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Finding Aid for the Diane E. Watson papers, 1978-2011
1886
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Title: Diane E. Watson papers
Date (inclusive): 1978-2011
Collection number: 1886
Creator:
Watson, Diane E.
Extent:
24 boxes (13.25 linear ft.)
Abstract: Diane E. Watson is an American politician who served as a United States Representative, United States Ambassador to the Republic
of Micronesia, California State Senator, and Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education member. The collection
covers Watson's time in the California State Senate, Ambassadorship to Micronesia, and in the U.S. Congress. It includes press
clippings collected and arranged by Watson's staff, a sizable collection of photographs from events throughout Watson's career,
correspondence, and documents from various events, meetings, and conferences.
Language: Finding aid is written in
English.
Repository:
University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections
for paging information.
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the
creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright
owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Diane Watson, March 2011.
Processed by Brian Kovalesky in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Megan Hahn Fraser,
August 2011.
The processing of this collection was generously supported by
Arcadia,
[Identification of item], Diane E. Watson papers (Collection 1886). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, UCLA.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
6776321
Diane E. Watson (born November 12, 1933) is a former United States Representative (2001-2011), United States Ambassador to
the Republic of Micronesia (1999-2000), California State Senator (1978-1998), and Los Angeles Unified School District Board
of Education member (1975-1978). Watson's Congressional (32nd/33rd) and Senatorial (26th/28th/30th) districts are located
entirely within Los Angeles County, including Culver City, portions of the city of Los Angeles, and unincorporated areas of
Los Angeles County. She is a life-long resident of the area.
Watson attended Los Angeles City College and UCLA, where she earned a B.A. in Education. She also earned an M.A. in School
Psychology from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Claremont Graduate
University.
She was elected to the California State Senate in 1978, making history by being the second woman and first African American
woman to serve in that body. During her time in office, she chaired the Senate Health and Human Services Committee (1981-1998)
and served on the Senate Judiciary Committee. President Bill Clinton appointed her United States Ambassador to Micronesia
in 1999.
Watson was elected to the 107th U.S. House of Representatives in 2001 in a special election for the seat vacated due to the
death of Congressman Julian C. Dixon. She was re-elected four times before her retirement in 2011 at the end of the 111th
Congress. While in Congress, Watson chaired the Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus, and was a member of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The collection covers Watson's time in the California State Senate, Ambassadorship to Micronesia, and the U.S. House of Representatives.
Note that there are only a limited number of items from her time as ambassador. The collection includes press clippings collected
and arranged by Watson's staff, a sizable collection of photographs from events throughout Watson's career, correspondence,
and documents from various events, meetings, and conferences. The collection also contains materials related to specific areas
of interest for Watson, including the controversy over Ebonics in the Oakland, Calif., School District in the mid-1990s, the
Sherrice Iverson Justice Committee, and the debate over the downsizing of the King/Drew medical center. Additionally, the
collection includes mementos from Watson's trip to South Korea in August, 2010-particularly significant as her Congressional
district included Los Angeles's Koreatown, the largest population of Koreans outside of Korea. Mementos from the trip include
Watson's honorary doctorate from Chung Ang University, Korean literature panels, and souvenir menus from banquets in Watson's
honor.
Arranged in the following series:
- State senate
- Ambassadorship to Micronesia and Congress.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
COLLECTION CONTAINS DIGITAL MATERIALS: Special equipment or further processing may be required for viewing. To access digital
materials you must notify the reference desk in advance of your visit.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Watson, Diane E. --Archives.
African American women legislators --California --Archival resources.
photographs.