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History

South Carolina from A to Z

"W" is for Watson, Albert William [1922-1994]

By Walter Edgar

Published August 27, 2020 at 5:30 AM EDT

"W" is for Watson, Albert William [1922-1994]. Legislator. Congressman. After service in World War II, Watson earned his law degree from USC and established a practice in Columbia. He served several terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 1962 he was elected to Congress from the Second District as a Democrat and was reelected in 1964. In 1965, stripped of his seniority for supporting Republican Barry Goldwater for President, Watson resigned his seat and was reelected as a Republican in 1966 and 1968. In 1970, he ran for governor against John West. Watson was an opponent of desegregation and made several incendiary speeches—including one in Darlington County--which many believe triggered a riot in Lamar. And, he lost the election. Albert William Watson later served as a federal administrative law judge.

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Walter Edgar

Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.

See stories by Walter Edgar