Author: Watterston, George
Biography:
WATTERSTON, George (1783-1854: ANBO)
The son of Scottish immigrants, he was born on shipboard in the harbour of New York City. His mother's name is not known; his father was David Watterston, a master builder. In 1791 they settled in Washington DC and George was given a classical education at Charlotte Hall School in Maryland. He went on to study and practise law, but disliked it and turned to writing instead. Between 1808 and 1813 he published two novels, two poems, and a comedy; in 1813 he took up the first of a series of editorial positions, in this case with the Washington City Gazette. In 1811 he married Maria Shanley; the couple went on to have eight children at their family home on Capitol Hill. When British troops attacked Washington in 1814 (Watterston fought against the British in Maryland), much of the city was destroyed and Watterston's house was ransacked, but in 1815 Madison appointed him Librarian of Congress, and over time Watterston oversaw the rebuilding and expansion of his charge. He continued to work as a writer, journalist, and editor, his publications including several guides to Washington. He was dismissed from his post by a new president in 1829 but carried on as a writer and found another mission as one of the founders of the Washington Monument Society: he served as its Secretary from 1833 until his death. He died in Washington and is buried in the Congressional Cemetery. An obituary in the local press summed him up as "a loyal citizen, and a conservative in all his views." (ANBO 28 Dec. 2020; Appleton; ancestry.com 28 Dec. 2020; Daily Union [Washington DC] 7 Feb. 1854) HJ