"James Samuel Watson" (May 29,1882-1952)

Was one of the first  two African American elected as a judge in the state of  New York.He was born in Spanish Town,Jamaica.His daddy James Michael Watson,was a Sergeant  in the Jamaica Constabulary Force and would later work for the Jamaica Government Railway as a conductor and platform foreman.His mama was Elizabeth Jones Watson.After attending elementary school  in Spanish Town,he worked as a bookkeeper,cashier,and then chief clerk at a hotel in Constant Spring Jamaica.
In June 1905,James moved to New York City.There he attended evening high school in Harlem,and graduated from high school in 1910.In 1908,he had begun working for the law firm of House,Grossman,& Vorhaus,located at 115 Broadway,as a clerk from 1910-1913,James took night classes at both the City College of New York and New York Law School,from which he received an LL.B in 1913.He became a United States citizen on July 3,1913.James admitted to the bar of New York in April 1914 and the next month was admitted to practice before the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York.James remained at House Grossman& Vorhaus,now as a lawyer until 1920,becoming head of their Department of Corporate and Tax Law.In 1920,James and two other African American attroneys,S.T.Christian & J.E.Stevens founded their own law firm,where he would practice law until 1930.In 1922,he became Special
Assistant Corporation Counsel to New York City in the Special Franchise Tax Division.He also
represented Marcus Garvey during the 1920s.
James ran for municipal judge in 1930 and,together with Charles E.Toney,also elected that year,
thus became one of the first two African American judges in New York state.In 1922,he serve as a
judge until his retirement in 1950.He faced a particulary tough re-election campaign in 1940 when
Tammany Hall denied James the position of Democratic nominee in spite of  James's being endorsed by the Association of the City of New York.Tammany Hall eventually relented and James
was given the nomination and won re-election by a
margin nine-to-one.In 1943,James was the first African American to became a new member of the
American Bar Association since 1912.James retired from the bench in 1950,becoming president of the Municipal Civil Service Commission.He held this position until his death.His funeral was attended by over 3,00 people,including nearly every high rank city official.Vinicent R.Impellitteri,the Mayor of New York City,was one of the pallbearers  at his funeral.
James was married a fellow Jamaican American,Violet Lopez,at New Haven Connecticut in 1917.
Along with Mary McLeod,Violet was one of the founders of the National Council of Negro Women.
James & Violet had four children:
1.Barbara M.Watson (1918-1983),Who was the first African American Assistant Secretary of State and who served as United States Ambassador to Malaysia.
2.James Lopez Watson (1922-2001),who became a judge of the United States Court of International Trade.
3.Douglass C.Watson (d 1993),a design engineer who helped design the Republic  F-105 Thunderchief and the Republic F-84 Thunderjet.
4.Grace Elizabeth Watson (b 1924) Served in the Department of Health & Welfare.
James & Violet had several nieces and nephews,including:
J Bruce Liewelly (1927-2010),a prominent businessman.
Colin Powell (b 1937),the first African American to become United States Secretary of State.