Watts, J. C., Jr. (1957-…), a Republican from Oklahoma, was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003. He served as chairman of the House Republican Conference from 1999 until he left the House. In that post, Watts was the House’s fourth highest ranking Republican. The conference chairman deals mainly with party organization. Watts’s election as chairman made him the first African American to hold a leadership role in the Republican Party in the House of Representatives since the Reconstruction period of the late 1800’s. In 2002, after four terms in office, Watts chose not to run for reelection.
Julius Caesar Watts, Jr., who is often called J. C., was born in Eufaula, Oklahoma, on Nov. 18, 1957. He was the son of the town’s first African American police officer. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma in 1981, and was a star quarterback of the university’s football team. He led the team to Orange Bowl victories in 1980 and 1981. Watts played professional football in the Canadian Football League from 1981 through 1986.
In 1990, Watts won a seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates oil and gas utilities. His victory made him the first African American to win a statewide elective office in Oklahoma. He was ordained a Southern Baptist minister in 1993. Watts was elected to his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. He took office in 1995. As a member of the House, Watts became known as an excellent speaker and a strong spokesman for close family ties. Watts is the author of What Color Is a Conservative? My Life and My Politics (2002).
