Diane Edith Watson

Congresswoman Diane Watson served as representative of California’s 33rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives of from 2001 to 2011 (107th-111th Congresses) after winning a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative Julian Dixon. Watson’s committee assignments included the Government Reform and International Relations committees. Before her tenure in Congress, Watson was the first African American woman to serve on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. She also served in the California State Senate for several years. Watson was tireless in her efforts to improve health care and the lives of women and children. Watson received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles. She earned a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Claremont Graduate University and has the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.