adair "P. A." Henderson was a businessman and politician. He was the seventh and eleventh Mayor of Miami.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Miami in Miami-Dade County,Florida,United States.
Charles Doyle Leffler 'Uncle Charlie' was a business leader and politician. He was the city of Miami's 10th Mayor.
Frank Howard Wharton was a businessman and the fourth mayor of the city of Miami from 1907 to 1911.
William Pruden Smith was a prominent attorney and the City of Miami's ninth mayor.
Edward Coleman Romfh was a businessman and politician. He was the 12th Mayor of Miami. Romfh was considered one of the City of Miami's pioneers.
James Edward 'J.E.' Lummus (1867-1955) was a banker,businessman and 2nd Mayor of the City of Miami.
John Newton Lummus Sr. was a banker,businessman and first mayor of the city of Miami Beach.