He was born in Millersburg, a small town in Callaway County, Missouri, on November 29, 1867, the first son and second child of six of Dr. Berry Allen Watson (1833–1918), a general-practice physician, and Clara Ward (1842–1927), an author.
In 1872 the family moved from Millersburg to Columbia, a larger city in adjacent Boone County.
In 1894 he interrupted his career in journalism to return to Columbia, where he entered law school, from which he graduated in 1897.
That year he entered private law practice and was elected city attorney in Columbia.
Being cited for "his colorful editorials often calling for community improvements," he was inducted into the Missouri Press Association Hall of Fame in 2005.