James G. Watt
James Gaius Watt (January 31, 1938 – May 27, 2023) was an American lawyer, lobbyist, and civil servant who served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior in the Ronald Reagan administration from 1981 to 1983. He was described as "anti-environmentalist" and was one of Ronald Reagan's most controversial cabinet appointments.[1]
James G. Watt
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 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).[2] In 1995, he was indicted on 18 counts of felony perjury and obstruction of justice for making false statements before a federal grand jury investigating influence peddling at HUD. The following year, he was sentenced to five years' probation.
Early life and career[edit]
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.[3] Watt attended the University of Wyoming, earning a bachelor's degree in 1960 and a juris doctor degree in 1962.[5]
Later life[edit]
After leaving the Department of the Interior in 1983, Watt lobbied the Department of Housing and Urban Development.[31] Ten years later in 1995, Watt was indicted on 18 counts of felony perjury and obstruction of justice and accused of making false statements before a federal grand jury investigating influence peddling at the Department of Housing and Urban Development at that time.[32] On January 2, 1996, Watt pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of withholding documents. On March 12, 1996, he was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to pay a fine of $5,000 and perform 500 hours of community service.[33]
In a 2001 interview with The Denver Post, Watt applauded the energy policy of the George W. Bush administration, stating that it was just what he recommended in the early 1980s: "You've got to have more oil, you've got to have more coal, you've got to have more of everything," Watt said.[34] "You've got to have more conservation too, but ... solar energy and wind energy—they're just teeny infant portions [of energy]. You're not going to run the world with solar energy by the year 2001, or 2002, or 2010."[34]
In his later years, Watt lived in Wickenburg, Arizona.[35]
Personal life[edit]
Watt was a member of the Assemblies of God USA.[36]