Louis A. Watres
5th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
In office
January 20, 1891 – January 23, 1895
GovernorRobert E. Pattison
Preceded byWilliam T. Davies
Succeeded byWalter Lyon
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 20th district
In office
1883–1890
Preceded byGeorge B. Seamons
Succeeded byMichael E. McDonald
Personal details
BornApril 21, 1851
Jessup, Pennsylvania, US
DiedJune 28, 1937 (aged 86)
Pennsylvania, US
Political partyRepublican
SpouseEffie J. Hawley
Children3, incl. Laurence
Signature

Louis Arthur Watres (April 21, 1851 – June 28, 1937) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 20th district from 1883 to 1890 and as the fifth lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1891 to 1895.

Biography

Watres was born on April 21, 1851, in Jessup, Pennsylvania (known as the borough of Winton at the time) to Lewis S. Watres, a pioneer developer of the Lackawanna Valley.[1] He later moved with his family to Scranton, Pennsylvania.

In 1877, he joined the Pennsylvania National Guard as a private. He served as captain of Company A of the 13th Regiment, Colonel of the 11th Regiment, judge advocate of the Division Staff, general inspector of rifle practice on the staff of Governor James A. Beaver[2] and as commander of the 13th Regiment after the unit returned from duty in the Spanish-American War.[1] He became the first president of the Pennsylvania National Guard and served in that capacity for two years. He was a member of the Armory Board of Pennsylvania[2] and a key sponsor for the construction of the 109th Regiment Armory in Scranton, Pennsylvania.[3]

He studied law and was admitted to the Lackawanna County bar in 1878. Watres served as the solicitor for Lackawanna County government from 1881 to 1890. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 20th district from 1883 to 1890.[4] He was a member of the Judiciary General and Appropriations committees.[5] He served as Lieutenant Governor from 1891 to 1895.[6]

He was a successful businessman and worked as president of the Scranton Passenger Railway Company, the County Savings Bank, the Title Guarantee and Trust Company, the Economy Light, Heat and Power Company, the Pittston Slate Company and the Boulevard Company.[7] He was a partner in the development of the Springbrook Water Company. He was the owner of the Mansfield Water Company and promoted the construction of the Wilsonville Dam on Wallenpaupack Creek which created Lake Wallenpaupack.[3]

He purchased the Scranton Truth newspaper in 1908 and The Scranton-Tribune Republican in 1915. He merged the two newspapers and continued working as editor until 1934 when he sold it to Frank D. Schroth.[3]

In 1913, Watres purchased 15,000 acres along the Wallenpaupack Creek for $15,000.[8] The land purchase included Lacawac, the estate previously owned by Congressman William Connell,[9] which Watres used as a summer home.[3]

From 1916 through 1917, he served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Free and Accepted Masons.[10] From 1934 to 1937 Watres served as the Executive Officer of the Order of DeMolay in Pennsylvania, later serving as Grand Master of the International Supreme Council of the Order of DeMolay in 1936–1937.[11] He was a key member of the committee established to construct the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia.[12]

Legacy

In 1925, Lafayette College conferred the honorary degree of LL.D to Watres.[3]

He died on July 28, 1937, and was interred at Dunmore Cemetery in Dunmore, Pennsylvania.[13]

The 109th Regiment Armory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is known as the "Watres Armory".[3]

His second son, Laurence Hawley Watres, became a U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 American Biography: A New Cyclopedia. New York: The American Historical Society, Inc. 1922. p. 5. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  2. 1 2 The State Capitol of Pennsylvania. Harrisburg: The Telegraph Printing Company. 1907. p. 134. Retrieved 21 December 2019. louis arthur watres.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lewis, William P. (April 1983). "The Life and Works of Col. L.A. Watres" (PDF). The Lackawanna Historical Society Bulletin. 16 (2). Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  4. ↑ "Pennsylvania State Senate - Louis Arthur Watres Biography". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  5. ↑ Williamson, Leland M. (1898). Prominent and Progressive Pennsylvanians of the Nineteenth Century. Philadelphia: The Record Publishing Company. p. 484. Retrieved 21 December 2019. louis arthur watres.
  6. ↑ Smull, J.A.; Smull, W.P.; Pennsylvania. General Assembly; Cochran, T.B.; Baker, W.H. (1893). Smull's Legislative Hand Book and Manual of the State of Pennsylvania. p. 854. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
  7. ↑ Hayden, Horace Edwin (1906). Genealogical and Family History of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys. New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company. p. 61. Retrieved 21 December 2019. louis arthur watres.
  8. ↑ "History of Lacawac Sanctuary". www.lacawac.org. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  9. ↑ "Wayne County Historical Society". www.waynehistorypa.org. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  10. ↑ "Louis Arthur Watres 1916-1917". pagrandlodge.org. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
  11. ↑ "Past Executive Officers | Pennsylvania DeMolay". pademolay.org. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
  12. ↑ "Col Louis Arthur Watres Memorial Editorial Times Tribune Jun 29 1937 pg 6". The Times-Tribune. 29 June 1937. p. 6. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  13. ↑ "COL Louis A. Watres". www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
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