possible shift his home town of Birmingham and the rest of western Delaware County with Chester County Watkins commented, "It just doesn't seem right to me that a portion of Delaware County should be tacked onto some other county just to reach someone's idea of a magical figure." In January 1966, he testified to that effect before the state Senate reapportionment Committee and said that by 1970, Delaware County would have enough population to support two congressmen. In February, Watkins again attacked the pending redistricting plans: If it is done now, large portions of Delaware County will be cut off from the balance of the county, attached to either Chester or Montgomery Counties and our people will be virtually without representation in Washington for at least the next four years. It will mean that Montgomery and Chester Counties will control those districts. It will mean that congressmen from those districts will not be working solely for Delaware County municipalities. With the shift of Watkins' hometown of Birmingham to the new Ninth District, the Seventh District became an open seat, which would be filled that year by Springfield Republican leader Lawrence G. Williams. In the meantime, Watkins now represented a district where 56% of the residents resided in Chester County. In spite of the desire of some leaders that the district be represented by a Chester County resident, an accommodation was reached between the War Board and the leadership of the former, allowing Watkins to continue. He was easily re-elected in November, 1966, beating Democrat Louis F. Waldman, 81,516 to 48,656. Watkins died in West Chester, Pennsylvania from a heart attack during a speaking engagement at the Penn Oaks Country Club. He is interred at Birmingham-Lafayette Cemetery in Birmingham Township, Pennsylvania. Personal life Watkins was married to Hilda Jane Smerback and together they had two sons. He operated a 60-acre farm in Delaware County and bred thoroughbred horses. He was a member of the Pennsylvania and American Trucking Associations. See also List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99) References 1902 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American politicians American trucking industry businesspeople Burials at Birmingham-Lafayette Cemetery Pennsylvania sheriffs Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Chester, Pennsylvania Politicians from Hampton, Virginia Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Delaware County Councilmembers (Pennsylvania)