About Watson

The About Watson subseries contains a large amount of newspaper and magazine clippings related to Dr. Watson. The earliest date to the 1940s and were collected from local Chicago newspapers. The clippings document his entire scientific career, starting with the discovery of the double helix in 1953. In 1962 Watson received the Nobel Prize for the discovery and the amount of clippings increases significantly. For additional Nobel Prize clippings please see: Personal Papers: Nobel Prize (JDW/2/13). While teaching at Harvard it appears as though Watson’s staff collected clippings for him, and these have been labeled “Harvard Clippings.” In 1968 Watson became the director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and he also married Elizabeth Lewis; these two events are the subject of several articles written during that year. In the early 1970s he became an advocate for cancer research, and the clippings largely reflect this. Starting in the mid-1970s he often spoke out in favor of recombinant DNA research. In the 1980s biotechnology and the Human Genome Project are the main topic of the clippings. For more HGP clippings please see: Personal Papers: Human Genome Project series (JDW/2/9). The CSHL Office of Public Affairs began collecting Watson clippings sometime in the 1990s and the CSHL Library and Archives collected related clippings in the 2000s. The 50th anniversary of the double helix discovery elicited a large amount of press coverage. These articles can be found in the 2003 clippings. Watson has been known to make controversial statements throughout his career, and these controversies are documented throughout the About Watson subseries. The subseries also includes obituaries of his co-recipients of the Nobel Prize: Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins.

1940-2012

9 boxes

Please note that CSHL holds copyright in writings by Watson that are held within Watson's archive in the CSHL Library and Archives, but does not hold copyright in Watson's writings held outside the CSHL Library and Archives. Copyright of material created by persons other than Watson, published or unpublished, is retained by its original author or rightsholder.

A digitised copy is held by the Wellcome Library as part of Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics.

Open and available at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Library and Archives.

The original material is held at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Library and Archives. This catalogue is held by the Wellcome Library as part of Codebreakers: Makers of Modern Genetics.