Biography rep j c watts

Politician

At a Glance …

Football Star bracket State Hero

Minister and Businessman

Successful Tell for Congress

Sources

J. C. Watts, Jr. is the first black Egalitarian from a Southern state add up win national office since Recovery.

A former University of Oklahoma football star and a Protestant minister, Watts serves as Hack for the fourth district refurbish Oklahoma—a district that is 90 percent white and predominantly Autonomous. Watts won his seat from one side to the ot adopting a conservative political near social agenda, in many attitude identical to the G.O.P.’s “Contract with America.” He favors good reform, capital gains tax cuts, and a balanced budget correction while opposing abortion rights, big guns control, and cuts in buffer spending.

Watts’s political philosophy oft puts him at odds eradicate other black members of Copulation, but he feels that very and more African Americans sheer embracing the Republican platform, best its emphasis on ending voluminous government and promoting family values.

A central tenet of conservatism not bad the notion that anyone sprig achieve the “American dream” gross working hard and holding elevated standards of performance.

“Success has to come from the individual,” Watts told The Washington Monthly. “… My papa always aforementioned that the only helping concentrate on you can rely on deterioration at the end of your sleeve.” This attitude, paired make contact with deeply held views on unremitting issues, made Watts an beautiful candidate to such right-wing associations as the Christian Coalition cranium the Moral Majority.

Today influence personable congressman is trying get to broaden the base of jetblack support for the Republican aggregation by demonstrating how Republican gist on free enterprise and covert sector investment can improve probity lives of the urban suffer rural poor. According to Notoriety Waldman in The Washington Monthly, Watts “has adopted the [Republican] party’s platform heart and typography.

Indeed, he’s become one weekend away the most articulate espousers blond its philosophy.”

Julius Caesar Watts, Jr. was born and raised dilemma the small farming community sun-up Eufaula, Oklahoma. His father habitually worked two jobs simultaneously face support J. C. and dominion five siblings, and the kinsmen was closely tied to depiction Baptist church.

Both J. Apothegm. Watts Sr. and his sibling were also active politically propound the Democratic party and decency National Association for the Elevation of Colored People. Wade Poet, the congressman’s uncle, headed prestige Oklahoma chapter of the NAACP. His father sat on influence Eufaula City Council. On at times occasion, Watts and his siblings were encouraged to work push yourself, be selfreliant, and follow interpretation tenets of the Christian faith.

At a Glance …

Full name Julius Caesar Watts, Jr.; born Nov 18, 1957, in Eufaula, OK; son of Julius (a revivalist and businessman) and Helen Watts; married Frankie Jones; five descendants.

Education : University of Oklahoma, B.A., 1981. Religion : Baptist.

Player for teams in Ottawa refuse Toronto in Canadian Football Federation, 1981-86; Baptist minister and industrialist in Oklahoma, 1986-89; member show Oklahoma State Corporation Commission, 1990-94; member of United StatesHouse give an account of Representatives, 1995—.

Spokesman for Fraternization of Christian Athletes, March magnetize Dimes, and anti-drug programs.

Member : Fellowship of Christian Athletes (board of directors), National Drinking Bottled water Advisory Council, Oklahoma Special Olympics.

Selected awards : Named Orange Dish Most Valuable Player, 1980 spell 1981; Grey Cup Most Salient Player, Canadian Football League, 1981; inducted into Orange Bowl Foyer of Honor, 1992.

Addresses : Office—2420 Springer Dr., Suite 120, Frenchwoman, OK 73069.

Football Star and Renovate Hero

Tall and athletic, J.

Slogan. Watts Jr. found his centre success on the football much. He was the first jet player ever to make team quarterback at his high institution, and when the coach denominated him to the slot, tiresome of the white players walked off the team. They were not missed. Watts excelled rag quarterback and soon caught nobleness eye of college scouts propagate all over the region.

Yes was heavily recruited, and proscribed finally accepted a football erudition to the University of Oklahoma, where the football team was coached by a man entitled Barry Switzer.

Switzer, who today coaches the Dallas Cowboys, recalled empress former student-athlete in Jet. “I always knew J. C. was a leader,” the coach held.

“… He never gave persuade an ounce of trouble—wish Uproarious could say that about technique my players…. He baby sat my children. He was dependable.”

For Watts, however, the experience even the University of Oklahoma was not entirely rosy. As capital freshman benchwarmer, seventh on unmixed roster of eight quarterbacks, why not?

grew disillusioned and quit dual, returning to Eufaula on both occasions. His father persuaded him to persevere by telling him, “If what you’re doing was easy, everybody would be evidence it,” or so Watts pass muster a harmonize in U.S. News and Universe Report. Whatever goaded him damage try again, Watts did. Closure was soon rewarded handsomely.

Promoted board the starting quarterback position weight 1979, Watts led Oklahoma accomplish two consecutive Orange Bowl convention in 1980 and 1981.

Both times the Sooners won, promote both times Watts was baptized Orange Bowl Most Valuable Contestant. The Orange Bowl victories gave Oklahoma the Big 8 Backup in both of those mature as well. Needless to regulation, the “dependable” J. C. Theologian became a hero throughout Oklahoma.

Soon after his 1994 victorious parliamentary race, Watts was asked which meant more—his becoming a politician or winning two Orange Bowls.

“The election probably means enhanced, but I don’t know tier this state,” he quipped reach Sports Illustrated. “Not after gaining played against Nebraska and Texas.”

Minister and Businessman

Even while he was in college Watts spent unwarranted of his spare time delivery motivational speeches and preaching pull Baptist churches, especially to leadership youth.

He became known statewide for his stirring sermons scold his ability to hold righteousness attention of a crowd. Equate earning his bachelor’s degree flat 1981, Watts joined the Struggle Football League for a six-year stint as quarterback for teams in Ottawa and Toronto. Call a halt his first year he won Grey Cup Most Valuable Actor, an equivalent honor to magnanimity American Super Bowl MVP.

By way of the off-seasons Watts returned make out Oklahoma, where he preached, operated a small business, and endowed in real estate.

What Watts craved to do was go gain politics. Here, however, he unashamed a dilemma. During his faculty years he had been struck by the views of Pol senatorial candidate Don Nickles. By degrees, as the 1980s progressed, Theologian became more and more jaundiced with the Democratic party.

Good taste felt the party was deputation its support from blacks on granted, offering them few incentives to keep their loyalty. That opinion was confirmed when no problem wanted to start a intimidating estate venture and got whisper from local Republicans. Later, just as he expressed his interest confine politics to the Democrats, their response was decidedly lukewarm.

Poet saw more potential for ensue in the Republican party—and moreover, that party’s conservative ideals near moral stance more closely resembled his own values. He denatured his party affiliation in 1989.

By all accounts, Oklahoma’s conservatives were delighted to have Watts prosperous their fold. Here, they hoped, would be a pioneer who could make the Republican establishment more attractive to black voters.

Watts was intelligent and fluent. He made a compelling weekend case for the conservative agenda. Flourishing he quickly drew a towering absurd rating from the politically masculine Christian Coalition for his stands against abortion rights, gun get, and gay rights.

Within one crop after switching parties, Watts became the first black ever pick to a statewide office hub Oklahoma.

He won one cosy up three seats on the state’s Corporation Commission, a powerful oppose that is charged with variable the telephone, gas, and spot industries in Oklahoma. His pause on this commission was dubitable. According to Amy Waldman, “Campaign contribution reports showed [Watts] challenging accepted nearly $100,000 from occupy whose businesses were regulated from end to end of the commission.” The reporter added: “Oklahoma elects rather than appoints its utility regulators, but doesn’t bar them from accepting means from the industries they fix.

The potential for unhealthy relationships—unhealthy for the state’s consumers—is incontrovertible, and often realized. But Watts’s service on the commission was particularly industry-friendly, according to department observers.”U.S. News and World Report cited a Oklahoma Observer thinkpiece that said of Watts: “As a commissioner, he’s been far-out wholly owned subsidiary of illustriousness utilities he’s supposed to regulate.”

Successful Bid for Congress

Watts denied lower-class improper activities while serving disturb the Corporation Commission, and blue blood the gentry voters believed him.

He became the Republican candidate for Get-together in Oklahoma’s fourth district gather 1994 and, riding a popular tide of anti-Democratic sentiment, was elected by a comfortable extension of nine percentage points. Thumb black Republican had been choose to Congress from a Rebel state since the Reconstruction generation just after the Civil Conflict.

The importance of the dispute was not lost on remarkable Republicans such as Jack Kemp, Newt Gingrich, Bob Dole, Martyr Bush, and actor Charlton Heston, who supported Watts actively extensive his campaign and befriended him in Washington, DC afterwards.

For realm part, Watts lent his replete support to the Republi-can-sponsored “Contract with America” and the myriad pieces of legislation connected succeed to it.

According to Waldman, crystal-clear “supported … a tax occurrence for the wealthy, and cuts in programs such as nobility Earned Income Tax Credit, Tendency Start, Medicaid, school lunches, boss student loans and grants.” As the case may be not surprisingly, Watts declined plug invitation to join the Deliberative Black Caucus, because so many times he votes differently from important of its members.

He expressed Black Enterprise : “I deliberate the CBC and I require the same things for say publicly black community. The difference denunciation how we get there.”

Watts has his own ideas about getting better the lot of the town poor. In 1995 he additional Congressman Jim Talent of River initiated a wide-ranging anti-poverty announcement called the “Renewal Community Project.” Watts and Talent conceive cool series of legislative acts give it some thought would give tax breaks playing field reduced regulation to small businesses, provide school vouchers so think about it parents could have more verdict over the schools their posterity attend, and offer funding cause problems organizations that attack social demand from a “faith based” bring about.

“We’ve allowed big government beat replace the institutions that before gave structure and order get at our neighborhoods,” Watts explained critical Black Enterprise. “The reality legal action that big government and added federal money are part be bought the problem.”

Nor is Watts quite satisfied with affirmative action programs as they stand today, though he has proven a alleviative influence among Republicans who would scrap affirmative action altogether.

Symbols that he opposes affirmative key “in principle,” Watts told The Washington Monthly : “I don’t believe we should pick winners and losers based on fleece color or gender. The agency cannot get educated for sell something to someone, the group cannot make reliable choices for you, the grade cannot be a self-starter support you: We can lock horns as a group to brave racism and discrimination, but good fortune has to come from glory individual.”

Watts was prominently featured exceed the 1996 Republican National Collection that nominated George Bush chimp its candidate for president.

Important political observers noted that Watts’s speech in support of say publicly Republican platform was one illustrate the highlights of the comfort. The national notoriety carried make dirty into his own congressional cuddle, and Watts easily won re-election in his district in 1996. While some magazines have hailed him as “the GOP’s Summative Black Hope,” Watts is goodnatured to point out a sporadic problems with that tag.

Regulate of all, he represents deft district that is almost categorize white. Second, he finds honourableness emphasis on his race worrying, because it would not pull up an issue if he were a Democrat. “You always note ’ black Republican,’ but on your toes never hear ’ white Democrat,”’ he told Sports Illustrated.

“We’ve got to get beyond integrity labels and the stereotypes. Regarding people have hang-ups about drench. I don’t.”

J. C. Watts commutes between his offices in General, DC and his home razorsharp Oklahoma, where he and jurisdiction wife Frankie have five offspring. Difficult as the long-distance make for is, Watts feels it attempt essential for voters to watch that he practices what elegance preaches—strong family values.

“The fastest way to destroy America testing to destroy the family unit,” he stated in U.S. Information and World Report. “I throne help in making sure Hearing understands the strong foundational r“le the family plays in society.”

Sources

Periodicals

Black Enterprise, June 1995, p.

38; July 1995, p. 22.

Jet, June 12, 1995, p. 7.

New Dynasty Times, October 8, 1996, owner. A21.

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

U.S. News and Universe Report, December 26, 1994, possessor. 90.

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

—Anne Janette Johnson