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William Watson Engineer and Educator ALTHOUGH HIS CONTRIBUTIONS in the field of education made him one of the best known men of his day; William Watson is one of the least-known Nantucketers today. Born in the family homestead on North Water Street on January 19, 1834, he was the son of William Watson and Mary Macy, the latter daughter of Peleg and Sarah Macy, descendants of Thomas Macy, one of the great figures in the ranks of the first settlers of the Island. It was to his mother that young Watson attributed his early interest in mathematics. She was a remarkable and gifted woman, and directed the course of his studies, which included Bowditch's Practical Navigator and other volumes. Upon graduation from the Coffin School he entered upon a course of study at the Bridgewater State Normal School, from which he gained his diploma and went into teaching for two years. With the money so earned he entered Harvard College's Lawrence Scientific School, where he also taught geometry. In 1857 he was a competitor for one of the famous Boyden prizes, and was the unanimous choice of the committee for the first prize of $300. In this same year he received his S. B. degree from Harvard — summa cum laude in engineering. In the next year he took a second degree — S. B. summa cum laude in mathematics, while at the same time serving as instructor in differential and integral calculus in the Scientific School. In 1859, Prof. Watson went to Paris for further study. At this time, on behalf of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, of which group he was a recent member, he presented Madame Laplace a bust of Dr. Bowditch. After a visit to England he returned to Paris where he attended the Ecole Imperiale des Ponts et Chaussees. During his stay in Europe he made extensive tours through France, Switzerland, Ger many, and Austria, visiting technical schools and studying their methods. In 1862 he received a Ph. D. degree from the University at Jena. Returning to the United States he joined (upon election) the Society of Arts, reading before it various papers of his studies on the various technical schools in Europe. In May, 1864, a pamphlet was published on
