[1] Watson was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 1833, He served an apprenticeship there with Messrs. Hall Bros., ship builders.
The Burdekin bridge, near Charters Towers, was one of his early contracts and he later built the Mackay embankment, the municipal wharves at Petrie Bight, the Musgrave wharf at South Brisbane, and 750 feet of the South Brisbane railway wharf.
ln 1886, he contested the Fortitude Valley seat for the Queensland Legislative Assembly, but was defeated.
He was also chairman of that council for some time, and his practical knowledge gained in his former business often was of use to the members.
[2] His funeral was held at St Stephen's Catholic Cathedral in Brisbane and he was buried in Toowong Cemetery.