John Watson (Virginia politician) explained

John Watson
Birth Place:	Mecklenburg County, Virginia, U.S.
Death Date:	1870
Delegate

John Watson (died 1870) was a nineteenth-century African-American politician from Virginia.

Early life

Watson was born a slave in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.^[1]

Career

As an adult following the American Civil War, Watson spent the five years of his life as a freedman promoting African-American schools and churches in Mecklenburg.^[2]

In 1867, Watson was elected to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1868. A Republican, he was the sole delegate elected from the central Piedmont convention district made up of his home Mecklenburg County.^[3]

Following the Convention, Robinson was subsequently elected to the Virginia House of Delegates for the session 1869/70.^[4]

Death

John Watson died in 1870 before the end of his term in office. He was succeeded by Ross Hamilton.^[5]

Bibliography

• Book: Jackson, Luther Porter . Negro Office-Holders in Virginia, 1865-1895 . Guide Quality Press, Norfolk, Virginia . 1945 . 9780598580269 . Jackson.
• Book: Pulliam, David Loyd . The Constitutional Conventions of Virginia from the foundation of the Commonwealth to the present time . John T. West, Richmond . 1901 . 978-1-2879-2059-5 . pulliam.
• Book: Swem, Earl Greg . A Register of the General Assembly of Virginia, 1776-1918, and of the Constitutional Conventions . David Bottom, Superintendent of Public Printing . 1918 . 978-1-3714-6242-0 . swem.

Notes and References

1. [#jackson|Jackson 1945, p. 43]
2. [#jackson|Jackson 1945, p. 43]
3. [#pulliam|Pulliam 1901, p. 141-142]
4. [#swem|Swem 1918, p. 443]
5. [#jackson|Jackson 1945, p. 43]