Educated in New Zealand, Watson moved to Sydney to work as a typographer. He became involved in the labour movement and was elected president of the Sydney Trades and Labour Council and president of the Australia Labour Federation (1893). He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales (1894–1901) until he entered federal politics and became the leader of the Labour Party (Australian Labor Party). Although his party did not have a majority in either house, Watson formed the first Commonwealth Labour ministry (1904) but resigned in the same year after only four months and supported the Liberal leader Alfred Deakin (Deakin, Alfred). He retired from politics in 1910 and became a director of several companies, including the daily Labour newspaper, which he helped found in Sydney.