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Revision as of 17:33, 7 August 2008

J. C. Watts
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oklahoma's 4th district
In office
January 3 1995 – January 3 2003
Preceded byDave McCurdy
Succeeded byTom Cole
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseFrankie Watts

J. C. Watts, Jr. (born November 18, 1957) is an American conservative Republican politician, CNN political contributor, former Representative from Oklahoma in the U.S. Congress, and former professional Canadian football player and much celebrated quarterback for the University of Oklahoma from 1977 to 1981.

Early life and sports career

After graduating from high school in 1976, Watts was recruited by and attended college at the University of Oklahoma. Chosen to play the quarterback position, Watts led the OU Sooners college football team to consecutive Big Eight Conference titles and Orange Bowl championships under the leadership of head coach Barry Switzer. Twice, in 1980 and 1981, Watts quarterbacked the Sooners to Orange Bowl victories over the Florida State Seminoles and knocked the Seminoles out of contention for the national championship. He earned MVP honors in both games. He graduated in 1981 with a BA degree in journalism.

Between 1981 and 1986, Watts played professional football in the Canadian Football League for the Ottawa Rough Riders, receiving the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player award during his rookie season in a Grey Cup loss to Warren Moon and the Edmonton Eskimos. Watts continued to play the quarterback position (which had brought him success at OU). By the end of his football career, Watts had played against such quarterbacks as Damon Allen, Warren Moon, Matt Dunigan, Tom Clements, Condredge Holloway, Dieter Brock, Joe Paopao, Danny Barrett, and Vince Ferragamo during his sojourn in the CFL.

Religious work

After retiring from professional football in Canada, Watts returned to Oklahoma and began work with the Southern Baptist Church. Watts served as a Southern Baptist youth minister and associate pastor in Del City, Oklahoma from 1987 to 1994.

Political career

Watts is the most recent black Republican to serve in Congress.

Watts was approached by several prominent Oklahoma Republicans and asked to run for a seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. After defeating several other candidates in the state Republican primary, Watts won in November, 1990, and was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Oklahoma.

Four years later, Watts was again approached by prominent Oklahoma Republican leaders and asked to consider running for an open seat for Congress (Oklahoma's 4th Congressional district, being vacated by Congressman Dave McCurdy). Watts agreed and in November, 1994, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the first black member of Congress not to join the Congressional Black Caucus.[1]

Watts captured national attention in 1996 with a speech before the Republican national convention, when he said, "You see character does count. For too long we have gotten by in a society that says the only thing right is to get by and the only thing wrong is to get caught. Character is doing what's right when nobody is looking."[2]

Watts meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell on September 2, 2003.

Continuing to be a rising star for the national Republican Party, Watts was selected in 1997 to deliver the Republican response to President Bill Clinton's State of the Union Address.[3] In an interview with the Washington Post, Watts chastised some black Democrats and civil rights leaders as "race-hustling poverty pimps", whose careers he said depend on keeping blacks dependent on the government.[4][1]

In 1998, Watts was chosen by the Republican House Leadership to be the chairman of the House Republican Conference, the fourth highest position of leadership in the House of Representatives (behind the Speaker, the Majority Leader, and the Majority Whip).

Although elected on a pledge to serve no more than two terms, Watts sought and won a fourth term in 2000. In 2002 he decided not to run for re-election, publicly citing a desire to spend more time with his family.

Watts then became chairman of GOPAC[5] until he was succeeded February 1, 2007 by Maryland's former Lt. Governor Michael S. Steele [3]. GOPAC was founded by Delaware Governor Pierre S. du Pont in 1978 in "an effort to build a farm team of Republican officeholders who could then run for congress or higher state offices later."[6] Other past Chairmen of GOPAC were: former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, California Congressman David Dreier, Arizona Congressman John Shadegg and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Watts has been critical of the Republican party's 2008 presidential candidates because they "don't show up" for black voters:

Republicans want to say we reach out. But what we do instead is 60 days before an election, we'll spend some money on black radio and TV or buy an ad in Ebony and Jet, and that's our outreach. People read through that.[7]

Watts has been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate for John McCain.

Post-Congressional career

He is chairman of the J.C. Watts Companies, which works with clients on strategies for business development, communications and public affairs. J.C. Watts Companies is attempting to develop a television news channel that emphasizes news provision from an African American perspective.

He serves on the boards of the Boy Scouts of America, the United States Military Academy, Africare, BNSF Railway, Clear Channel Communications, Dillard's and Terex Corporation. He is the previous chairman of GOPAC. He writes a monthly column for The Sporting News and is a frequent political commentator on many nationally-syndicated political talk shows, including The Tavis Smiley Show, The Situation Room, Hannity and Colmes, and Meet the Press.

In 2004, he became a spokesman for National Grants Conferences, a group that offers through infomercials access to millions of dollars in government subsidies.

Name

In his book What Color Is a Conservative: My Life and My Politics, Watts explained that the J.C. does not stand for anything, but he would often tell people that it was "Julius Caesar" as a joke. The Congressional Biographical Directory, in fact, lists Watts's official name as "Julius Caesar Watts, Jr."

See also

Electoral history

Oklahoma's 4th congressional district: Results 1994–2000[8]
Year Democrat Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
1994 David Perryman 67,237 43% J. C. Watts, Jr. 80,251 52% Bill Tiffee Independent 7,913 5%
1996 Ed Crocker 73,950 40% J. C. Watts, Jr. 106,923 58% Robert Murphy Libertarian 4,500 2%
1998 Ben Odom 52,107 38% J. C. Watts, Jr. 83,272 62%
2000 Larry Weatherford 54,808 31% J. C. Watts, Jr. 114,000 65% Susan Ducey Reform 4,897 3% Keith B. Johnson Libertarian 1,979 1%

References

  1. ^ a b Doherty, Carroll J. (March 22, 1998). "GOP Initiatives Hamper Efforts To Reach Out To Minority Groups". CNN. Retrieved 2007-07-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Northern City Journal - 10 July 2000 Issue
  3. ^ J.C. Watts: Response to the 1997 State of the Union
  4. ^ David Stout, THE REPUBLICAN TRANSITION: MAN IN THE NEWS -- Julius Caesar Watts Jr.; A Republican of Many Firsts and Yet a Team Player, New York Times (1998-11-19).
  5. ^ [1],
  6. ^ [2]
  7. ^ Inside the Beltway, Washington Times, (2008-01-03).
  8. ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
Wikiquote has quotations related to J. C. Watts.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oklahoma's 4th congressional district
1995–2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of House Republican Conference
1999–2003 		Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Thomas Lott
 Oklahoma Sooners Starting Quarterbacks
1979–1980 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Orange Bowl MVP
1980 — shared with Bud Hebert
1981 — shared with Jarvis Coursey
 Succeeded by
Homer Jordan
Jeff Davis
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