Watson, Gene (Eugene Jess), 1913-2002
Biography
Eugene Jess “Gene” Watson was born in Carlin Bay, Idaho, in 1913. In 1933, he moved to Salem, Oregon, where he attended Willamette University. He then worked on the construction of the Capitol building in Salem. In the 1940s, he moved to Portland, and worked as a bus driver for the Portland Traction Company, which later became Rose City Transit. In 1942, he became a member of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757. In 1951, he was elected secretary treasurer, of Local 757, and he then served as business agent for around three years, ending in 1962. He later worked for the Oregon Bureau of Labor. He also served as a volunteer speaker for United Fund, and as a state chairman for the AFL-CIO community services committee. In 1951, he married Joyce Elaine Lanthrop, and they later had three children. Watson died in 2002.
Sources: Vital records in Ancestry.com; information provided by Watson in his interview; “’Volunteer of the Week’ Citation to Gene Watson,” Oregon Labor Press, January 17, 1958, Page 1; Watson’s obituary in the Oregonian, September 28, 2002, Page B5.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Oral history interview with Gene Watson
Oral history interview with Gene Watson, conducted by Jim Strassmaier in two sessions, on December 18, 2001, and January 2, 2002, as part of the Oregon Labor Oral History Program. Watson discusses his involvement with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 and his work at the Oregon Bureau of Labor.