Irvine Company

Historical note

Biography

Raymond L. Watson, former president of The Irvine Company, began his career with The Irvine Company in September 1960. With the exception of the years 1977 to 1983, Watson has been involved continuously with the company in various capacities.

With landholdings encompassing over 90,000 acres, The Irvine Company's origins date to 1864, when James Irvine I established the Irvine Ranch upon acquiring 185 square miles of Mexican and Spanish land grants. His son, James Irvine II, incorporated the holdings in 1894, founding The Irvine Company.

Born in Seattle, Washington, on October 4, 1926, Watson was raised in Oakland, CA, and attended UC Berkeley, where he received a B.A. in Architecture in 1951 and a M.A. in Architecture in 1953. Stan Ott, planning director of the City of Stockton, CA, gave Watson his first job, planning a civic center for the City. In 1960, Ott, who then worked at The Irvine Company, hired Watson to be the first manager of planning. In that role, Watson was instrumental in the early years of development of the Irvine Ranch and the City of Irvine.

Under his guidance, the City of Irvine became a model planned community, with award-winning housing developments such as Woodbridge and Westpark, complemented by the city's many parks, trails, open spaces and commercial developments.

Watson moved up the ranks through various vice president positions, and in 1973 was named president and CEO, positions he held until his resignation in 1977. From 1983 to 2004, Watson was a member of the board at Walt Disney Company, serving as its chairman from 1983 to 1984. In September 1986, he rejoined The Irvine Company as vice chairman until his retirement in 2003. As of 2006, he remains a member of the board. As a tribute to Watson's many years of service to the City of Irvine, the bridge connecting the UC Irvine campus to the University Center across Campus Drive was named the "Raymond L. Watson Bridge" in October 2005.