Researching Chris Watson

Watson was born in Valparaíso, the son of a German Chilean seaman. He grew up on the South Island of New Zealand, taking the surname of his step-father when his Irish-born mother remarried. He left school at a young age, working in the printing industry as a compositor. Watson moved to Sydney in 1886 and became prominent in the local labour movement. He helped establish the Labor Electoral League of New South Wales and directed the party's campaign at the 1891 general election. Watson was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly at the 1894 election, aged 27, and quickly became a leading figure in the ALP. He and most party members opposed Federation on the grounds that the proposed constitution was undemocratic.

In 1901, Watson was elected to the House of Representatives at the inaugural federal election. He became a founding member of the ALP caucus in federal parliament and was elected as the party's inaugural leader. During the first term of parliament he supported the Liberal Protectionist governments of Edmund Barton and Alfred Deakin, and was a strong supporter of the White Australia policy. At the 1903 election, the ALP secured the balance of power in the House and a strong position in the Senate. Watson formed a minority government in April 1904, aged 37, after the ALP withdrew its support from Deakin. He was one of the first socialists to head a government in a parliamentary system, attracting international attention, and remains Australia's youngest prime minister.

After less than four months in office, the Watson Government lost a confidence motion and Watson was succeeded as prime minister by anti-socialist George Reid. He served as leader of the opposition until 1905, when he helped reinstall Deakin as prime minister. The ALP continued to offer its support to Deakin after the 1906 election, despite the opposition of some in the party. Watson resigned the party's leadership in 1907, citing family concerns, and left parliament at the 1910 election. He was expelled from the ALP during the 1916 split over conscription and became a Nationalist, although he never again stood for public office. He subsequently had a successful business career, including as president of the NRMA and chairman of Ampol.

While Watson did not succeed in passing legislation while in office, his term as prime minister is seen as significant as a demonstration that the ALP could form a competent government. His successor as party leader Andrew Fisher would lead the ALP to a majority government at the 1910 election, in which many of Watson's ministers played a key role.

Born in Leamington Spa on 10 January 1969, and raised in Canterbury, Kent in England, Watson studied tuba before reading music at the University of Exeter. Having sung in and directed Exeter University Chapel Choir, and a spell as a choral scholar at Exeter Cathedral, he went on to hold positions as lay clerk at Durham Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, and Westminster Cathedral. He is now based in Melbourne, Australia, where he is the Director of Music of the Choir of Trinity College, University of Melbourne. While based in Europe he regularly sang as a soloist, and as a consort singer with The Tallis Scholars, with whom he made more than 500 appearances, Alamire, Gallicantus and Collegium Vocale Gent. He also performed regularly with Tenebrae and Theatre of Voices, among others. His conducting work includes the Oxford-based chamber choir Sospiri, the chapel choir of St Edmund Hall, Oxford.

He attended Niagara University, where he led the Conference in 2-point field goals (165) in 1995–1996. He was inducted into the Niagara University Hall of Fame.

Watson has played professional basketball for two decades. He has played primarily in Israel (with Hapoel Tel Aviv, Hapoel Holon, Ironi Ramat Gan, GreenTops Netanya, and Ironi Ashkelon). Watson won the Israeli Championship with Hapoel Holon in 2007–2008, and again in 2008–2009. He was selected to the Israeli Basketball Premier League All-Star Game in 2011. Watson has twice played on the Israel national basketball team.