Diane Watson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Diane Watson
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California |
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| In office June 7, 2001 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Julian Dixon |
| Succeeded by | Karen Bass |
| Constituency | 32nd district (2001–2003) 33rd district (2003–2011) |
| United States Ambassador to Micronesia | |
| In office 1999–2000 |
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| Preceded by | March Fong Eu |
| Succeeded by | Larry Miles Dinger |
| Member of the California Senate | |
| In office December 4, 1978 – November 30, 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Nate Holden |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Murray |
| Constituency | 30th district (1978–1982) 28th district (1982–1994) 26th district (1994–1998) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 12, 1933 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | South Central, Los Angeles |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) California State University, Los Angeles (MS) Claremont Graduate University (PhD) |
| Occupation | College administrator Health Psychologist Specialist |
| Committees | House Foreign Affairs Committee House Oversight and Government Reform Committee |
| Website | http://www.house.gov/watson/ |
Diane Edith Watson (born November 12, 1933) is a former American politician. She served as a US Representative for California from 2001 to 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Her district was in Los Angeles County, California. It included parts of Central Los Angeles and wealthy neighborhoods like Los Feliz.
Before becoming a US Representative, Watson had a long career in public service. She worked as a psychologist and professor. She also served on the Los Angeles Unified School Board. Later, she was a member of the California Senate for 20 years. She also served as the US Ambassador to Micronesia.
Watson was first elected to Congress in a special election in 2001. This election filled a spot left empty by the death of Representative Julian C. Dixon. She was re-elected four times before she retired in 2011.
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Early Life and Education
Diane Watson was born in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were William Allen Louis Watson and Dorothy Elizabeth O’Neal Watson. DNA analysis suggests some of her ancestors came from the Central African Republic.
She attended Dorsey High School and Los Angeles City College. She earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1956. While there, she joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Later, she earned a Master of Science (MS) degree in School Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles in 1967. She also received a PhD in Educational Administration from Claremont Graduate University in 1987. She also studied at Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.
Before her political career, Watson taught elementary school. She also worked as a school psychologist in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She lectured at California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Los Angeles. She also worked as a health occupation specialist for the California Department of Education.
Early Political Career
Diane Watson was elected to the California State Senate in 1978. She served there for 20 years, until 1998. She was the first African American woman to serve in the California State Senate. As the chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, she worked hard to improve health care for people with low incomes and for children.
In 1988, the US government considered adding a "bi-racial" or "multiracial" category to official forms. Watson and other African American leaders were concerned about this. They worried it might lead to fewer people identifying as African American.
In 1992, Watson ran for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. She lost this election to Yvonne Brathwaite Burke.
In 1999, President Bill Clinton appointed her as the United States Ambassador to Micronesia. She served in this role for two years. She left this position to run for Congress in 2001. She won the special election to replace Congressman Julian Dixon.
U.S. House of Representatives
As a member of Congress, Diane Watson spoke out on issues like racism and unfair treatment of people from other countries. She supported ideas like:
- Helping descendants of American slaves.
- Improving the education system.
- Providing financial help for families who couldn't afford health care.
- Changing the nation's criminal justice system.
She also spoke against violence and racism towards Arab Americans after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Voting on the 2004 Election
In 2005, Watson was one of 31 House Democrats who voted against counting the 20 electoral votes from Ohio in the 2004 United States presidential election. President George Bush had won Ohio. If Ohio's votes had not been counted, the election would have been decided by the US House of Representatives.
Opposing President George W. Bush's Policies
Congresswoman Watson often disagreed with President George W. Bush's policies. She supported:
- Removing US troops from Iraq.
- Preventing large companies from owning too many media outlets.
- Expanding welfare programs.
She opposed President Bush's plans to change Social Security and his tax cuts. She believed the tax cuts were too expensive for the country.
Cherokee Nation Citizenship
Watson also spoke about the issue of Cherokee Freedmen citizenship in the Cherokee Nation. These were descendants of formerly enslaved people who had been part of the Cherokee Nation. In 2007, the Cherokee Nation voted to limit citizenship to only those with Native American ancestors on the Dawes Roll. Watson pointed out that a treaty from 1866 had granted citizenship to freedmen without this restriction.
In June 2007, Watson introduced a bill. This bill aimed to stop US relations with the Cherokee Nation and remove their gaming privileges. This would happen unless the Cherokee Nation restored citizenship to the descendants of Cherokee freedmen. This action made some tribal leaders upset. They felt she was interfering with the tribe's right to govern itself.
Other Issues
In 2006, the National Journal newspaper called Watson the most liberal member of Congress.
Throughout her time in Congress, she pushed for more money and research to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic. She also argued for humanitarian aid for African nations greatly affected by the disease.
Committee Assignments
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health
- Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment
- Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Subcommittee on Domestic Policy
- Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement (Chairwoman)
- Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives
Caucuses
- Chair of the Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus
- Co-chair of the Congressional Korea Caucus
- Co-chair of the U.S.-UK Caucus
- Congressional Black Caucus
Political Campaigns
In the 2008 Democratic primary election, Watson's district strongly supported Illinois Senator Barack Obama. However, as a "superdelegate" (a special kind of delegate), Watson continued to support New York Senator Hillary Clinton.
Watson won her primary election in California on June 3, 2008. She then defeated Republican David Crowley in the general election on November 4, 2008.
See also
- List of African-American United States representatives
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
