Charles A. Watson

Dr. Charles R. Watson (July 17, 1871 – January 11, 1948) was the first president of the American University in Cairo. His father was a member of the United Presbyterian Church of North America African Mission. Watson grew up in Egypt and returned to the United States in 1889 to continue his education at Lawrenceville and then Princeton. He met his wife Maria Elizabeth Powell while attending Ohio State University. In 1912, Watson went on a mission with the United Presbyterian Board of Missions, with the primary goal of identifying the possibility of establishing a Christian university in Egypt. He returned from the mission with the strong belief that there should be another Western institution for higher learning in Egypt. The institution was finally launched in 1919 after enough funding and a suitable location could be guaranteed. He remained at the AUC until John Badeau succeeded him as president in 1945, although he was still heavily active in AUC activities until he died in 1948.