Watson Coleman, Bonnie, 1945-

Bonnie M. Watson Coleman (born February 6, 1945) is an American politician. She has served as the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 12th congressional district since 2015. Watson Coleman is a member of the Democratic Party.

Watson Coleman was born in Camden, New Jersey and graduated from Ewing High School. She received a B.A. from Thomas Edison State College in 1985 after briefly attending Rutgers University. She established the first Office of Civil Rights, Contract Compliance and Affirmative Action in the New Jersey Department of Transportation and served as its director for six years. In 1980, Watson Coleman joined the Department of Community Affairs, where she held a number of positions. From 1998 to 2015, Watson Coleman represented the 15th Legislative District of the New Jersey General Assembly. Between 2006 and 2010, she served as that body's majority leader.

Following the announcement that Congressman Rush Holt would not be seeking another term in office, Watson Coleman announced her intention to run to fill his seat in New Jersey's 12th congressional district. She won the Democratic primary in June 2014; that November, she won the general election. Watson Coleman has been reelected three times. She is the first African-American woman to represent New Jersey in Congress.