"South Carolina Congressman" Albert Watson Signed 8X10 B&W COA for Sale

On eBay Now...

"South Carolina Congressman" Albert Watson Signed 8X10 B&W COA For Sale

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

"South Carolina Congressman" Albert Watson Signed 8X10 B&W COA:
$69.99

Up for sale"South Carolina Congressman" Albert Watson Hand Signed 8X10 B&W Photo.This item is certified authentic by ToddMueller sales and comes with their Certificate of Authenticity.

ES-4433
Albert William Watson(August30, 1922 – September 25, 1994) was South Carolina. He is best known for hislosing1970campaignforgovernor, which has beendescribed as the last high profile, openly segregationist campaign.AlbertWilliam Watson was born in 1922 to Claude Watson, Sr. and his wife inSumterin centralSouth Carolina. His family moved and he was reared near the state capitalofColumbiainLexington County,where he attendedpublic schools. Hesubsequently enrolled at the formerNorth Greenville JuniorCollegeinGreenville, SouthCarolina. DuringWorld War II, Watsonserved as a weather specialist in theUnited States Army AirForces, the forerunner of theU.S. Air Force. In 1950,he graduated from theUniversityof South Carolina School of Lawand thereafter opened his legalpractice in Columbia. In 1954, he was elected fromRichland Countytothe South Carolina House of Representatives, which he served from 1955 to 1958and again from 1961 to 1962.In1958, Watson lost the Maybank, Jr., sonof formerU.S. SenatorBurnet Maybank. In 1961, Watson returned to the state Housefor a final two-year term.In1948, Watson married the former Lillian Audrey Williams (born 1926), and thecouple had three children, Albert Watson, Jr., Kimberly C. Watson, and Clark P.Watson. ASouthern Baptistdeacon,Watsonhad a twin brother, Allan R. Watson (1922-2001), who was a Baptist minister andserved as the pastor of churches inFloridaandAlabama. He preached at theWhite Housein September 1969.A second brother,Claude Watson, Jr., of Columbia, died in 2003. In 1962, Watson first ranforSouthCarolina's 2nd congressional districtseat in the U.S. House tofill the opening created when fellow DemocratJohn J. Rileydied on New Year's Day. His wife,Corinne Boyd Riley, hadwon a special election to serve out the remainder of the term, but did not runfor a full term in November. After securing the Democratic nomination, WatsonfacedFloyd Spence, a fellowstate representative from neighboring Lexington County, who had turnedRepublican a few months earlier. The ensuinggeneral electionwas far closer than expected, withWatson winning by only five percentage points. He received crucial support fromhis mentor,U.S. SenatorStrom Thurmond. The Columbia-based district had been one ofthe first areas in the state to come under Republican influence; it had votedforRichard Nixonin1960. Like Thurmond, Watson was an open and unashamedsegregationist. BothsupportedBarry Goldwater's campaignfor President. While Watson headed the South Carolina "Democrats forGoldwater" organization, Thurmond went as far asswitchingpartiesand becoming a Republican on September 17, 1964. Partlybecause of his support for Goldwater, Watson was reelected without oppositionas Goldwater carried South Carolina, the first Republican to have done sosinceRutherford B. Hayesin1876. The House Democratic Caucus stripped Watson of his seniority forsupporting Goldwater. Another Deep South congressman,John Bell WilliamsofMississippi, lost his seniority for supporting Goldwater aswell. Declaring he would "not sit around and be bullied by northern liberals,"Watson resigned from Congress on February 1, 1965.He then announced thathe would run in thespecial electionfor his old seat on June 15, 1965—as aRepublican. As the lone Republican candidate in the special election, Watsoncarried the backing of Floyd Spence, Strom Thurmond, and formerGovernorJames F. Byrnes. The Democrats nominatedPreston Harvey Callison, a state representative from LexingtonCounty who described himself as a "Mendel Rivers Democrat," areference toL. Mendel Rivers, thelong-time chairman of theHouse Armed ServicesCommitteefrom South Carolina. Later president of the SouthCarolina Baptist Convention and a long-time counsel for the South CarolinaHospital Association, Callison was considered "moderate" because heurged compliance with theCivil Rights Act,whichU.S. PresidentLyndon B. Johnsonhad signed into law on July 2, 1964. Bycontrast, Watson equated the Civil Rights Act to the supremacy of minorityrights over those of the southern white majority. Byrnes, the elder statesmanof the South Carolina Democratic Party, branded the loss of Watson's seniorityas "punishment and humiliation." He urged voters to return Watson toCongress as the newest Republican member. Watson secured $20,000 and theservices of a Republican field representative in what he termed "quite acontrast" to his treatment by House Democrats.Watsonwon the special election with 59.1 percent of the voteto become the firstRepublican to represent South Carolina in the House since 1896, and the firstRepublican to win an undisputed House election in the state sinceReconstruction.It was a different Republican Party in the South, however, as in 1965 mostblacks in South Carolina were still effectivelydisenfranchised.Watson was comfortably reelected in 1966 and 1968. Watson's opposition tocivil rightslegislation exceeded that of most otherSouthern Republicans. For instance, he was the only House Republican to voteagainst the Jury Selection Act of 1968, a civil rights measure intended toeliminate racial discrimination in jury selection.