USA > South Carolina > Men of mark in South Carolina; ideals of American life: a collection of biographies of leading men of the state, Volume II > Part 21
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In childhood and youth Henry Watkins lived in the country. His health was fairly good. While he was fond of athletic sports and of youthful companionship, he was also deeply interested in reading and study. He did his share of the farm "chores," but was neither required nor allowed to perform any work that would interfere with his studies. From 1873 to 1879 he attended the "old field" school at Centerville, Laurens county, South Carolina. In October of the year last named he entered Furman university, from which institution he was graduated with the degree of A. M. in June, 1883. He was then only seventeen years of age. His love of books led him to take the four-years' course of study marked out by the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific circle, which he completed in due time and from which he derived
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considerable benefit. In 1890 he took the summer law course in the University of Virginia, under Dr. John B. Minor. Long before he completed his public educational course Mr. Watkins entered upon the active work of life. At the early age of fifteen he took the county school teachers' examination and received a first grade certificate. For two summers prior to his graduation he was assistant teacher in a country school and afterward taught for several sessions as principal of such schools. In 1887 he was elected principal of the preparatory school of Furman university, which position he held for four sessions. He was admitted to the bar in May, 1892, and in June of the same year he began active practice at Anderson, South Carolina, where he had formed a law partnership with Major E. B. Murray. This partnership continued until the death of Major Murray, in July, 1894. In the following month Mr. Watkins formed a partnership with Gen. M. L. Bonham, under the firm name of Bonham & Watkins, which has continued until the present time and which is one of the leading law firms in the state. Mr. Watkins has always maintained his interest in education and has served as trustee of several institutions of learning, including Furman university, 1894-98; Greenville Female college, 1893-98; Anderson graded schools, 1895-98; and he was a trustee of the Connie Maxwell orphanage, 1897-98. When in 1898 there was a call for troops to serve in the Spanish-American war, Mr. Watkins promptly enlisted in a company raised at Anderson, and was elected its captain. This company formed a part of the First regiment, South Carolina volunteer infantry. Its services were not required and it was mustered out in the November following its organiza- tion. In politics Mr. Watkins has always been a Democrat. He was chairman of the Anderson county executive committee of his party from 1902 to 1906, and is now (1907) a member of the state executive committee. He was presidential elector in 1904, and from 1903 to 1907 was quartermaster-general on the staff of Governor Heyward. He is one of the directors and vice- presidents of the chamber of commerce of Anderson, and is a member of the board of directors of several business and financial institutions.
He is a Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias. While friendly to all denominations, his religious connection is with the Baptist church. On December 27, 1892, he married
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Maude Wakefield, of Anderson county, South Carolina, and she has been the chief source of inspiration in his work. In esti- mating the relative strength of various means which have been specially helpful in his effort to win success, he places first that of home and states that both his father and mother exerted a powerful influence on his intellectual, moral and spiritual life. Next, in the order named, he places school, private study, contact with men in active life, and early companionship. Earnest pur- pose and diligent application have given him a high position at the bar. His wisdom and foresight give weight to his political counsel, while his unblemished character gives him the confidence and regard of the people among whom he lives.
His address is Anderson, South Carolina.
1
EBBIE JULIAN WATSON
W ATSON, EBBIE JULIAN, commissioner of agricul- ture, commerce and immigration of the state of South Carolina, was born at Ridge Spring, Edgefield (now Saluda ) county, South Carolina, June 29, 1869. His parents were Tilman and Helen O'Neall (Mauldin) Watson. His father was an architect and builder, a resourceful, energetic, and public- spirited man, who gave most of his time to his business interests, but who served a number of terms as alderman of the city of Columbia, South Carolina. The paternal ancestors were Scotch- Irish and were among the earliest settlers in America. Several brothers came to Virginia, but one of them soon removed to South Carolina. Colonel Michael Watson, a great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, distinguished himself and lost his life in the battle of Orangeburg, in the War of the Revolution. From early times the family has been identified with the history of Edgefield county. The maternal ancestry directly descended from the famous McHardy family, of Scotland and England, whose record is identified with the history of Great Britain since 1346. Captain McHardy, who commanded the British ship "Vic- tory," and to whom Lord Nelson issued his oft-quoted dying message, was a direct ancestor of the grandmother of Ebbie J. Watson.
Until he was six years of age the subject of this sketch lived in the country. His parents then moved to the city of Columbia, where the remainder of his early days were passed. His health was good, but in early childhood an accident caused a permanent lameness, which has been something of a handicap since. His special tastes were for reading, working with machinery, tilling the land and taking care of domestic animals. He was constantly searching for knowledge in various and diverse fields. His early education was obtained in schools at Columbia, the Columbia Military academy, and the Barnwell high school. In 1884 he entered the University of South Carolina and was graduated with the degree of A. B. in 1889.
He commenced the active work of life in the field of jour- nalism, in which he made a marked success. Offered the position
Men . Mark F. sloshing Company
Washington, DC
Vem Truly yours Avatóno
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EBBIE JULIAN WATSON
of city editor of the Columbia, South Carolina, "Evening Record," he accepted at once. He remained with this paper until February 18, 1891, when he resigned in order to take a similar position on the Columbia "State." In January, 1903, he became news editor of that paper-a position which he filled during the Spanish- American war.
In October, 1902, he was, without solicitation, elected secre- tary of the chamber of commerce of Columbia, which office, with his newspaper position, he held until March 15, 1904, when he resigned them both in order to accept an unsolicited appointment to the office of state commissioner of agriculture, commerce and immigration, which position he still holds. In January, 1906, he was offered the secretaryship of the chamber of commerce of Augusta, Georgia, with about double the salary he was receiving; but he declined the offer, preferring to work for the interests of his city and state. From 1899-1903 he served as lieutenant-colonel on the staff of the governor of South Carolina. For some years he has been a member of the Columbia city board of health, rendering efficient service.
For several years there has been a growing demand for more factory hands and tillers of the soil in the rapidly developing Southern states, and much attention has been given to the problem of providing a proper distribution of immigration to prevent a congestion of the newly arriving immigrants at the great ports of entry. The South Atlantic states have called for a trans- Atlantic steamship service providing for direct export and import trade between the producing South Atlantic states and the mar- kets of the world. After carefully studying the problems involved, in all their phases, Commissioner Watson sailed for Europe in August, 1906, and immediately opened offices on behalf of the state of South Carolina in several foreign countries, begin- ning an active campaign to secure passengers enough to bring a standard-line steamship direct into Charleston harbor, the central harbor of the South Atlantic coast. He pursued the policy of carefully examining the prospective immigrants, at their own homes in Europe, to determine their fitness for the work for which they were wanted-a policy several times hinted at as a possibility, but which no one had before dared to attempt to put into execution. In pursuance of this policy, it was necessary to get the sanction of foreign governments and the aid of the Fed-
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eral consular service. He succeeded in getting the North German Lloyd Steamship company, of Bremen, interested in the plan; and on October 16, 1906, he sailed with five hundred immigrants from the continental countries direct to Charleston harbor on the steamship Wittekind. He had used the right granted the state under Federal laws to prepay passages; and when on November 4th he sailed into Charleston harbor the United States Commis- sioner-General of Immigration Sargent, United States Labor Commissioner Neill, and many other United States officials, were on the dock to inspect the immigrants. Thousands of people were there to welcome them, committees and delegations coming from other Southern states. The United States authorities pro- nounced the people one of the best looking bodies of immigrants ever brought into this country on one ship.
At once the question was raised whether the state had the right to prepay their passage, although the United States state department had already so construed the law. A case was made up, and it went to Secretary Straus, who decided in favor of the state. His decision was hailed as marking an epoch in the history of the United States-the establishment of a movement that promised a solution of the problem that was hampering the South, and help in solving the general problem of congested immigration at Eastern ports. Certain interests, however, were not satisfied that the states should have this right, and a contest was started in congress, which ended, in the closing hours of the session, in the passage of the "1907 Immigration Act."
In the meantime the country at large was kept continually astir over the matter, and a national commission was provided for, and was sent abroad, thoroughly to investigate the immigra- tion and labor problems, and to recommend to the next congress such changes as would relieve the situation by a better distribution of immigrants. There has been no attempt to test the prepaid- passage issue, under the new act. Immediately after congress adjourned (having provided, as a result of this agitation, an appropriation of seventy thousand dollars for the erection of an immigration station at the port of Charleston, making that port the port of entry for immigration for the South Atlantic states), Mr. Watson returned to Europe for the purpose of getting a permanent trans-Atlantic service inaugurated between European
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ports and Charleston, and organizing more effective work for selected immigration to the Southern states.
In his determined efforts to draw desirable immigration to the South, Commissioner Watson has from the first held it abso- lutely necessary that what he calls a "foundation" should be carefully established by selecting and building up in the Southern states the necessary nucleus of "satisfied people"-immigrants who have found satisfactory labor and wages and comfortable homes in the Southern states, who will write to their relatives and friends in Europe letters which will bring a steady flow of interested immigrants into the Southern states. The body of immigrants which he himself carefully selected in Europe and brought to Charleston upon the "Wittekind," on November 4, 1906, was designed to be the beginning of such a foundation ; and the same steamship brought into Charleston harbor, in February, 1907, a second load of carefully selected immigrants. Commis- sioner Watson was the only American on the ship; and the incep- tion and carrying out of the plan has been almost exclusively the result of his intelligent interest and determined energy. Soon after his return in 1906 he was unanimously elected president of the Southern States Association of Commissioners of Agriculture, and, by special invitation, addressed the American Manufacturers association, in May, 1907, at their annual meeting in Philadelphia, on the subject of immigration. Notwithstanding the difficulties which have been met in attempting to adjust congressional legis- lation to the plan for choosing and managing by a state commis- sioner direct immigration from Europe to one of the United States, it now looks as if the work begun in 1906 by Mr. Watson would result in the opening up of the South Atlantic states to lines of immigration and of freight and passenger service direct from European ports. While this tends to relieve congestion in the great centers of population, it will send desirable immigrants in considerable numbers to the agricultural districts of the coun- try, where they are so greatly needed.
In much of his work for the state Mr. Watson has been a pioneer. He has been instrumental in bringing a large amount of industrial capital into the state, and in leading a large number of desirable immigrants to settle within its borders. It was largely owing to his efforts that the Congaree river was opened to navigation ; and he has done much to advance the agricultural,
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industrial and commercial interests of the state. He is vice- president and member of the executive committee of the Interstate Sugarcane Growers' association; vice-president of the Southern Industrial parliament and a member of the department of immi- gration of the National Civic federation. He is an honorary member of the historic South Carolina Agricultural society.
His work, from the beginning of his journalistic career, has brought him into contact with successful men, many of them older than himself, and he has learned many useful lessons by study- ing their characteristics. The self-sacrifice and devotion of his mother in encouraging and aiding him to obtain an education has been a great help and inspiration in his life. He is author of a number of monographs, chiefly on agricultural and industrial topics, as follows: "The Garden Country of America" (1904) ; "South Carolina-A Primer" (1904) ; "Climatology of South Carolina" (1904) ; "Zuid Carolina" (1905) ; "Sued Carolina" (1905) ; "Zuid Carolina" (2) (1905) ; "Official Map of South Carolina" (1904) ; "Isothermic Map of South Carolina" (1904) ; "Precipitation Map of South Carolina" (1906) ; "South Carolina, U. S. A.," (1906) ; "The Granite Industry of South Carolina" (1906) ; "South Carolina, U. S. A." (published in Scotland 1906) ; "South Carolina Statistics" (1906) ; "Resources of South Caro- lina" (1906) ; and "Handbook of the Resources of South Caro- lina" (1906).
Mr. Watson has never sought a position, but preferment has come to him as a recognition of his ability and his character. To the young people of his state he says: "I would advise all young Americans to start out in life with the determination to succeed; to avoid waste of time; to secure an education at any sacrifice; to be honest and sincere; to use their brains to the best of their ability; and to make absolute devotion to duty the key- stone of their life-work, no matter whether the task be great or small."
In response to an inquiry for his views relating to important matters of public interest or public policy in the state, he says: "I believe the South Atlantic states are the coming section of our common country ; and I consider it of vital importance to South Carolina that her patriotic men labor unceasingly to bring about that degree of industrial, commercial and agricultural develop- ment that should be hers by reason of her variety of resources.
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Energetically presented, the resources of this state should attract a splendid increase in population and wealth, and South Carolina should become one of the leading states of the Union. Carefully selected immigration is a vitally necessary means to this end."
Mr. Watson belongs to the Elks, the Elks club, the Ridge- wood club, and the National Hoo Hoo organization. He has been one of the trustees of the Elks. In politics he has always been a Democrat, and he has served on the Richland county Democratic committee. Although he is not an active member of any denomi- nation, his religious sympathy is with the Protestant Episcopal church.
On December 17, 1896, Mr. Watson was married to Margaret Smith Miller. Their home is at Number 1402 Gervais street, Columbia, South Carolina.
EMORY OLIN WATSON
W ATSON, REV. EMORY OLIN, presiding elder of the Marion district for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and for the last fourteen years secretary of the South Carolina conference of that church, was born at Newberry county, South Carolina, on the 5th of August, 1865. His father was the Reverend John Emory Watson, a minister of the Metho- dist church, a scholarly and sternly conscientious man, who made upon his son such an impression that the son writes, "my father's teaching and companionship have been the strongest influence in my life." His mother, Mrs. Lavinia (Ritchie) Watson, of New- berry county, was also helpful in her influence over her son.
The years of his boyhood were divided about equally between life in the country and life in a village or city. He was a strong, sturdy boy, with a boy's love for horses, but with a fondness, too, for books and reading, which early inclined him toward a liberal education and a literary life. Asked whether, when a boy, he had regular tasks set him which involved manual labor, he answers: "I always had a fair share of real work to do, and I am as grateful to my father for this as for any other factor in my education."
His father was his principal teacher, arranging his family life with a view to giving systematic and thorough instruction to his son. Occasionally he attended some school, when his father could not give to the son's studies the necessary attention. As a boy he read much biography and history, and in his youth he had a marked taste for philosophy, which was gratified to the full in the reading prescribed and the advice given by his father and in the discussions which were encouraged by his father. In 1883, at the age of eighteen, he began to teach in Leesville college at Leesville, South Carolina; but his work as teacher, he feels, was merely incidental, while his work as a minister of the Gospel was undertaken in response to a sense of duty, and has been his life work, joyously and heartily done.
In 1885 he entered upon his first pastorate. He has had charge of various churches of his denomination in South Caro- lina, among them the church at Orangeburg, the Bethel church
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of Charleston, and the Central church of Spartanburg. Since 1906 he has been presiding elder of the Marion district of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
Mr. Watson has been grand chief templar of the Independent Order of Good Templars. He has also been president of the State Epworth league of South Carolina. Since 1893 he has served as secretary of the South Carolina State conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
On the 10th of March, 1886, he married Miss Mattie M. West, daughter of Captain A. P. and Martha M. West, of Edgefield county. They have had eight children, all of whom are living in 1907.
Mr. Watson is a Mason. There is a large circle of South Carolina men and women in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, who recall with gratitude and pleasure the relations which Mr. Watson has maintained with them while he has been pastor of the churches in which they are communicants. And not only these members of the Methodist church, but many others in South Carolina, recognize in this earnest son of a devoted minister of the Gospel of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, a strong and useful leader, whose present appointment to official leader- ship is but the beginning of an enlarged administrative career, which they trust will be of great use to his church and to the commonwealth.
WILLIAM FRANKLIN WATSON
W ATSON, WILLIAM FRANKLIN, son of George Corey Watson and Isabella Byron Watson, was born May 11, 1861, in Jackson, Carlton county, New Bruns- wick, Canada. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Dur- ham, England; his maternal grandfather from Edinburg, Scot- land. His maternal grandmother was a Canadian. All of these lived in the province of New Brunswick, Canada.
In his youth W. F. Watson lived in the country and in a village. He was interested in poetry and astronomy. The influ- ence of his mother was very strong and inspiring. He attended Houlton academy, in Maine, and was graduated in 1887 from Colby university with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1892-93 he studied at the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1898 in the University of Chicago. In the year 1890 Colby university con- ferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts.
Professor Watson is a life long teacher. For several years before coming to the South he taught in the grammar and high schools of Maine. For twenty years he has held the chair of chemistry and biology in Furman university in Greenville, South Carolina. In addition, he is now (1907) secretary of the faculty and curator of the museum of that institution.
Professor Watson is also a popular lecturer on scientific subjects, in which capacity he has won high encomiums. Among his subjects are the following: "The Microscope and Camera in Biology," illustrated with lantern slides and moving pictures of living specimens; "Freaks and Monsters of the Ancient World," with lantern slides of an extinct menagerie; "Genesis and Geol- ogy," a discourse on the harmony of the Bible and science, for Sunday appointments; and "Reproduction of Plants and Ani- mals," an untechnical discussion of nature's mysteries, for Young Men's Christian association courses.
With the crystalline lens from the eye of a bullock, Professor Watson photographs objects which are too small for the common camera and yet too large for ordinary microscopic photography. His work in this line has been favorably commented upon by the press, not only of America, but of France and Spain.
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Professor Watson is a writer as well as a teacher and lecturer. In 1887 he published "The Children of the Sun," a book of poems, and in 1901 he published a text book on "Experimental Chem- istry." He is a contributor for the "Scientific American," "Scien- tific American Supplement," "Collier's Weekly," "The New York Tribune," "The Youth's Companion," "The American Inventor," "The New York Journal and American," "Science, Arts, et Na- ture," of Paris, France, "La Illustracion espanola y Americana," of Madrid, Spain, and other publications.
At the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian exposition, held at Charleston in 1901-02, Professor Watson was awarded the medal for inventing a process for the purification and concentra- tion of monazite sand.
Professor Watson is a member of the Phi Delta Theta fra- ternity, the American Microscopical society, the American Asso- ciation for the Advancement of Science, and of the National Geographic society. He is also vice-president of the American Microscopical society. He is a member of the Baptist church and also of the local Club of Thirty-nine. Professor Watson varies his scientific labors with an occasional resort to the hook and line.
On June 24, 1889, he married Miss Clara Norwood, of Marion, South Carolina. They have two children.
His address is University Ridge, Greenville, South Carolina.
SAMUEL ADAMS WEBER
W EBER, SAMUEL ADAMS, D. D., Methodist clergy- man, educator and editor, was born January 19, 1838, on a farm in Iredell county, North Carolina. His father, John Weber, farmer, justice of the peace and captain of militia, was a man of good common sense, original and striking in his language, of cheerful temperament, and disposed to be helpful to others, especially to aspiring youths; his mother, Ann Maria (Lander) Weber, a good woman, died when he was only seven years old. His blood is Dutch-Irish. His great-grand- father Weber, from Holland, settled in Virginia prior to the War of the Revolution; his maternal grandfather Lander, from Ire- land, settled in North Carolina early in the nineteenth century. Among his connections were Honorable William Lander, of North Carolina, prominent in law and politics from 1845 to 1865, and Reverend Samuel Lander, D. D., noted as an educator of girls in North and South Carolina from 1870 to 1894.
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