Changes

==Career==

==Career==

Watkins came to North Louisiana as a teacher/principal for two years at the former Minden Male Academy, a forerunner of [[Minden (Louisiana) High School|Minden High School]]. He engaged in the private study of law and was admitted to the bar in 1852. He left the field of education when he was named [[district attorney]] for Claiborne Parish, which then included neighboring Webster Parish, an entity created in 1871. He was the DA from 1854 to 1859. During the [[American Civil War]], he was named the enrolling officer of the [[Confederate]] Army]] at [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] in Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana. He was made [[lieutenant colonel]] of his battalion and was judge advocate of the Trans-Mississippi Department. Watkins served as a state district court judge from 1865 to 1869, but was removed on ostensible grounds of war injuries. He therefore resumed his law practice in Minden.<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=57058148|title="Judge John D. Watkins" in ''Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana"|publisher=Southern Publishing Company|location=[[Chicago]] and [[Nashville]], [[Tennessee]]|date=1890|accessdate=March 24, 2015}}</ref>

Watkins came to North Louisiana as a teacher/principal for two years at the former Minden Male Academy, a forerunner of [[Minden (Louisiana) High School|Minden High School]]. He engaged in the private study of law and was admitted to the bar in 1852. He left the field of education when he was named [[district attorney]] for Claiborne Parish, which then included neighboring Webster Parish, an entity created in 1871. He was the DA from 1854 to 1859. During the [[American Civil War]], he was named the enrolling officer of the [[Confederate]] Army at [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] in Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana. He was made [[lieutenant colonel]] of his battalion and was judge advocate of the Trans-Mississippi Department. Watkins served as a state district court judge from 1865 to 1869, but was removed on ostensible grounds of war injuries. He therefore resumed his law practice in Minden.<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=57058148|title="Judge John D. Watkins" in ''Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana"|publisher=Southern Publishing Company|location=[[Chicago]] and [[Nashville]], [[Tennessee]]|date=1890|accessdate=March 24, 2015}}</ref>

In 1879,  he was a delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention. From 1880 to 1884, he was a state senator<ref name=ssenate>{{cite web|url=http://senate.la.gov/Documents/Membership/1880membership.pdf|title=Membership of the Louisiana State Senate since 1880: Bienville, Bossier,  

In 1879,  he was a delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention. From 1880 to 1884, he was a state senator<ref name=ssenate>{{cite web|url=http://senate.la.gov/Documents/Membership/1880membership.pdf|title=Membership of the Louisiana State Senate since 1880: Bienville, Bossier,