imported>Jevansen: Removing from Category:19th-century American legislators using Cat-a-lot

2024-12-11T11:03:34Z

Removing from Category:19th-century American legislators using Cat-a-lot

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{{Short description|American judge}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = John Charles Watrous
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| office = Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas]]|
| term_start = February 21, 1857
| term_end = April 19, 1870
| nominator =
| appointer = [[operation of law]]
| predecessor = ''Seat established by 11 Stat. 164''
| successor = [[Joel C. C. Winch]]
| office1 = Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Texas]]
| term_start1 = May 29, 1846
| term_end1 = February 21, 1857
| nominator1 =
| appointer1 = [[List of federal judges appointed by James K. Polk|James K. Polk]]
| predecessor1 = ''Seat established by 9 Stat. 1''
| successor1 = ''Seat abolished''
| office2 = Member of the [[Mississippi House of Representatives]]
| term2 = 1837
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = John Charles Watrous
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1801|08|01}}
| birth_place = [[Colchester, Connecticut|Colchester]], [[Connecticut]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1874|06|17|1801|08|01}}
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| party =
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| height =
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| children =
| parents =
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| residence =
| education = [[Union College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]])<br>[[read law]]
| alma_mater =
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| footnotes =
}}

'''John Charles Watrous''' (August 1, 1801 – June 17, 1874) was a [[United States federal judge|United States district judge]] of the [[United States District Court for the District of Texas]] and the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas]].

==Education and career==

Born on August 1, 1801, in [[Colchester, Connecticut|Colchester]], [[Connecticut]],<ref name="auto">{{FJC Bio|2518|nid=1389456|name=John Charles Watrous}}</ref> Watrous received an [[Bachelor of Arts|Artium Baccalaureus]] degree in 1828 from [[Union College]] and [[read law]] in 1830.<ref name="auto"/> Watrous entered private practice in [[Selma, Alabama|Selma]], [[Alabama]] from 1830 to 1835.<ref name="auto"/> He continued private practice in [[Woodville, Mississippi|Woodville]], [[Mississippi]] from 1835 to 1836.<ref name="auto"/> He was a member of the [[Mississippi House of Representatives]] in 1837.<ref name="auto"/> He resumed private practice in the [[Republic of Texas]] from 1837 to 1838.<ref name="auto"/> He was Attorney General of the Republic of Texas from 1838 to 1839.<ref name="auto"/> He resumed private practice in [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], Republic of Texas (State of [[Texas]] from December 29, 1845) from 1839 to 1845.<ref name="auto"/>

==Federal judicial service==

Watrous was nominated by President [[James K. Polk]] on May 27, 1846, to the [[United States District Court for the District of Texas]], to a new seat authorized by 9 Stat. 1.<ref name="auto"/> He was confirmed by the [[United States Senate]] on May 29, 1846, and received his commission the same day.<ref name="auto"/> Watrous was reassigned by [[operation of law]] to the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas]] on February 21, 1857, to a new seat authorized by 11 Stat. 164.<ref name="auto"/><ref name=fjctx>{{cite web|url=https://www.fjc.gov/history/courts/us-district-courts-districts-texas-legislative-history|title=U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Texas: Legislative History - Federal Judicial Center|website=www.fjc.gov}}</ref> His service terminated on April 19, 1870, due to his resignation,<ref name="auto"/> because he was stricken with [[paralysis]].<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwa71|title=WATROUS, JOHN CHARLES|first=HARWOOD P.|last=HINTON|date=15 June 2010|website=tshaonline.org}}</ref>

===Criticism and impeachment attempts===
After his appointment to the federal bench, Watrous became the object of severe criticism, in part because his decisions in a number of cases went against the wishes of some members of the legislature and because of his personal connections with [[land speculation]] in the state.<ref name="auto1"/> The alleged relation of Watrous to an attempt to validate forged land certificates resulted in the Texas legislature's passing a resolution in 1848 asking the judge to resign.<ref name="auto1"/> [[Federal impeachment in the United States|Impeachment]] proceedings against him began in the [[United States House of Representatives]] in January 1851 with the presentation of three petitions or memorials.<ref name="auto1"/> The main charges against him were violating Texas statutes punishing those dealing in fraudulent land certificates, misusing his judicial influence, and holding sessions of court improperly.<ref name="auto1"/> After numerous investigations the case was dropped by a vote of 111 to 97 on December 15, 1858.<ref name="auto1"/> Complaints continued to be presented to each succeeding Congress; [[Sam Houston]], on February 3, 1859, made a scathing attack on Watrous, and [[United States Representative]] [[Andrew J. Hamilton]] prosecuted the impeachment until the adjournment of Congress on March 3, 1861.<ref name="auto1"/>

===Civil War===

Due to Texas' secession from the Union and the [[American Civil War]], Watrous was unable to hold court from 1861 to 1865.<ref name="auto1"/> He resumed holding court at the end of the war.<ref name="auto1"/>

==Later career and death==

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Watrous moved to [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], and practiced law as much as his health would permit.<ref name="auto1"/> He died on June 17, 1874.<ref name="auto"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{FJC Bio|2518|nid=1389456|name=John Charles Watrous}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-bef||before=Seat established by 9 Stat. 1}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Texas]]}}|years=1846–1857}}
{{s-aft|after=Seat abolished}}
{{s-bef|before=Seat established by 11 Stat. 164}}
{{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas]]}}|years=1857–1870}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Joel C. C. Winch]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Texas Attorney General}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watrous, John Charles}}
[[Category:1801 births]]
[[Category:1874 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Colchester, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Members of the Mississippi House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Texas]]
[[Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas]]
[[Category:United States federal judges appointed by James K. Polk]]
[[Category:19th-century American judges]]
[[Category:United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law]]
[[Category:Texas attorneys general]]
[[Category:Alabama lawyers]]
[[Category:Mississippi lawyers]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Galveston, Texas]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Baltimore]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature]]

John Charles Watrous - Revision history

imported>Jevansen: Removing from Category:19th-century American legislators using Cat-a-lot