Island to Albert and Dorothy Watson, he attended Lawrenceville School, Yale University,
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, and the University of Durham, (St. Cuthberts).
Neale’s restless spirit began at a young age. He went to Saigon in 1959, assuming an intern
position with the import division of Curt R. Schaeffer Company. He had a knack for adventure,
and a bit of trouble, and enjoyed sharing his story of a necessarily swift departure from Saigon,
followed by a brief stint with a Bavarian touring theatre company.
He was stationed in Beirut, representing the International Division of McGraw-Hill Book
Company and traveling extensively in a territory extending from Istanbul to Dhaka, including
visits to Libya, Egypt, the Sudan, and Ethiopia (where he made a presentation to Emperor Haile
Selassie). He was appointed assistant to the president of the Canadian subsidiary of McGraw-
Hill (Toronto), and eventually established a marketing and editorial liaison office in
Francophone Canada (Montreal).
Upon leaving McGraw-Hill, he returned to New York City, was hired as marketing director of
American Elsevier, and was thereafter briefly employed as export sales manager for Harcourt,
Brace and Jovanovich.
In 1972, he established Neale Watson Academic Publications, Inc. in New York City, with a focus
on publishing books and journals in the history and philosophy of science, medicine and
technology. Neale was heavily into the social scene of the day, frequenting period landmarks
such as Studio 54.
In the early 1980s Neale resettled on Nantucket with Watson Publishing International and
leveraged his international relationships to publish books pertaining to some of the most noted
scientists, physicians and technologies in European and American history. He developed a long-
standing relationship with the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, which led to the publication
of several volumes in the history of Swedish science, as well as books about Alfred Nobel and
other works about the Nobel laureates and the Nobel Foundation. The Nobel Foundation
showed its appreciation of Neale’s efforts by inviting him to the Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony
and the Nobel Banquet in 2001. This was the Centennial celebration of the Nobel Prize; a white
tie affair that Neale appreciated.
Neale was a fervent supporter of the history of science. He sponsored the annual Neale
Wheeler Watson Lecture Series in Stockholm, and the annual series of six Seminars on the
Material and Visual History of Science, held in cities throughout Europe. In 2015, the History of
Science Society presented him with the Outstanding Service Award.
He moved to Sagamore Beach in 2003, continuing to operate his publishing operation for the
remainder of his life.
Neale’s passions also extended to fine foods, gardening and the perfect martini. He will be
remembered as a generous, gregarious and inspiring host. He was a voracious reader of classic
and esoteric literature, and had a keen eye for art and design.
Neale is survived by his adoptive family and friends from around the globe. Always a man of
outgoing character and radical independence, he leaves behind for those who knew him an
example of an extraordinary life lived with passion, courage and adventure.
Services will be private.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18