Watt, Robert Delanson, 1899-1994

Robert D. Watt was born in Marion County, Indiana, in 1899. He lived there until 1910, when his family moved to Missouri. In 1925, he graduated from the University of Missouri and in 1928 earned a master's degree from the University of Indiana. He moved to Montana soon afterward.

From 1932-1936, he taught in St. Ignatius, Montana. In 1937, he started teaching at Missoula County High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and sreved in the North African campaign in World War II. At the end of the war, he returned to Missoula and resumed his teaching duties. In 1958 he was elected superintendent of schools for Missoula County. At the end of his four-year term, he successfully ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Montana House of Representatives and served six consecutive terms. In 1974, he was elected to the Montana State Senate, a post he filled for three two-year terms. While a member of each house, he chaired the Tax Committee. He was a strong advocate for replacing local property taxes with an income tax. This proposal passed the House but was defeated in the Senate. He was also a strong advocate for long-range planning for building and government development in Montana.

Watt married Mabel Hardy Benson in 1965. Together, they were responsible for establishing Common Cause in Montana. She died in 1991. He died in 1994.

From the guide to the Robert Delanson Watt Papers, 1952-1982, (University of Montana--Missoula Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)