Delegates to the 33rd nominating convention of the Prohibition Party on June 30, 1999 selected Dean Watkins of Tucson, Arizona to be their vice-presidential candidate in the year 2000. Watkins is a retired aeronautical engineer.

Watkins was born in Canton, Ohio in 1931. His youth was spent there and in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he graduated from Shortridge High School in 1949. He subsequently enrolled at Butler University. Drafted into the Army in 1950, he spend two years as a radio technician, then returned to Butler. He graduated from Butler University in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics.

Watkins was employed in the Materials Testing Laboratory at the Naval Avionics Center for 19 years. Afterward, he worked as a design engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company. He retired from Hughes in 1993.

Watkins married Diana Jean Cox of Indianapolis in 1954. They have three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Dean and Diana will celebrate their 45th wedding aniversary this year.

Watkins is a member of the New Testament Baptist Church in Tucson. He serves as a substitute pianist and organist and is a song leader. His wife, Diana, coordinates activities for the deaf at the church.

Watkins' grandfather, Aaron Watkins, was the Prohibition Party's candidate for vice-president in 1908 and 1912 and its candidate for president in 1920.