Albert Leisenring Watson

Who was Albert Leisenring Watson?

Albert Leisenring Watson was a United States federal judge.

Born in Montrose, Pennsylvania, Watson received an A.B. from Amherst College in 1901 and read law in 1903 to enter the bar. He was in private practice in Scranton, Pennsylvania from 1903 to 1925. He was a judge on the Court of Common Pleas, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania from 1926 to 1928.

On September 9, 1929, Watson was nominated by President Herbert Hoover to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania created by 45 Stat. 1344. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 17, 1929, and received his commission the same day. After surviving a brush with impeachment in 1945, he served as chief judge from 1948 to 1955, assuming senior status on May 31, 1955. He served in that capacity until his death.