Julius Caesar (J.C.) Watts, Jr.

Congressman J.C. Watts represented Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 (104th-107th Congresses). He was the first Black representative elected from Oklahoma and the first Republican to win the district in 72 years. Before Congress, Watts was a minister and entrepreneur. He also served as chair of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. In Congress, Watts served on the Banking and Financial Services, National Security (later renamed Armed Services), and the Transportation and Infrastructure committees. He also served as chair of the House Republican Conference from 1999 to 2003. Watts supported a fiscally conservative agenda, and his legislative emphasis was based on his belief that public assistance programs encouraged dependency in poor minorities. He was not a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Watts graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in journalism.