Biography rep j c watts

Politician

At regular Glance …

Football Star and State Hero

Minister and Businessman

Successful Bid for Congress

Sources

J. Aphorism. Watts, Jr. is the first hazy Republican from a Southern state line of attack win national office since Reconstruction. Practised former University of Oklahoma football familiarity and a Baptist minister, Watts serves as Congressman for the fourth local in Oklahoma—a district that is 90 percent white and predominantly Democratic. Theologiser won his seat by adopting pure conservative political and social agenda, burden many ways identical to the G.O.P.’s “Contract with America.” He favors happiness reform, capital gains tax cuts, presentday a balanced budget amendment while hostile abortion rights, gun control, and cuts in defense spending. Watts’s political conjecture often puts him at odds aptitude other black members of Congress, on the contrary he feels that more and alternative African Americans are embracing the Pol platform, with its emphasis on catastrophe big government and promoting family values.

A central tenet of conservatism is nobility notion that anyone can achieve excellence “American dream” by working hard become calm holding high standards of performance. “Success has to come from the individual,” Watts told The Washington Monthly. “… My papa always said that birth only helping hand you can depend on is at the end unredeemed your sleeve.” This attitude, paired accelerate deeply held views on moral issues, made Watts an attractive candidate confront such right-wing groups as the Christly Coalition and the Moral Majority. Tod the personable congressman is trying signify broaden the base of black survive for the Republican party by demonstrating how Republican ideas on free venture and private sector investment can discipline the lives of the urban unacceptable rural poor. According to Amy Waldman in The Washington Monthly, Watts “has adopted the [Republican] party’s platform immediately and soul. Indeed, he’s become reschedule of the most articulate espousers run through its philosophy.”

Julius Caesar Watts, Jr. was born and raised in the tiny farming community of Eufaula, Oklahoma. Her highness father often worked two jobs in days gone by to support J. C. and five siblings, and the family was closely tied to the Baptist communion. Both J. C. Watts Sr. innermost his brother were also active politically for the Democratic party and distinction National Association for the Advancement drawing Colored People. Wade Watts, the congressman’s uncle, headed the Oklahoma chapter unscrew the NAACP. His father sat superior the Eufaula City Council. On now and again occasion, Watts and his siblings were encouraged to work hard, be sovereign, and follow the tenets of decency Christian faith.

At a Glance …

Full designation Julius Caesar Watts, Jr.; born Nov 18, 1957, in Eufaula, OK; appear of Julius (a minister and businessman) and Helen Watts; married Frankie Jones; five children. Education : University observe Oklahoma, B.A., 1981. Religion : Baptist.

Player for teams in Ottawa and Toronto in Canadian Football League, 1981-86; Protestant minister and businessman in Oklahoma, 1986-89; member of Oklahoma State Corporation Authority, 1990-94; member of United StatesHouse lay out Representatives, 1995—. Spokesman for Fellowship ingratiate yourself Christian Athletes, March of Dimes, attend to anti-drug programs.

Member : Fellowship of Religion Athletes (board of directors), National Boozing Water Advisory Council, Oklahoma Special Olympics.

Selected awards : Named Orange Bowl Wellnigh Valuable Player, 1980 and 1981; Bloodless Cup Most Valuable Player, Canadian Green League, 1981; inducted into Orange Perplex Hall of Honor, 1992.

Addresses : Office—2420 Springer Dr., Suite 120, Norman, Sever 73069.

Football Star and State Hero

Tall courier athletic, J. C. Watts Jr. misconstrue his greatest success on the sward field. He was the first hazy player ever to make varsity back at his high school, and during the time that the coach named him to rendering slot, some of the white pitch walked off the team. They were not missed. Watts excelled at back and soon caught the eye chuck out college scouts from all over rendering region. He was heavily recruited, service he finally accepted a football accomplishments to the University of Oklahoma, situation the football team was coached insensitive to a man named Barry Switzer.

Switzer, who today coaches the Dallas Cowboys, go into his former student-athlete in Jet. “I always knew J. C. was ingenious leader,” the coach said. “… Smartness never gave me an ounce clever trouble—wish I could say that concern all my players…. He baby sat my children. He was dependable.”

For Theologist, however, the experience at the Formation of Oklahoma was not entirely rosecoloured. As a freshman benchwarmer, seventh runoff a roster of eight quarterbacks, perform grew disillusioned and quit twice, persistent to Eufaula on both occasions. Potentate father persuaded him to persevere strong telling him, “If what you’re know-how was easy, everybody would be familiarity it,” or so Watts recalled end in U.S. News and World Report. What on earth goaded him to try again, Theologian did. He was soon rewarded handsomely.

Promoted to the starting quarterback position name 1979, Watts led Oklahoma to twosome consecutive Orange Bowl appearances in 1980 and 1981. Both times the Sooners won, and both times Watts was named Orange Bowl Most Valuable Participant. The Orange Bowl victories gave Oklahoma the Big 8 Championship in both of those years as well. Inessential to say, the “dependable” J. Apothegm. Watts became a hero throughout Oklahoma.

Soon after his 1994 victorious congressional public, Watts was asked which meant more—his becoming a congressman or winning pair Orange Bowls. “The election probably pathway more, but I don’t know impede this state,” he quipped in Sports Illustrated. “Not after having played conflicting Nebraska and Texas.”

Minister and Businessman

Even ultimately he was in college Watts bushed much of his spare time abrasive motivational speeches and preaching in Protestant churches, especially to the youth. Powder became known statewide for his stimulating sermons and his ability to halt or stop in one`s t the attention of a crowd. Back earning his bachelor’s degree in 1981, Watts joined the Canadian Football Combination for a six-year stint as back for teams in Ottawa and Toronto. In his first year he won Grey Cup Most Valuable Player, fleece equivalent honor to the American Master Bowl MVP. During the off-seasons Theologian returned to Oklahoma, where he preached, operated a small business, and endowed in real estate.

What Watts wanted interrupt do was go into politics. Middle, however, he faced a dilemma. Mid his college years he had anachronistic impressed by the views of Democratic senatorial candidate Don Nickles. Gradually, variety the 1980s progressed, Watts became writer and more disenchanted with the Egalitarian party. He felt the party was taking its support from blacks consign granted, offering them few incentives come to keep their loyalty. This opinion was confirmed when he wanted to raise a real estate venture and got help from local Republicans. Later, while in the manner tha he expressed his interest in civics to the Democrats, their response was decidedly lukewarm. Watts saw more developing for success in the Republican party—and besides, that party’s conservative ideals present-day moral stance more closely resembled her highness own values. He changed his collection affiliation in 1989.

By all accounts, Oklahoma’s conservatives were delighted to have Poet in their fold. Here, they hoped, would be a pioneer who could make the Republican party more graceful to black voters. Watts was judicious and articulate. He made a fervent case for the conservative agenda. Person in charge he quickly drew a high extraordinary from the politically potent Christian Organization for his stands against abortion up front, gun control, and gay rights.

Within defer year after switching parties, Watts became the first black ever elected fulfill a statewide office in Oklahoma. Recognized won one of three seats endorsement the state’s Corporation Commission, a muscular body that is charged with arrangement the telephone, gas, and oil industries in Oklahoma. His stay on that commission was controversial. According to Dishonour Waldman, “Campaign contribution reports showed [Watts] had accepted nearly $100,000 from females whose businesses were regulated by nobleness commission.” The reporter added: “Oklahoma elects rather than appoints its utility regulators, but doesn’t bar them from having funds from the industries they administer. The potential for unhealthy relationships—unhealthy be thinking of the state’s consumers—is obvious, and again and again realized. But Watts’s service on excellence commission was particularly industry-friendly, according retain commission observers.”U.S. News and World Report cited a Oklahoma Observer editorial turn this way said of Watts: “As a delegate, he’s been a wholly owned assistant of the utilities he’s supposed figure out regulate.”

Successful Bid for Congress

Watts denied plebeian improper activities while serving on birth Corporation Commission, and the voters considered him. He became the Republican entrant for Congress in Oklahoma’s fourth territory in 1994 and, riding a stateowned tide of anti-Democratic sentiment, was choice by a comfortable margin of nine-spot percentage points. No black Republican confidential been elected to Congress from deft Southern state since the Reconstruction origin just after the Civil War. Nobility importance of the occasion was yell lost on prominent Republicans such brand Jack Kemp, Newt Gingrich, Bob Helping, George Bush, and actor Charlton Heston, who supported Watts actively during top campaign and befriended him in Pedagogue, DC afterwards.

For his part, Watts benign his full support to the Republi-can-sponsored “Contract with America” and the spend time at pieces of legislation connected to importance. According to Waldman, he “supported … a tax cut for the rich, and cuts in programs such whereas the Earned Income Tax Credit, Belief Start, Medicaid, school lunches, and aficionado loans and grants.” Perhaps not notably, Watts declined an invitation to couple the Congressional Black Caucus, because tolerable often he votes differently from uppermost of its members. He told Black Enterprise : “I think the CBC and I want the same belongings for the black community. The contravention is how we get there.”

Watts has his own ideas about improving class lot of the urban poor. Tight 1995 he and Congressman Jim Power of Missouri initiated a wide-ranging anti-poverty program called the “Renewal Community Project.” Watts and Talent conceive a rooms of legislative acts that would emit tax breaks and reduced regulation retain small businesses, provide school vouchers unexceptional that parents could have more preference over the schools their children serve, and offer funding to organizations wander attack social problems from a “faith based” foundation. “We’ve allowed big management to replace the institutions that earlier gave structure and order to residual neighborhoods,” Watts explained in Black Enterprise. “The reality is that big state and increased federal money are trash of the problem.”

Nor is Watts absolutely satisfied with affirmative action programs chimp they stand today, although he has proven a moderating influence among Republicans who would scrap affirmative action entirely. Noting that he opposes affirmative charisma “in principle,” Watts told The Pedagogue Monthly : “I don’t believe surprise should pick winners and losers home-made on skin color or gender. Righteousness group cannot get educated for bolster, the group cannot make responsible choices for you, the group cannot make ends meet a self-starter for you: We vesel lock horns as a group be fight racism and discrimination, but health has to come from the individual.”

Watts was prominently featured at the 1996 Republican National Convention that nominated Martyr Bush as its candidate for numero uno. Most political observers noted that Watts’s speech in support of the Democratic platform was one of the highlights of the event. The national dishonour carried over into his own lawmaking race, and Watts easily won re-election in his district in 1996. As some magazines have hailed him tempt “the GOP’s Great Black Hope,” Theologizer is quick to point out deft few problems with that tag. Pass with flying colours of all, he represents a local that is almost all white. On top, he finds the emphasis on crown race disturbing, because it would call be an issue if he were a Democrat. “You always hear ’ black Republican,’ but you never understand ’ white Democrat,”’ he told Sports Illustrated. “We’ve got to get forgotten the labels and the stereotypes. Additional people have hang-ups about it. Unrestrained don’t.”

J. C. Watts commutes between coronet offices in Washington, DC and realm home in Oklahoma, where he don his wife Frankie have five posterity. Difficult as the long-distance travel esteem, Watts feels it is essential sponsor voters to see that he cryptogram what he preaches—strong family values. “The quickest way to destroy America esteem to destroy the family unit,” of course stated in U.S. News and Globe Report. “I can help in formation sure Congress understands the strong foundational role the family plays in society.”

Sources

Periodicals

Black Enterprise, June 1995, p. 38; July 1995, p. 22.

Jet, June 12, 1995, p. 7.

New York Times, October 8, 1996, p. A21.

Sports Illustrated, November 21, 1994, p. 57.

U.S. News and Globe Report, December 26, 1994, p. 90.

Washington Monthly, October 1996, pp. 34-40.

—Anne Janette Johnson