Joseph Watson

Joseph Watson (c. 1784 – April 9, 1841) was an American merchant and politician. He was the mayor of Philadelphia from 1824 to 1828. Watson was known for his efforts to help free blacks who had been kidnapped in Philadelphia and transported to southern plantations as slaves and in pursuing members of Patty Cannon's gang of kidnappers.

Biography Watson was born in 1784 in Bucks County to Isaac Watson, a carpenter, and Ann Jenks. Watson later became a lumber merchant in Philadelphia.

In 1822, Watson was elected as an alderman on the Common Council. In 1824, Robert Wharton completed what would be the last of his 14 terms in office and Watson was elected by the council in a 25-0 vote. As mayor, Watson had the duty of organizing Philadelphia's reception for the Marquis de Lafayette on his tour of the United States. He was re-elected in 1825 and 1826.

Watson was contacted by two men, John Hamilton and John Henderson. Both were southern plantation owners who had been approached by Jesse Cannon and Joe Johnson of the Cannon-Johnson Gang to buy Sam Scomp and Enos Tilghman. Scomp told of how he had been kidnapped from Philadelphia and transported to Mississippi. Another man, Cornelius Sinclair, had already been sold in Alabama. Watson worked to obtain affidavits from family and employers and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society joined to find documentation that the teenagers were indeed free. Johnson and Tilghman were later freed and placed on a ship to Philadelphia where they testified to Watson to let him determine that they were born free. After his defeat, he continued to serve on the Common Council. In 1833, he was appointed to a commission to develop a police force in the city. In 1833, the city of Philadelphia unveiled a new police structure with four police districts each with a capitain, lieutenants and patrol officers.

Watson was reported to have died on April 9, 1841.