Bob Watson (Australian politician)
{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox MP
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Bob Watson
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| caption =
| constituency_AM1 = Mulgrave
| assembly1 = Queensland Legislative
| term_start1 = 29 April 1950
| term_end1 = 7 March 1953
| predecessor1 = New seat
| successor1 = Charles English
| term_start2 = 3 August 1957
| term_end2 = 26 March 1959
| predecessor2 = Charles English
| successor2 = Carlisle Wordsworth
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1896|10|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = Durham, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1959|3|26|1896|10|12|df=y}}
| death_place = Coorparoo, Queensland, Australia
| birthname = Robert Hodgson Watson
| spouse = {{marriage|Ethel Agnes Mutch|1920|1959|end=d.}}
| party = Country Party
| otherparty =
| relations =
| residence =
| occupation = Sugarcane farmer
| profession =
}}
Robert Hodgson Watson (12 October 1896 – 26 March 1959) was an Australian politician who served as a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.{{cite web|title=Former Members|publisher=Parliament of Queensland|year=2015| url=http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=1003651015|accessdate=3 June 2016}}
Biography
Watson was born in Yorkshire, England, the son of William Watson and his wife Elizabeth Ann (née Forster) and came to Australia at an early age. He was educated to primary level and after he finished his schooling, he worked at the family sugarcane farm at Mourilyan before working on farms at Mossman and Edmonton. He was also an inspector and Chairman of Directors at the Babinda Central Mill.
On 8 December 1920 Watson married Ethel Agnes Mutch (died 1981)[https://www.qld.gov.au/law/births-deaths-marriages-and-divorces/family-history-research/ Family history research] — Queensland Government births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. Retrieved 3 June 2016. and together had two daughters. He died in Coorparoo, Brisbane, in March 1959 and was cremated at the Mt Thompson Crematorium.[http://www.heavenaddress.com/restingplace/robert-hodgson-watson/401458 Robert Hodgson Watson ( - 1959)] — Heaven Address. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
Public career
Watson started out in politics as a councillor on the Mulgrave Shire Council and went on to be chairman of the shire for eleven years.
A member of the Country Party, Watson won the seat of Mulgrave at the 1950 Queensland state election, beating Charles English of the Labor Party, W.F. Falls of the Communist Party and G.A. Groth of the North Queensland Labor Party.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49729516 |title=Latest Poll Figures |newspaper=The Courier-mail |issue=4189 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=1 May 1950 |accessdate=3 June 2016 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia }} He held the seat for three years before being defeated by Charles English in 1953.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50544674 |title=Brisbane|newspaper=The Courier-mail |issue=5078 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=9 March 1953 |accessdate=3 June 2016 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}
He stood at the 1956 Queensland state election but was again beaten by English, but at the state election the next year he once again won Mulgrave, beating English who by now had joined the Queensland Labor Party.[http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=3186483561 English, Mr Charles Bernard] — Queensland Parliament. Retrieved 3 June 2016. Watson became ill during the 1959 parliamentary sittings and died a few days later. He was the executive officer of the Australian Sugar Producers' Association and executive of the District Cane Growers Association. He was also a member of Rotary and a Freemason.
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au-qld}}
{{s-new|seat}}
{{s-ttl |title= Member for Mulgrave|years=1950–1953}}
{{s-aft|after=Charles English}}
{{s-bef|before= Charles English}}
{{s-ttl |title= Member for Mulgrave|years=1957–1959}}
{{s-aft|after=Carlisle Wordsworth}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Robert Hodgson}}
Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Category:National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland