WATSON, James Madison, author, born in Onondaga county, New York, 8 February, 1827. He was educated in the public schools, studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Syracuse, New York, in 1853. He then connected himself with the publishing-house of A. S. Barnes and Co., New York city, and, aided by Richard G. Parker, prepared a series of "National Readers and Spellers" (New York, 1853-'5). For the subsequent twelve years he devoted himself to teaching in New York and adjacent states. He settled in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1871, became president of the city board of education, was president of the New Jersey sanitary association in 1871 and 1882, and of the Temperance reform and order club. He has given much time and study to temperance and sanitary reforms, and to physical training. He has published "Hand-Book of Gymnastics and Calisthenics" (New York, 1864); "Manual of Calisthenics" (1864); a series of "Independent Readers" (1868-'71) ; and one of "Independent Spellers" (1871-'8).