Editing Chris Watson (section)

{{Short description|Prime Minister of Australia in 1904}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Honourable]]
| name                = Chris Watson
| image               = ChrisWatsonSepia crop.jpg
| order               = 3rd [[Prime Minister of Australia]]
| term_start          = 27 April 1904
| term_end            = 18 August 1904
| monarch             = [[Edward VII]]
| governor-general    = [[Henry Northcote, 1st Baron Northcote|Lord Northcote]]
| predecessor         = [[Alfred Deakin]]
| successor           = [[George Reid]]
| office1             = [[Treasurer of Australia]]
| primeminister1      = Himself
| term_start1         = 27 April 1904
| term_end1           = 17 August 1904
| predecessor1        = [[George Turner (Australian politician)|Sir George Turner]]
| successor1          = Sir George Turner
| office2             = [[Australian Labor Party#ALP Federal Parliamentary Leaders|Leader of the Labour Party]]
| deputy2             = [[Gregor McGregor]]
| term_start2         = 20 May 1901
| term_end2           = 30 October 1907
| predecessor2        = ''Position created''
| successor2          = [[Andrew Fisher]]
| office3             = [[List of Australian Leaders of the Opposition|Leader of the Opposition]]
| term_start3         = 18 August 1904
| term_end3           = 5 July 1905
| primeminister3      = George Reid
| deputy3             = Gregor McGregor
| predecessor3        = George Reid
| successor3          = George Reid
| office4             = Member of the [[Parliament of Australia|Australian Parliament]] for [[Division of Bland|Bland]]
| term_start4         = 30 March 1901
| term_end4           = 12 December 1906
| predecessor4        = ''Division created''
| successor4          = ''Division abolished''
| office5             = Member of the [[Parliament of Australia|Australian Parliament]] for [[Division of South Sydney|South Sydney]]
| term_start5         = 12 December 1906
| term_end5           = 19 February 1910
| predecessor5        = [[George Edwards (Australian politician)|George Edwards]]
| successor5          = [[Edward Riley (Australian politician)|Edward Riley]]
| office6             = Member of the<br />[[New South Wales Parliament]]<br />for [[Electoral district of Young|Young]]
| term_start6         = 17 July 1894
| term_end6           = 30 March 1901
| predecessor6        = [[John George Gough|John Gough]] and<br />[[James Mackinnon (politician)|James Mackinnon]]
| successor6          = [[George Burgess (Australian politician)|George Burgess]]
| birth_name          = Johan Cristian Tanck
| birth_date          = 9 April 1867
| birth_place         = [[Valparaíso]], [[Chile]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|df=yes|1941|11|18|1867|4|9}}
| death_place         = [[Double Bay]], [[New South Wales]], Australia
| party               = {{plainlist|
* [[Nationalist Party (Australia)|Nationalist]] {{small|(1917–1922)}}
* [[National Labor Party|National Labor]] {{small|(1916–1917)}}
* [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] {{small|(1901–1916)}} 
* [[Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)#Early history|Labour Electoral League]] {{small|(1891–1901)}} 
}}  
| spouse              = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Ada Watson|Ada Low]]|1889|1921|reason=d}}
* {{marriage|Antonia Dowlan|1925}}
}}
| children            = 1
| occupation          = {{ubl|[[Petroleum industry|Petroleum]] company director ([[Ampol|Australian Motorists Petrol Co Ltd]])|[[Trade union]] print company director (Labor Papers Ltd)|Trade union [[Senior management|executive]] ([[Labor Council of New South Wales|Sydney Trades and Labor Council]])}}
| education           = [[Weston, New Zealand#Education|Weston School]]
| caption             = Official portrait {{ca.}} 1904
| signature           = John Christian Watson signature.svg
}}
'''John Christian Watson''' (born '''Johan Cristian Tanck'''; 9 April 1867{{spaced ndash}}18 November 1941) was an Australian politician who served as the third [[prime minister of Australia]] from April to August 1904. He held office as 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.<ref name=moadoph>{{cite web|url=https://moadoph.gov.au/blog/a-perfect-picture-of-the-statesman-john-christian-watson/ |title=A perfect picture of the statesman: John Christian Watson – Museum of Australian Democracy |date=30 April 2013 |publisher=Moadoph.gov.au |access-date=30 June 2018}}</ref>

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 (typesetting)|compositor]]. Watson moved to [[Sydney]] in 1886 and became prominent in the local [[Australian labour movement|labour movement]]. He helped establish the [[Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch)|Labor Electoral League of New South Wales]] and directed the party's campaign at the [[1891 New South Wales colonial election|1891 general election]]. Watson was elected to the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly]] at the [[1894 New South Wales colonial election|1894 election]], aged 27, and quickly became a leading figure in the ALP. He and most party members opposed [[Federation of Australia|Federation]] on the grounds that the [[Constitution of Australia|proposed constitution]] was undemocratic.

In 1901, Watson was elected to the [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] at the [[1901 Australian federal election|inaugural federal election]]. He became a founding member of the [[Australian Labor Party Caucus|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 Party|Liberal Protectionist]] governments of [[Edmund Barton]] and [[Alfred Deakin]], and was a strong supporter of the [[White Australia policy]]. At the [[1903 Australian federal election|1903 election]], the ALP secured the [[Balance of power (parliament)|balance of power]] in the House and a strong position in the [[Australian Senate|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 (Australia)|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 Australian federal election|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 Australian federal election|1910 election]]. He was expelled from the ALP during the [[Australian Labor Party split of 1916|1916 split over conscription]] and became a [[Nationalist Party (Australia)|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.