James G. Watt
James G. Watt | |
---|---|
43rd United States Secretary of the Interior | |
In office January 23, 1981 – November 8, 1983 | |
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Cecil Andrus |
Succeeded by | William Clark |
Personal details | |
Born | James Gaius Watt January 31, 1938 Lusk, Wyoming, U.S. |
Died | May 27, 2023 Arizona, U.S. | (aged 85)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Leilani Bomgardner (m. 1957) |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of Wyoming (BS, JD) |
James Gaius Watt (January 31, 1938 – May 27, 2023) was an American lawyer, lobbyist, and civil servant who served as
His tenure as Secretary of the Interior was controversial primarily because he was perceived as hostile to environmentalism. Watt opened up nearly all of America's coastal waters to oil and gas drilling, widened access to coal on federal lands, and eased restrictions on strip-mining.[2] His proposals to sell off federal lands failed due to extensive opposition.[2] In 1983, he resigned after controversially remarking that a panel reviewing his coal-leasing policies had "every kind of mixture—I have a Black. I have a woman, two Jews and a cripple."[2]
After resigning from government, Watt became a lobbyist for builders seeking contracts with the
Early life and career
Watt was born in Lusk, Wyoming, the son of Lois Mae (née Williams) and William Gaius Watt, a lawyer and homesteader.[3][4][2]
In 1957, he married Leilani Bomgardner; they had two children.
Career
Watt's first political job was as an aide to
A lifelong
In 1977, Watt became the first president and chief legal officer of Mountain States Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm "dedicated to individual liberty, the right to own and use property, limited and ethical government and economic freedom".[8] A number of attorneys who worked for Watt at the firm later became high-ranking officers of the federal government, including Ann Veneman and Gale Norton.[9]
U.S. Secretary of the Interior
In 1980, President-elect Reagan nominated Watt as his
Watt proposed that 80 million acres (320,000 km2) of undeveloped land in the United States all be opened for drilling and mining by 2000.
Watt periodically mentioned his
Beach Boys concert
From 1980 through 1982, The Beach Boys and The Grass Roots separately performed at Independence Day concerts at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., attracting large crowds.[19][20] In April 1983, Watt banned the concerts, asserting that "rock bands" who had performed on the Mall on Independence Day in 1981 and 1982 had encouraged drug use and alcoholism and had attracted "the wrong element", who would subsequently rob attendees of similar events.[20] Watt then announced that Las Vegas singer Wayne Newton, a friend and an endorser of President Reagan and a contributor to the Republican Party, would perform at the Independence Day celebration at the mall in 1983.[20][21] During the ensuing controversy, Rob Grill, lead singer of The Grass Roots, stated that he felt "highly insulted" by Watt's remarks, which he termed "nothing but un-American."[20]
The Beach Boys stated that the
Other controversies
Mad magazine listed ten Watt controversies on the back cover of their October 1982 issue, under the title "Watt... We Worry!"[25]
In an interview with the Satellite Program Network, Watt said, "If you want an example of the failure of socialism, don't go to Russia, come to America and go to the Indian reservations."[26]
Resignation
A controversy erupted after a speech to the
Within three weeks of making this statement, on October 9, 1983, he announced his resignation at deputy undersecretary
Later life
After leaving the Department of the Interior in 1983, Watt lobbied the
In a 2001 interview with
In his later years, Watt lived in Wickenburg, Arizona.[35]
Death
Watt died on May 27, 2023, in Arizona, at the age of 85.[3]
Personal life
Watt was a member of the Assemblies of God USA.[36]
References
- ^ a b c Little, Amanda (June 11, 2004). "A look back at Reagan's environmental record". Grist. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ a b c Langer, Emily (June 8, 2023). "James Watt, combative interior secretary under Reagan, dies at 85". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Andersen, Kurt (August 23, 1982). "Always Right and Ready to Fight". Time. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ "James Watt (1981–1983)". Miller Center. October 4, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Nomination of James G. Watt To Be Secretary of the Interior". Presidency UCSB.edu. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Gold, Matea; Geiger, Kim (October 8, 2010). "Republican-leaning U.S. Chamber of Commerce buys ads supporting Democrats". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Mountain States Legal Foundation
- ^ James G. Watt (1938 – ) American Former Secretary of the Interior Summary.
- ^ a b c d e f James G. Watt Summary Review and Analysis
- ^ Lipske, Michael (1995). "Cracking down on mining pollution – environmental lawyer Thomas Galloway develops Applicant/Violator System to find violators of mining law". National Wildlife.
- ^ a b c d "The Legacy of James Watt". Time. October 24, 1983. Archived from the original on March 4, 2008.
- ^ Cannon, Lou (October 4, 2016). "Ronald Reagan: Domestic Affairs". Miller Center. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Kempthorne Wins 2007 Rubber Dodo Award : Protects Fewer Species Than Any Interior Secretary in History Archived December 8, 2012, at archive.today
- ^ Mencimer, Stephanie (January 23, 2020). "Evangelicals love Donald Trump for many reasons, but one of them is especially terrifying". Mother Jones. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ Scherer, Glenn (October 27, 2004). "The Godly Must Be Crazy". Grist. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
- ^ Strupp, Joe (February 9, 2005). "Bill Moyers Apologizes to James Watt for Apocryphal Quote". Editor & Publisher. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
- ^ Watt, James (May 12, 2005). "The Religious Left's Lies". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
- ^ "July 4: Day of Music, Parades, Fireworks", The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., July 3, 1982, p. D1.
- ^ a b c d e f Phil McCombs, "Watt Outlaws Rock Music on Mall for July 4", The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., April 6, 1983, p. A1; Phil McCombs and Richard Harrington, "Watt Sets Off Uproar with Music Ban", The Washington Post, Washington, D.C., April 7, 1983, pp. A1, A17.
- ^ Campaign contributions of Wayne Newton Archived January 17, 2013, at the Wayback Machine in website of NEWSMEAT Archived February 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine by Polity Media, Inc. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- ^ Ahern, Tim (July 5, 1983). "Newton concert goes off despite rain". Gettysburg Times. Washington. Associated Press. p. 7.
- ^ "The Beach Boys Bio" Archived December 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine in website of yuddy.com Archived February 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine by Yuddy, LLC. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- ^ "Newton performance dampened by rain". Reading Eagle. Washington. Associated Press. July 5, 1983. p. 27.
- ^ "Doug Gilford's Mad Cover Site – Mad #234".
- ^ "Watt Sees Reservations As Failure of Socialism", The New York Times, January 19, 1983. Retrieved on May 29, 2010.
- ^ a b "556. James G Watt, US Secretary of the Interior. Simpson's Contemporary Quotations. 1988". Archived from the original on September 20, 2000. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "James G. Watt Papers, 1958–2013". Rocky Mountain Online Archive. Archived from the original on January 8, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- ^ Hoffman, David (October 10, 1983). "Watt Submits Resignation as Interior Secretary". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ^ Kranish, Michael (October 11, 2017). "'He's better than this,' says Thomas Barrack, Trump's loyal whisperer". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ^ "Former Secretary of the Interior James "Jim" Watt dies at 85". Wyolife. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
- ^ Crimes Against Nature : Rolling Stone Archived March 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine (p. 3[dead link])
- ^ "CNN – U.S. Briefs – March 12, 1996". Archived from the original on October 29, 2004.
- ^ a b "Watt applauds Bush energy strategy". The Denver Post, May 16, 2001.
- ^ "James Watt, Interior secretary under Reagan, dies at 85 after spending later years in Wickenburg". KPNX. Associated Press. June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "Interior Secretary James Watt's minister says the controversial Reagan... - UPI Archives".
Further reading
- Kraft, Michael E., and Norman J. Vig. "Environmental policy in the Reagan presidency." Political Science Quarterly 99.3 (1984): 415-439. online
- Watt, Leilani; Janssen, Al (1984). Caught in the conflict: my life with James Watt. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers. ISBN 978-0-89081-411-6.
- Wolf, Ron. 1981. "God, James Watt, and the Public Land". Audubon 83(3):65
- Time magazine article (August 23, 1982). "Going, Going...! Land sale of the century"