predecessor successor death_date birth_place death_place profession party office birth_date order term_start article_title term_end name
robert white alfred caldwell 28 may 1930 amherst , virginia charleston , west virginia politician , attorney democratic attorney general of west virginia 23 april 1848 9th 1881 cornelius clarkson watts
 1885 cornelius clarkson watts
cornelius clarkson watts

cornelius clarkson watts -lrb- 1848 -- 1930 -rrb- , or c. c. watts , was united states attorney for the district of west virginia and attorney general of west virginia .
in 1896 , he was the democratic party candidate for governor of west virginia .
he was born april 23 , 1848 at amherst , virginia .
his parents , james d. and lucy a. -lrb- simms -rrb- watts , lived in amherst until the beginning of the civil war , when they removed to albemarle county , virginia .
at 16 , he entered the confederate army and served as a private soldier in mosby 's command .
after the war , he studied law and was educated at the university of virginia .
in 1870 , he moved to west virginia and began the practice of his profession at oceana , west virginia .
he was elected prosecuting attorney for wyoming county , west virginia in 1872 , and held the office until 1875 .
in that year he moved to charleston and became a member of the law firm of kenna & watts .
he was nominated and elected by the democratic party , in 1880 , as attorney general for west virginia , and served his term of four years .
while attorney general , he argued many important cases for the state , and with maj. 0 .
d. cook , his faithful assistant , got out nine volumes of supreme court reports .
he argued the tax case of `` chesapeake & ohio ry .
co. v. miller '' , 114 u.s. 176 -lrb- 1885 -rrb- on march 22 , 1885 , in the supreme court of the united states .
in that case , he served as attorney for the state under the employment and appointment of governor jacob b. jackson , after his term of office as attorney general had expired .
in this litigation the state was successful , and besides gaining for itself and the counties through which the road runs , some $ 200,000 , it established the right to forever tax , not only this railway , but all railroads now or hereafter to be built in west virginia .
in august 1886 , president grover cleveland sent his name to the united states senate to be attorney of the united states for the district of west virginia .
the appointment was confirmed on august 3 , 1886 , for the term of four years .
however , after the election of 1888 , which resulted in mr. cleveland 's defeat , general watts began such a vigorous prosecution of what are known as the `` election fraud cases , '' that on march 9 , 1889 , attorney general william h. h. miller , by direction of president benjamin harrison , telegraphed general watts requesting his resignation .
whereupon he immediately replied by telegram : `` your telegram of this date , by direction of the president , requesting my resignation of the office of united states attorney for the district of west virginia , has been received .
i know of no act of mine , either official or otherwise , which , in the absence of cause being assigned , would , under existing circumstances , justify me in tendering my resignation .
i therefore respectfully decline to make such resignation .
if the president wants me to vacate the office of united states attorney , without cause being assigned therefore , let him assert his prerogative . ''
on april 4 , 1889 , he was notified by the president of his removal .
in 1891-1894 he served as a member of west virginia state senate from the 9th district .
he was the democratic party candidate for governor of west virginia in 1896 , defeated by republican party candidate george w. atkinson .
he died in charleston on may 28 , 1930 , and was interred at spring hill cemetery , charleston .
his home , breezemont , was listed on the national register of historic places in 1982 .
