John S. Watson (New Jersey politician) John S. Watson (New Jersey politician) John S. Watson (August 14, 1924 – June 15, 1996) was an African-American Democratic Party politician who served six terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 15th Legislative District. Born in Camden, New Jersey, Watson served with the United States Merchant Marine fleet during World War II. In 1970, Watson became the first African-American elected to the Board of Chosen Freeholders in Mercer County, New Jersey. In 1977, he became the President of the Board. For 12 years, Watson was a member of the New Jersey State Assembly, where he
D. M. S. Watson Naval Volunteer Reserve. He was later transferred to the nascent Royal Air Force where he worked on balloon and airship fabric design. Watson was married in 1917 to Katharine Margarite Parker, and had two daughters, Katharine Mary and Janet Vida. After World War I, Watson returned to academic study and in 1921 he succeeded Hill as the Jodrell Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy and the curator of what is now the Grant Museum of Zoology at UCL. He devoted his energy to the development of the Zoology department there and consolidated his position as a respected academician. In 1922