Thomas E. Watson Senator

Thomas Edward "Tom" Watson (September 5, 1856 – September 26, 1922) was an American politician, attorney, newspaper editor, and writer from Georgia. In the 1890s Watson championed poor farmers as a leader of the Populist Party, articulating an agrarian political viewpoint while attacking business, bankers, railroads, Democratic President Grover Cleveland, and the Democratic Party. He was the nominee for vice president with William Jennings Bryan in 1896 on the Populist ticket (but there was a different vice presidential nominee on Bryan's Democratic ticket).Elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1890, Watson pushed through legislation mandating Rural Free Delivery, the "biggest and most expensive endeavor" ever instituted by the U.S. postal service. Politically he was a leader on the left in the 1890s, calling on poor whites (and poor blacks) to unite against the elites. However after 1900 he shifted to Nativist attacks on blacks, and Catholics (and after 1914 against Jews). Two years prior to his death, he was elected to the United States Senate.

Personal facts

Birth date	September 05, 1856
Birth place	Thomson Georgia , United States
Nationality	United States
Date of death	September 26, 1922
Place of death	Washington D.C. , United States
Education	Mercer University
Profession	Lawyer , Politician , Editing , Publishing , Teacher