{{Short description|American lawyer, district attorney (1967–2023)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Craig Watkins |image = Craig Watkins Attorney at Law.jpg |caption = |office = District Attorney of Dallas County, Texas |term_start = 2007 |term_end = 2015 |predecessor = Bill Hill |successor = Susan Hawk |birth_name = Craig Marcus Watkins |birth_date = {{Birth date|1967|11|16}} |birth_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S. |death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|12|12|1967|11|16}} |death_place = Dallas, Texas, U.S. |party = Democratic |alma_mater = Prairie View A&M University (BA)<br>Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (JD) |occupation = Lawyer |spouse = Tanya |children = 3 }}
'''Craig Marcus Watkins''' (November 16, 1967 – December 12, 2023) was an American lawyer who was the district attorney for Dallas County, Texas from 2007 to 2015. He became the first elected African-American district attorney in Texas when he was elected in 2006.<ref name="Forsyth2008">{{cite news |first=Jennifer |last=Forsyth |author2=Eaton, Leslie |title=The Exonerator: The Dallas D.A. is Reviewing Old Cases, Freeing Prisoners — and Riling His Peers |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122669736692929339 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=November 15, 2008 }}</ref>
==Education== Craig Marcus Watkins was born in Dallas on November 16, 1967.<ref>[http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/txbirths?c=search&first=craig+marcus&last=watkins&spelling=Exact&11_year=1967&11_month=0&11_day=0&4=&14=&SubmitSearch.x=0&SubmitSearch.y=0 Texas birth index]</ref><ref name="salary">{{cite web|title=Craig Marcus Watkins's Salary|url=http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/government-employee-salaries/state-of-texas/craig-marcus-watkins/1110208/|work=Texas Tribune|access-date=February 20, 2013}}</ref> A 1986 graduate of David W. Carter High School of Dallas,<ref>{{cite web|title=Notable Dallasites|url=http://dallaslibrary2.org/texas/docs/yearbookNotableDallasites.pdf|publisher=Dallas Public Library|access-date=February 21, 2013}}</ref> Watkins graduated from Prairie View A&M University in 1990 with a B.A. degree in political science. In 1994, he received a J.D. degree as part of the 1994 inaugural graduating class of the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law.<ref name="taking hits">{{cite web|last=Timms|first=Ed|title=After acclaim for exoneree work, Dallas DA Craig Watkins taking hits|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20110716-after-acclaim-for-exoneree-work-dallas-da-craig-watkins-taking-hits-.ece|work=The Dallas Morning News|access-date=February 22, 2013 |author2=Emily, Jennifer |author3=Jeffers, Gromer Jr.|date=July 16, 2011}}</ref><ref name="NYT 2007-6-3">{{cite web|last=Blumenthal|first=Ralph|title=For Dallas, New Prosecutor Means an End to the Old Ways|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/us/03dallas.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 22, 2013|date=June 3, 2007}}</ref> He was also a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.<ref name="last temptation 2">{{cite web|last=Crain|first=Zac|title=The Last Temptation of Craig Watkins|url=http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/2009/02/23/The_Last_Temptation_of_Craig_Watkins.aspx?page=2|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130408222611/http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/2009/02/23/The_Last_Temptation_of_Craig_Watkins.aspx?page=2|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 8, 2013|work=D Magazine|access-date=February 22, 2013|pages=2}}</ref>
==Career== Watkins began his legal career working in the offices of the Dallas city attorney and the Dallas County Public Defender's office and later went into private practice. In 2002, Watkins ran for district attorney against incumbent Republican Bill Hill and lost.<ref name="LAT 2012-5-8">{{cite web|last=Hennessy-Fiske|first=Molly|title=Dallas County district attorney a hero to the wrongfully convicted|url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2012-may-08-la-na-dallas-district-attorney-20120509-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=February 22, 2013|date=May 8, 2012}}</ref> Watkins won the 2006 district attorney election over prosecutor Toby Shook in an election cycle that saw Democrats every elected office on the ballot, including all judicial seats.<ref>{{cite web|last=Zeeble|first=Bill|title=Dallas Dems Sweep DA and Judgeships|url=http://keranews.org/post/dallas-dems-sweep-da-and-judgeships|publisher=KERA|access-date=February 22, 2013|date=November 8, 2006}}</ref>
The official biography of Watkins written by his office writes that Watkins secured a 99.4% conviction rate and focused on prosecuting cases of child sexual abuse.<ref name="meet the DA">{{cite web|title=Meet the DA|url=http://dallasda.co/webdev/?page_id=8|publisher=Dallas County District Attorney|access-date=February 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815073203/http://dallasda.co/webdev/?page_id=8|archive-date=August 15, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Watkins created the first Conviction Integrity Unit in the nation resulting in 35 wrongfully convicted individuals being freed under his administration. Watkins worked to resolve cases of wrongful conviction through the use of DNA testing and the review of evidence illegally withheld from defense attorneys.<ref name="Forsyth2008" /><ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=4069405n 60 Minutes Profile] (May 4, 2008)</ref> On January 4, 2011, Ray Suarez interviewed Watkins live on the ''PBS NewsHour'' for the exoneration by Watkins's office of Cornelius Dupree from Dupree's armed robbery conviction.<ref>{{cite web|last=Suarez|first=Ray|title=Convicted Texas Man Cleared by DNA Test After 30 Years in Prison|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june11/texascase_01-04.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106193948/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june11/texascase_01-04.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 6, 2011|work=PBS NewsHour|access-date=February 22, 2013|date=January 4, 2011}} Video available on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXQP_67B5yw YouTube].</ref> Upon leaving office, Watkins entered private practice focusing on criminal defense and personal injury in state and federal courts.
The ''Dallas Morning News'' selected Watkins as its 2008 Texan of the Year.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081229/tx-dallasmorningnews.htm|title=The Dallas Morning News Names District Attorney Craig Watkins as 2008 Texan of the Year}} {{dead link|date=August 2016}}</ref>
Watkins was a member of The National Trial Lawyers Association, The Texas Trial Lawyers Association and The Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
Public records indicate that Watkins' annual salary as of May 2012 was $200,000.<ref name="salary"/>
In the 2014 election, Watkins was defeated by former Judge Susan Hawk, a Republican.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://keranews.org/post/meet-susan-hawk-dallas-countys-next-district-attorney|title=Meet Susan Hawk, Dallas County's Next District Attorney|author=Krystina Martinez, Rick Holter|website=keranews.org|date= December 19, 2014|access-date=August 3, 2016}}</ref>
==Personal life and death== Watkins and his wife, Tanya, had three children.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/former-dallas-county-da-craig-watkins-has-died-medical-examiner-confirms/3410233/|title = Craig Watkins, former Dallas County District Attorney, dies at 56|last = Heinz|first = Frank|date = December 12, 2023|accessdate = December 12, 2023|work = KXAS}}</ref> He died at his home in Dallas on December 12, 2023, at the age of 56.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/craig-watkins-former-dallas-county-district-attorney-dies-56/287-fa39886b-665f-47c4-bb95-71381acf414d|title = Craig Watkins, former Dallas County District Attorney, dies at 56|work = WFAA|date = December 12, 2023|accessdate = December 12, 2023}}</ref>
==See also== *Dallas County District Attorney *''Dallas DNA'' *[http://craigwatkinslaw.com craigwatkinslaw.com] *[https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/craig-watkins Craig Watkins The History Maker]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20051221163317/http://dallasda.com/ Dallas County District Attorney website]}} *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXQP_67B5yw Watkins interview on ''PBS NewsHour''] about the exoneration of Cornelius Dupree
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Craig}} Category:1967 births Category:2023 deaths Category:County district attorneys in Texas Category:Texas Democrats Category:Lawyers from Dallas Category:Prairie View A&M University alumni Category:Texas Wesleyan University alumni Category:Texas A&M University School of Law alumni Category:21st-century African-American lawyers Category:20th-century African-American lawyers