Senator David Watters

David H. Watters, born on December 28, 1950 in Hartford, Connecticut, is an American politician from the state of New Hampshire. He is a member of the Democratic Party and has been representing the 4th district in the New Hampshire Senate since 2012.

Before his election to the Senate, Watters served two terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives for Strafford’s 4th district. His commitment to public service was inspired by his father, who was a Veteran’s Administration doctor for fifty years, and by his mother, who, after recuperating from polio, worked for Easter Seals to promote its sheltered workshop in Hartford.

In his first term, Watters established himself as a pragmatic leader willing to work across party lines to bring people together, protect middle class families and keep New Hampshire moving forward. He has worked diligently to restore funding for New Hampshire’s institutions of higher education, increase aid for scholarships and freeze in-state tuition to help New Hampshire youth achieve a quality education that doesn’t leave them buried under a mountain of debt’all without any new taxes.

Watters also helped secure $13.5 million in state funding for Dover’s Career and Technical Education Center. He served a term as chair of the Strafford County Democratic Committee, prior to his election as a State Representative for Dover Wards 1-2, in 2008.

Before devoting his time to public service, David taught literature and history courses at the University of New Hampshire. He coedited The Encyclopedia of New England and has written books and essays on literature and about New England’s old gravestones. David is frequently heard on New Hampshire Public Radio as consultant for Granite State Stories and the Immigration Project.

His wife, Jan Alberghene, is a retired English professor who taught at Fitchburg State University. Their son, Harper, is a Corps member at Houston Ballet. David enjoys getting outdoors to run and ski, or going down cellar to his shop to do woodworking, particularly making Shaker oval boxes. David and Jan go to Houston whenever they can to see Harper dance.