Kean’s John S. Watson Institute Honors Namesake on His 100th Birthday

Kean University’s John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research celebrates the 100th birthday of its namesake, the late John S. Watson Sr., and will kick off a year of programs and events continuing the visionary leader’s legacy.

A six-term New Jersey assemblyman and father of U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Watson was born on August 14, 1924. Throughout his life until his death in 1996, he exhibited the dedication to service and drive for excellence that inspired naming of the Watson Institute in his honor.

“John S. Watson Sr’s. legacy of public service has set the standard for New Jersey,” said Kean President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D. “His legacy lives on today in his daughter, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, and all community activists and public servants working to improve the lives of New Jersey residents. Kean is dedicated to continuing his mission through the Watson Institute, Kean University, and to fostering positive difference in all communities we serve.”

The Watson Institute serves as a vital, non-partisan resource for New Jersey lawmakers that enables them to make informed public policy decisions supporting state residents. Since 2003, the Institute has managed the New Jersey Urban Mayors Association (NJUMA), providing policy research for 32 municipalities, managing a comprehensive policy agenda, and linking NJUMA members with state and federal agencies.

“John S. Watson Sr.'s life is a testament to hard work, integrity and public service. His impact is felt through his accomplishments, the continued work of his descendants and the Institute named in his honor,” said Kean University Senior Vice President for Transformational Learning and External Affairs Joseph Youngblood II, Ph.D.  

The Institute’s notable projects include the nation's first urban-focused Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration; the Trenton-Based Maternal Infant and Health Innovation Project; contributions to significant environmental justice legislation impacting urban communities; and organizing community conversations on issues ranging from pre-k through 12th grade public education policy to public safety. 

“Today the Institute continues to link people to policy by leveraging academic resources and creating new strategic partnerships at Kean University,” said Barbara George Johnson, vice president of the Institute. “It is an honor and a privilege to lead the work of this Institute which embodies the life work of John S. Watson through the intentional centering of community voices in the policy making process.”

As Kean and the Watson Institute celebrate the centennial of John S. Watson Sr.'s birth, the Kean University Foundation invites everyone to continue Watson’s legacy of service by supporting the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research, ensuring his contributions to public policy endure for generations to come.

Watson was born in Camden, moving with his family to Moorestown, then Ewing in the 1950s. 

He was a businessman who turned to community action after witnessing injustices against his customers. He then launched a political career and was elected as a Mercer County freeholder, and then, a New Jersey assemblyman for the state’s 15th Legislative District. In 1977 he became the first Black state legislator in the nation to chair an appropriations committee. He stood in solidarity with union organizers, always responsive to his constituents' needs.

Family values and honesty underpinned Watson’s success as well. He and his wife, Marie, had four children, eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren and raised them to believe the family should give back to the community.

His daughter, Watson Coleman, the first Black woman elected to Congress from New Jersey, said her father believed “that to whom much is given, much is expected.”

"We may not have a lot, but whatever we have, we must share with others in need," she recalled her father saying.

Watson encouraged his children to be active in politics and gave them experience in addressing disparities in the treatment of African Americans in their community. He was ahead of his time in recognizing the growing importance and potential benefits of technology. He was proud to support legislation that created the Minority Opportunity Skills Training program at Mercer County Community College, which taught technological skills to minority students.  

Throughout his lifetime, Watson Sr. was also active in the Trenton community as a member of Shiloh Baptist Church. 

For more information, or to give, visit the Kean University Foundation.