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Quintus et Ultimus Watson
Quintus et Ultimus Watson
Acting Governor of Texas
	In office; January 9, 1915
Governor	Oscar Branch Colquitt
President pro tempore of the Texas Senate
	In office; October 21, 1914 – January 12, 1915
Nominated by	Claude Benton Hudspeth
Preceded by	Charles Walter Taylor
Succeeded by	Clinton West Nugent
	In office; March 13, 1909 – 1909
Nominated by	Charles Louis Brachfield
Preceded by	James M. Terrell
Succeeded by	Charles Louis Brachfield
Member of the Texas Senate; from the 19th district
	In office; January 8, 1907 – January 12, 1915
Preceded by	Oliver Perry Storm
Succeeded by	Paul DeWitt Page
Personal details
Born	July 2, 1874; Burton, Texas, U.S.
Died	November 14, 1929 (aged 55); Houston, Texas, U.S.
Burial place	Oak Hill Cemetery,; Burton, Texas, U.S.
Alma mater	A&M College of Texas
Occupations	Lawyer; politician;
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Jessie Burton (m. 1897)

Quintus et Ultimus Watson^[1] (July 2, 1874 – November 14, 1929), also known as Q. U. Watson, was an American politician from Texas. He was a member of the Texas Senate from the 19th district. Watson served as the acting governor of Texas for one day, on January 9, 1915, when he was the president pro tempore of the Texas Senate, after lieutenant governor William Harding Mayes had resigned, and Governor Oscar Branch Colquitt was in Louisiana. He also was the acting Lieutenant Governor of Texas.

He was a member of the prominent Houston law firm of Garrison & Watson, which had an office in the State National Bank Building. Garrison & Watson were General Division Attorneys for the Southern Pacific Railroad and represented many of the largest corporations in Houston.

Early life and education

Quintus et Ultimus Watson was born on July 2, 1874, in Burton, Texas, to Branch Archer Watson and Ann Amanda (née Gay) Watson. His father, B. A. Watson, was originally from Virginia and came to Texas around 1854. His mother Ann was the daughter of Thomas Gay, who came to Texas with Austin's Colony. Q. U. Watson was educated at the public schools of Washington County, Texas.^[2] After attending the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas near Bryan, he entered the law office of Searcy & Garrett. He was called to the bar in 1893.^[3]

Career

Watson began his legal practice at Giddings, Texas, where he became a partner of the law firm of Rector & Harris under the renamed firm name of Rector, Harris & Watson.^[3] He became a member of the Texas Senate from the 19th district after taking the oath of office on January 8, 1907.^[4]

He was first elected president pro tempore of the Texas Senate on March 13, 1909, and was nominated by Charles Louis Brachfield.^[5] He was elected president pro tempore a second time on October 21, 1914, after being nominated by Claude Benton Hudspeth.^[6] On January 9, 1915, Watson became the acting governor of Texas.^[4] As president pro tempore, he was third in line of succession to the governor. Lieutenant Governor Mayes resigned in August 1914 to become the head of the journalism school at the University of Texas, and governor Colquitt was in Louisiana.^[7]

After he voluntarily retired from his senatorial career, he established himself as a respected lawyer in Houston. In 1922, he became associated with John T. Garrison and formed the law firm of Garrison & Watson. He continued in the law firm until his death in Houston on November 14, 1929.^[8] After his death, Simple Resolution No. 2 was passed unanimously in his honor by the 41st Texas Legislature.^[3]

Personal life

He married Jessie Burton in Burton, Texas, in 1897. Watson was a respected member of the Houston Bar Association.^[3]

References

^ Singer, Jonathan W. (2002). Broken Trusts: The Texas Attorney General Versus the Oil Industry, 1889-1909. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. p. 96. ISBN 1-58544-160-0. LCCN 2001006059 – via Google Books.
^ Davis, Ellis A.; Grobe, Edwin H. (1926). The New Encyclopedia of Texas. Vol. II. Dallas, Texas: Texas Development Bureau. p. 1354 – via the Internet Archive.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "In Memory of honorable Quintus U. Watson" (PDF). 41st Legislature, 4th C.S., Simple Resolution No. 2. Legislative Reference Library of Texas. January 20, 1930.
^ ^a ^b "Quintus Ultimus Watson". Texas Legislators: Past & Present. Legislative Reference Library of Texas.
^ Journal of the Senate of Texas being the Regular Session of the Thirty-first Legislature begun and held at the City of Austin, January 12, 1909 (PDF). Austin, Texas: Von Boeckmann-Jones Company, Printers. 1909.
^ Journal of the Senate of Texas of the Third Called Session of the Thirty-third Legislature Convened September 23, 1914, and Adjourned October 22, 1914 (PDF). Austin, Texas: Von Boeckmann-Jones Company, Printers. 1914.
^ "Senator Watson Gets to Act as Governor a Day". El Paso Herald. January 9, 1915 – via University of North Texas Libraries.
^ "Quintus Watson Dies at Houston". The Waco Times-Herald. Houston. AP. November 14, 1929. p. 1. Retrieved November 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Andy Osterdahl (2014), The Strangest Names in American Political History

Political offices
Preceded by Oscar Branch Colquitt	Governor of Texas January 9, 1915	Succeeded by Oscar Branch Colquitt
Texas Senate
Preceded by Oliver Perry Storm	Member of the Texas Senate from District 19 1907–1915	Succeeded by Paul DeWitt Page