Diane Watson

For the archer, see Diane Watson (archer).
Diane Watson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 33rd district
In office
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by Lucille Roybal-Allard
Succeeded by Karen Bass
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 32nd district
In office
June 5, 2001 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by Julian C. Dixon
Succeeded by Hilda Solis
United States Ambassador to Micronesia
In office
1999–2000
Preceded by March Fong Eu
Succeeded by Larry Miles Dinger
Member of the California State Senate
from the 26th district
In office
December 5, 1994 – December 7, 1998
Preceded by Charles Calderon
Succeeded by Kevin Murray
Member of the California State Senate
from the 28th district
In office
December 6, 1982 – December 3, 1990
Preceded by Ralph C. Dills
Succeeded by Ralph C. Dills
Member of the California State Senate
from the 30th district
In office
December 4, 1978 – December 6, 1982
Preceded by Nate Holden
Succeeded by Ralph C. Dills
Personal details
Born (1933-11-12) November 12, 1933
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Residence Malibu, California
Alma mater California State University, Los Angeles
Claremont Graduate University
University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation College administrator
Health
Psychologist
Specialist
Committees House Foreign Affairs Committee
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Religion Roman Catholicism
Website http://www.house.gov/watson/

Diane Edith Watson (born November 12, 1933) is a former US Representative for California's 33rd congressional district, serving from 2003 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located entirely in Los Angeles County and includes much of Central Los Angeles, as well as such wealthy neighborhoods as Los Feliz.

A native of Los Angeles, Watson is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, and also holds degrees from California State University, Los Angeles and Claremont Graduate University. She worked as a psychologist, professor, and health occupation specialist before serving as a member of the Los Angeles Unified School Board (1975–78). She was a member of the California Senate from 1978 to 1998, and the US Ambassador to Micronesia from 1999 to 2000.

Watson was elected to Congress in a 2001 special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative Julian C. Dixon. She was re-elected four times, but retired after the end of the 111th Congress.

Early life, education and career

Earlier photo of Watson

Born in Los Angeles, California, Watson was raised Catholic.[1] According to a DNA analysis, some of her ancestors were from the Central African Republic.[2] She was educated at Dorsey High School, Los Angeles City College and the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned her BA in Education (1956). Watson became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

She earned an MS from California State University, Los Angeles in School Psychology (1967) and a PhD in Educational Administration from Claremont Graduate University in 1987. She also attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Watson taught elementary school and was a school psychologist in the Los Angeles public schools. She has lectured at California State University, Long Beach and California State University, Los Angeles. She was a health occupation specialist with the California Department of Education's Bureau of Industrial Education.

Watson was elected to the California State Senate from 1978 to 1998. The longtime chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, she gained a reputation as an advocate for health care for the poor and children. Term limited, she was replaced by Kevin Murray.

When, in 1988, the US government proposed the addition of the category of "bi-racial" or "multiracial" to official documents and statistics, some African American organizations and African American leaders such as Watson and Representative Augustus Hawkins were particularly vocal in their rejection and opposition of the category. They feared massive defection from the African American self-designation.

In 1992, Watson ran for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. After a hard-fought campaign that often turned negative, Watson narrowly lost to former Supervisor Yvonne Burke, who was supported by US Representative Maxine Waters.

President Bill Clinton appointed her United States Ambassador to Micronesia in 1999.

US House of Representatives

Committee assignments

Caucuses

Congresswoman Watson supports withdrawal of US troops from Iraq,[3] opposes media consolidation,[4] supports expanding welfare coverage [5] and opposed President Bush's proposal to privatize Social Security.[6] Watson opposed the Bush tax cuts, saying they were unaffordable.

She was one of the 31 members of the House who voted not to count the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004.[7]

In 2006, the National Journal ranked Watson as the most liberal member of Congress.[8]

On the issue of Cherokee Freedmen membership in the Cherokee tribe, Watson noted that 20,000 Cherokee lived in California. She opposed the Cherokee Nation's March 2007 vote to amend its constitution to limit membership to only those descendants with at least one Indian ancestor on the Dawes Roll. She noted that when freedmen were granted citizenship in the tribe in 1866 by a treaty which the Cherokees made with the US government, it was without restriction to those freedmen with Indian ancestry. Appeals to the Cherokee Nation's position were pending, in part because the tribe excluded descendants of Cherokee freedmen and intermarried whites from voting on the amendment. In June 2007 Watson introduced a bill to sever US relations with the tribe and revoke its gaming privileges unless the Cherokee restored membership in the tribe to descendants of Cherokee freedmen.[9]

Political campaigns

In the 2008 Democratic primary, Watson's district went overwhelmingly for Illinois Senator Barack Obama by a margin of 61-29. As a superdelegate, Watson continued to support New York Senator Hillary Clinton.

Watson defeated her challengers in the California June 3 primary, and defeated Republican David Crowley in the November 4, 2008, election.

References

Wikisource has original works written by or about:
Diane Edith Watson
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Julian C. Dixon		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 32nd congressional district
2001–2003 		Succeeded by
Hilda Solis
Preceded by
Lucille Roybal-Allard		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 33rd congressional district
2003–2011 		Succeeded by
Karen Bass
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Cheryl A. Martin, Charge d'Affaires, a.i.		 U.S. Ambassador to Micronesia
1999-2002 		Succeeded by
Larry Miles Dinger
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.