Chris Watson

The Honourable Chris Watson
Watson c. 1904
3rd Prime Minister of Australia
In office 27 April 1904 – 18 August 1904
Monarch	Edward VII
Governor‑General	Lord Northcote
Preceded by	Alfred Deakin
Succeeded by	George Reid
Treasurer of Australia
In office 27 April 1904 – 17 August 1904
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Sir George Turner
Succeeded by	Sir George Turner
Leader of the Labour Party
In office 20 May 1901 – 30 October 1907
Deputy	Gregor McGregor
Preceded by	Position created
Succeeded by	Andrew Fisher
Leader of the Opposition
In office 18 August 1904 – 5 July 1905
Prime Minister	George Reid
Deputy	Gregor McGregor
Preceded by	George Reid
Succeeded by	George Reid
Member of the Australian Parliament for Bland
In office 30 March 1901 – 12 December 1906
Preceded by	Division created
Succeeded by	Division abolished
Member of the Australian Parliament for South Sydney
In office 12 December 1906 – 19 February 1910
Preceded by	George Edwards
Succeeded by	Edward Riley
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Young
In office 17 July 1894 – 30 March 1901
Preceded by	John Gough and James Mackinnon
Succeeded by	George Burgess
Personal details
Born	Johan Cristian Tanck 9 April 1867 Valparaíso, Chile
Died	18 November 1941(1941-11-18) (aged 74) Double Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Political party	Nationalist (1917–1922) National Labor (1916–1917) Labor (1901–1916) Labour Electoral League (1891–1901)
Spouses	Ada Low ​ (m. 1889⁠–⁠1921)​ Antonia Dowlan ​ (m. 1925)​
Children	1
Education	Weston School
Occupation	Petroleum company director (Australian Motorists Petrol Co Ltd) Trade union print company director (Labor Papers Ltd) Trade union executive (Sydney Trades and Labor Council)
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John Christian Watson (born Johan Cristian Tanck; 9 April 1867 – 18 November 1941) was an Australian politician who served as the third prime minister of Australia from 27 April to 18 August 1904. He was the inaugural federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1901 to 1907 and was the first member of the party to serve as prime minister.^[1]

Watson was born in Valparaíso, Chile, the son of a German Chilean seaman. He grew up on the South Island of New Zealand, taking the surname of his step-father when his Irish-born mother remarried. He left school at a young age, working in the printing industry as a compositor. Watson moved to Sydney in 1886 and became prominent in the local labour movement. He helped establish the Labor Electoral League of New South Wales and directed the party's campaign at the 1891 general election. Watson was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly at the 1894 election, aged 27, and quickly became a leading figure in the ALP. He and most party members opposed Federation on the grounds that the proposed constitution was undemocratic.

In 1901, Watson was elected to the House of Representatives at the inaugural federal election. He became a founding member of the ALP caucus in federal parliament and was elected as the party's inaugural leader. During the first term of parliament he supported the Liberal Protectionist governments of Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin, and was a strong supporter of the White Australia policy. At the 1903 election, the ALP secured the balance of power in the House and a strong position in the Senate. Watson formed a minority government in April 1904, aged 37, after the ALP withdrew its support from Deakin. He was one of the first socialists to head a government in a parliamentary system, attracting international attention, and remains Australia's youngest prime minister.

After less than four months in office, the Watson government lost a confidence motion and Watson was succeeded as prime minister by anti-socialist George Reid. He was leader of the opposition until 1905, when he helped reinstall Deakin as prime minister. The ALP continued to offer its support to Deakin after the 1906 election, despite the opposition of some in the party. Watson resigned the party's leadership in 1907, citing family concerns, and left parliament at the 1910 election. He was expelled from the ALP during the 1916 split over conscription and became a Nationalist, although he never again stood for public office. He subsequently had a successful business career, including as president of the NRMA and chairman of Ampol.

While Watson did not succeed in passing legislation while in office, his term as prime minister is seen as significant as a demonstration that the ALP could form a competent government. His successor as party leader Andrew Fisher would lead the ALP to a majority government at the 1910 election, in which many of Watson's ministers played a key role.