Thomas E. Watson papers, 1745-1996

Author:Thomas E. Watson

Summary:The collection chiefly includes business and professional papers of Thomas E. Watson, including correspondence, largely about politics and writings; drafts of his books, articles, speeches and other writings by Watson, as well as writings by others, most of whom were associated with Watson's publications; publications, including pamphlets, Watson's Magazine, The Jeffersonian, The Watsonian, and other related materials; political materials such as bills, endorsements, petitions, resolutions, People's Party materials, newspaper clippings on political subjects, information about voters, political propaganda publications, and other papers; personal legal and financial papers as well as papers relating to his law practice; biographical information on Watson and materials relating to the Watson family and its history; diaries, commonplace books, scrapbooks and clippings about Watson and subjects of interest to him; photographs and photograph albums relating to Watson and other members of the Watson family, notably his granddaughters Georgia Doremus Watson Craven and Georgia Watson Lee Brown; and miscellaneous other materials. There is good coverage of the Populist Party and of Georgia politics in general; scrapbooks, clippings, and speeches provide documentation for Watson's national political campaigns. Correspondence with Watson's book publishers and employees, along with book and article manuscripts, provide extensive coverage of his work as writer and editor. Watson was most influential through his publications, which included the People's Party Paper (1891-1898). His editorials espoused such Populist causes as antitrust legislation, railroad regulation, and monetary policies favorable to agrarian interests, including the coinage of silver. Materials also relate to Watson's initial support of the inclusion of African Americans in the agrarian movement, and his later shift to race baiting, support of black disfranchisement, and virulent anti-Jewish and anti-Catholic sentiment. Draft copies of Watson's books include a history of France (1899); biographies of Napoleon (1902), Jefferson (1903), and Andrew Jackson (1912); and a novel (1904), all of which were written from the Populist perspective. Correspondents include William Jennings Bryan, Marion Butler, William Randolph Hearst, James Ryder Randall, Theodore Roosevelt, and Upton Sinclair. Watson's private life is documented in a few personal letters, photographs, and some diary entries. Also included are two interviews with Georgia Doremus Watson Craven about Thomas E. Watson; the Watson family; and life in Thomson, Ga. The Addition of August 2012 consists of digital images of Watson and Hickory Hill from the Chicago Tribune archive. The Addition of March 2014 consists of a scrapbook of clippings and some handwritten materials compiled by Walter J. Brown