Arthur Watts (politician)

The Honourable Arthur Watts CMG MLA
Watts in 1950
Deputy Premier of Western Australia
In office 1 April 1947 – 23 February 1953
Preceded by	Albert Hawke
Succeeded by	John Tonkin
In office 2 April 1959 – 1 February 1962
Preceded by	John Tonkin
Succeeded by	Crawford Nalder
Leader of the Opposition of Western Australia
In office 8 October 1942 – 1 April 1947
Preceded by	Charles Latham
Succeeded by	Frank Wise
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Katanning
In office 31 August 1935 – 25 March 1950
Preceded by	Arnold Piesse
Succeeded by	Crawford Nalder
Member of the Western Australian Parliament for Stirling
In office 25 March 1950 – 31 March 1962
Preceded by	New constituency
Succeeded by	Clayton Mitchell
Personal details
Born	(1897-05-26)26 May 1897 London, England
Died	8 June 1970(1970-06-08) (aged 73) Dalkeith, Western Australia
Political party	Country Party[note 1]

Arthur Frederick Watts CMG (26 May 1897 – 8 June 1970) was an Australian politician who served in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1935 to 1962, including as leader of the opposition (from 1942 to 1947) and deputy premier (from 1947 to 1953 and 1959 to 1962) of Western Australia.

Born in London, Watts emigrated to Perth with his family in 1906, later moving to Katanning. Having boarded at Guildford Grammar School, he was admitted to the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 1920 as a barrister and solicitor. Watts was elected to parliament for the Country Party^{[note 1]} at a 1935 by-election, necessitated by the death of Arnold Piesse. He succeeded Charles Latham as leader of the Country Party and leader of the opposition in 1942, and was made deputy premier to Ross McLarty following the 1947 state election.

Despite being Opposition leader, Watts did not become Premier with the change of government at the 1947 election as his party the Country Party won one less seat than its Coalition partner the Liberals resulting in Liberal leader McLarty becoming Premier instead.

It is one instance of an Opposition Leader who did not become Premier with an election producing a change of government.

The government was defeated at the 1953 election, but was re-elected at the six years, with Watts again serving as deputy premier under David Brand. He resigned as deputy premier in February 1962, and did not contest the state election the following month, having been appointed chairman of the State Licensing Courts. Watts died in Perth in June 1970.^[1]

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