Sharing the full obituary for Dr. Carl Watson, the former Director of the Works Progress Administration - the W.P.A. - in Ohio.

The previous blog post spotlighted historical newspaper stories about the W.P.A. with a focus on Ohio.  

Dr. Carl Watson was the Director of the Ohio W.P.A., and a rather abbreviated obituary for him was included at the end of the post.  

Dr. Watson was buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio.  

Below is a transcription of Dr. Carl Watson's full obituary.:

 “The Findlay Republican-Courier”

August 18, 1945 – Page 1 

(and continued on page 2)

Dr. Carl Watson

“Called by Death”

“Former Ohio WPA Director, Democratic Chairman, to be buried Sunday”

Dr. Carl Watson, 68, at one time Ohio WPA administrator, died at 2 o’clock Friday morning at his home on the North River Road.  Death was attributed to a heart ailment.  

When the WPA was discontinued in February, 1942, Dr. Watson returned to his home in Liberty Township.  He spent the last several years overseeing his farms.  He had been in ill health for some time but was able to be about even on Thursday.  He was stricken with his fatal illness Thursday night.  

Active in Democratic politics for a quarter of a century, Dr. Watson first served as chairman of the Hancock County executive committee for many years.  After gaining recognition through his political activities in this county, he served on the state Democratic committee under Gov. George White.

As a political leader in his home community where people knew him well, Dr. Watson enjoyed the confidence and united following of the Democrats and commanded the respect of Republicans.  He enjoyed politics as a game and regarded it as a part of the business of government with rules to be followed, and he endeavored to play the game according to the rules.  

In the late summer of 1933, the state executive committee met in Columbus and chose him state chairman to succeed Henry G. Brunner who was retiring to take the helm of the Home Owners Loan corporation.

As a result of the Davey victory in the primary of 1934, Francis Poulson was named to succeed Dr. Watson and he again retired to his farm in Liberty Township.

Calling him to Washington in 1935, Harry L. Hopkins, federal WPA Administrator, offered him the job of Ohio administrator.  He took over the task of “Ohio’s biggest employer” in November 1935.  He held that position until the WPA was disbanded three years ago.

As head of the Ohio WPA, Dr. Watson directed the work of 250,000 men and women, ten times as many as in any other employ in the state.  At one time there were 285,000 workers under his direction.

Dr. Watson attended the public schools here, then entered Findlay College.  He attended at the same time as Tell Taylor, the composer.  He subsequently attended the Cleveland Homeopathic Medical College and started practice in Toledo.  The practice of medicine was something of a family tradition.  He retired from medical practice in October, 1908.

However, his medical career was not destined to terminate for during World War I, Dr. Watson served as a captain in the army medical corps.  He was assigned to duty as a gynecologist. 

Enlisting early in America’s participation in the war, he was assigned as a surgeon to Polyclinic Hospital, New York City, which the government had taken over. 

Since New York was the most important debarkation point for troops, the army maintained a large permanent staff of officers there.  The officers took their families with them and Dr. Watson was placed in charge of surgical work for women.

After the war, Dr. Watson returned to Findlay to devote his time to his farm and his oil interests.  He intended to retire altogether from public activity but the Democrats of Hancock County drafted him as county chairman.

An ardent fisherman, Dr. Watson was on one of his fishing trips to Michigan in 1933 when he was chosen state chairman.  

He was born November 19, 1876 in Liberty Township.  His parents were Richard M. and Mary (Harper) Watson.  On January 22, 1903 he married Grace Wentz who  survives.

Besides his wife, he is survived by a sister, Miss Grace Watson, Liberty Township.  A brother, John W. Watson is deceased. 

A member of the Masonic Lodge, Dr. Watson belonged to Mecca Temple in New York City.

Funeral services will be held at 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon at his farm residence in Liberty Township.  Rev. W. E. Bradley, pastor of the First Lutheran Church, will officiate.  Interment will be in Maple Grove Cemetery.  

The body was taken to the Perry Miles Funeral Home and later was returned to the residence. 

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) played a prominent role in American history during the decade forever defined as the Great Depression

 The Works Progress Administration - later becoming The Works Projects Administration - both popularly known as the "W.P.A.", were federal programs crucial to the economic relief efforts during the New Deal Years of the 1930s.  

Thus, the W.P.A. programs were indelibly etched into American 21st Century history with a purpose to provide employment to those who needed it.  If successful, it would meet the goal to reduce the hardships endured by a nation's people desperate to survive the decade long perilous events that would unfold during the Great Depression.  

The National Director of the Works Progress Administration was Mr. Harry Hopkins 

(Harry Lloyd Hopkins' memorial on Find A Grave).

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In Ohio, the statewide W.P.A. director was Dr. Carl Watson. 

Initially in 1936, the Buckeye State was divided into 16 Districts of counties set up for the W.P.A. to operate regionally throughout the state.  Over time, however, the number was reduced to 12, and finally to 6 districts.  

The work continued, though, including the canvassing of county cemeteries by the W.P.A. workers.  They drew individual cemetery plat maps of burial plots.  A small coffin shaped black symbol was drawn inside the corresponding gravesite location for an American veteran. 

Since there is much to learn about "W.P.A.", both at the national level and in Ohio, it is important to research historical newspapers published during the years the program operated.  

Written at the time of the events, these news accounts give us a greater grasp of the W.P.A.'s goals that detail how they were met, and the challenges that arose on the way to its eventual ending.   

We take a look at only a small sampling of stories and headlines about the W.P.A. that ran in various Ohio newspapers starting in 1936.

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Below is a sample Veteran Grave Registration Card. Grave Registration cards such as this one were created for individual veterans buried at Ohio cemeteries. 

The registration cards were created during the same time period when the W.P.A. Cemetery plat maps were drawn.  

The cards were created when a U.S. government issued headstone was ordered for a veteran to be installed at his gravesite.

More Ohio county Recorder's offices have the veteran graves registrations cards yet today compared to how many still have the W.P.A. Cemetery Plat Maps (which are typically large in size and originally were bound inside hardbound covers). 

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The page below shows information about the original 16 W.P.A. districts in Ohio and their counties.:

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Below is a striking headline that ran in "The Lima News" - May 30, 1937.  

This important story comprised more than one page.:

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Below is a composite of a sample Works Progress Administration Title Page for a county's cemetery plat maps at the top, and below it is the "Legend" list of wars, insurrections, and American Indian uprisings and their number designations up to and including World War I.: 

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 Below is a sample WPA Cemetery Plat Map for an Ohio cemetery. 

Some map pages contain map drawings for more than one cemetery whenever the cemeteries are smaller. The cemeteries may, or may not, be located in the same township.  For larger cemeteries comprising more than one section, there can be multiple pages - one for each section.:

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Below is the obituary for Dr. Carl Watson.

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