Wes Watkins
This poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Wes Watkins" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2010) |
Wes Watkins | |
---|---|
Bill Brewster | |
Personal details | |
Born | Wesley Wade Watkins December 15, 1938 De Queen, Arkansas, U.S. |
Political party | Republican (1996–present) |
Other political affiliations | Independent (1994–1996) Democratic (before 1994) |
Alma mater | Oklahoma State University, Stillwater |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1960–1967 |
Unit | Oklahoma Air National Guard |
Wesley Wade Watkins (born December 15, 1938)[1] is an American politician from the state of Oklahoma. Watkins is a retired member of the United States House of Representatives where he had represented Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district for 14 years as a Democrat and then for six years as a Republican.
Early life and career
Wesley Wade Watkins was born to Losie Virgil Watkins Sr. and Mary Etta Johnson Watkins. Wes has one older sister, Mary Althea Yeats Watkins and an older brother, Losie Virgil "L.V." Watkins Jr. Watkins was born in
Entry into politics
Watkins became active in Democratic party
issues, and took particularly strong interest in economic development issues for his rural district.Campaigns for Governor
Watkins did not seek an eighth term in 1990, instead running for the Democratic nomination for governor to succeed Republican Henry Bellmon. He raised $3 million for his campaign, the most ever raised for a gubernatorial bid in Oklahoma at the time. In the Democratic primary, he ran ahead of House Speaker Steve Lewis, yet lost to eventual winner David Walters, who had been the Democratic Gubernatorial nominee 4 years earlier in 1986.
Watkins was openly disappointed in the lack of support from the state Democratic hierarchy. In 1994, Watkins ran for governor again, this time as an independent. He only won 23% of the vote. However, his independent candidacy siphoned off enough votes from
Return to Congress
In 1996, Brewster decided to retire from Congress as it became known that Watkins wanted his seat back. The
Watkins initially planned to retire from office in 1998 after undergoing back surgery, but was persuaded to run again. He was handily re-elected that year, defeating Walt Roberts. He faced no major-party opposition when he ran for his third term in 2000.
Watkins' voting record in his first period in Congress had been characterized as somewhat
Retirement from Congress
Oklahoma lost a congressional seat after the
Later career
After leaving Congress, he was hired as a senior legislative analyst at the
Legacy
After retirement, Wes Watkins continued to focus on issues of economic development, global hunger, global trade, and utilizing innovative technologies to address these issues. He founded a non-profit ministry, Matthew 24.40 Foundation, to provide scholarships for students to install hydroponics systems in diverse global locations to address issues of hunger.[3]
- The Wes Watkins Center for International Trade Development at Oklahoma State University was established in 1990 to increase the economic competitiveness of the state of Oklahoma and to assist Oklahoma-based businesses to engage in global trade. It is an extension unit within the School of Global Studies and Partnerships at Oklahoma State University.[4]
- Wes Watkins Technology Center
- Inducted into Oklahoma CareerTech Hall of Fame in 1991.
- Wes Watkins Reservoir in central Oklahoma was named in honor of him.
See also
- Politics of Oklahoma
- Oklahoma's congressional districts
- Oklahoma Democratic Party
- Oklahoma Republican Party
- Little Dixie
- Party switching in the United States
- Wes Watkins Reservoir
References
- ^ "Wes Watkins".
- Washington Post. April 1, 1991.
- ^ "Twelve Students Receive Wes and Lou Watkins Matthew 25:40 Scholarship - Oklahoma State University". 3 February 2015.
- ^ "About CITD | Oklahoma State University". 23 January 2020.
External links
- Wes Watkins at Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- Wes Watkins CareerTech Hall of Fame Bio
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Voices of Oklahoma interview. First person interview conducted on March 1, 2017, with Wes Watkins.