Neil Watson (politician) explained

Neil Watson
Order:39th
Office:Mayor of Invercargill
Term Start:1962
Term End:1971
Birth Name:Neil Lachlan Watson
Birth Date:10 December 1905
Birth Place:Invercargill, New Zealand
Death Place:Rotorua, New Zealand
Restingplace:Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill
Children:4
Relations:James Alexander Robertson Menzies (grandfather)
Alma Mater:Victoria University College

Neil Lachlan Watson (10 December 1905 – 28 April 1990) was a New Zealand politician who served as Mayor of Invercargill from 1962 to 1971.

Early life

Watson was born in Invercargill on 10 December 1905. His father, John Lachlan McGillivray Watson, was a lawyer, and his mother, Laetitia Frances Menzies, was the daughter of superintendent of the Southland Province James Alexander Robertson Menzies. He attended Christ's College, and then studied law at Victoria University College. He was admitted to the bar in 1929 and became a partner in his father's law firm the next year. He married Beverley Mitchel in 1936 and they had a daughter and three sons.[1]

Political career

Watson was first elected to the Invercargill City Council in 1950. He was deputy mayor from 1953 until 1962, when he replaced the retiring Adam Adamson as mayor. He served three terms as mayor, overseeing various improvements to the city, including a new airport and new library. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1970 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to local government.[1] [2]

Death

Watson died in Rotorua on 29 April 1990, aged 84,[1] and was buried at Invercargill's Eastern Cemetery.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Thomson . Jane . Southern People: a dictionary of Otago Southland biography . 1998 . Longacre Press . Dunedin . 1-877135-11-9. 536.
  2. Web site: Information on past Mayors of Invercargill City . Invercargill City Council.