Robert D. Watt was born in Marion County, Indiana, in 1899. He lived there until 1910, when his family moved to Missouri. In 1925, he graduated from the University of Missouri and in 1928 earned a master's degree from the University of Indiana. He moved to Montana soon afterward.
From 1932-1936, he taught in St. Ignatius, Montana. In 1937, he started teaching at Missoula County High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and sreved in the North African campaign in World War II. At the end of the war, he returned to Missoula and resumed his teaching duties. In 1958 he was elected superintendent of schools for Missoula County. At the end of his four-year term, he successfully ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Montana House of Representatives and served six consecutive terms. In 1974, he was elected to the Montana State Senate, a post he filled for three two-year terms. While a member of each house, he chaired the Tax Committee. He was a strong advocate for replacing local property taxes with an income tax. This proposal passed the House but was defeated in the Senate. He was also a strong advocate for long-range planning for building and government development in Montana.
Watt married Mabel Hardy Benson in 1965. Together, they were responsible for establishing Common Cause in Montana. She died in 1991. He died in 1994.
The collection contains Watt's political and personal materials that document his activities in state and local politics, tax reform, and other matters. Watt's correspondence is mostly with Montana's congressional delegation (particularly Mike Mansfield) and with local officials about legislative matters. Campaign materials document his campaigns for the state legislature. Clippings from Montana newspapers include stories about Watt and others who interested him, but also includes a series of letters to the editor. There is one file of research materials related to state tax reform. Legislative materials include mostly bills and resolutions he introduced or otherwise supported.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana--Missoula.
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to the University of Montana.
[Name of document or photograph number], Robert Delanson Watt Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
The papers were in Watt's possession until donation to the Archives.
Gift of Robert D. Watt, 1984.
The original processors arranged the collection, prepared a finding aid, and numbered the collection as LC 123. In 2004, the collection was re-numbered as Mss 123 and the finding aid was minimally revised and encoded.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.