Thomas Edward Watson was born September 5, 1856 two miles from Thomson, Georgia, oldest son of John Smith Watson and Ann Eliza Maddox. His family descended from Georgia’s early Quaker residents who had settled the area in 1768.  As a young lawyer, Watson eagerly accepted virtually every law case that came his way. His gifts of eloquence and intellect and his willingness to spar with lawyers twice his age and experience soon positioned him among the foremost trial lawyers in Georgia.  Watson made his political debut as a delegate to the Georgia convention of 1880. His impertinent opposition to the nomination of Governor Alfred H. Colquitt immediately earned statewide recognition and branded Watson a political rebel.  He was elected to the Georgia House in 1882, with the notable support of the district’s black voters.  Disgusted at the lack of concern for reform, Watson resigned his seat midway through his term.  He would be elected to the US House in 1890, once again on a platform of reform.  While serving in the House, Watson successfully shepherded the bill establishing Rural Free Delivery through the Congress.   He became the founder of Georgia’s People’s Party, the populists.  Watson’s last political post was that of Senator from Georgia, he died in office on September 26, 1922.

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