James G. Watt obituary

James G. Watt obituary – James Gaius Watt, a lawyer, and civil servant who served as Secretary of the Interior of the United States from 1981 to 1983, has died. He was born on January 31, 1938, and passed away on May 27, 2023, at the age of 85.

Despite dying on May 27, his son Eric confirmed his death on Thursday, May 8.

Eric did not specify the cause of death, nor did he explain why his father’s death took so long to be announced.

Watt, whose pro-development ideas were essential in bringing the Sagebrush Rebellion to a stop, was labeled an “anti-environmentalist” and was one of Ronald Reagan’s most contentious cabinet appointees.

Watt allowed oil and gas drilling in nearly all of America’s coastal seas, expanded access to coal on federal lands, and relaxed strip-mining prohibitions.

His proposals to sell off federal lands were met with widespread criticism.

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.”

From 1984 until 1986, after leaving the government, Mr. Watt worked as a lobbyist for builders pursuing contracts from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

A federal grand jury investigating fraud and influence-peddling during his lobbying at H.U.D. indicted him with 25 charges of perjury and obstructing justice in 1995.

However, as the prosecution’s case worsened, the felony charges were withdrawn, and he pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor.

He was fined $5,000 and ordered to perform 500 hours of community service.

He is survived by his wife and high school sweetheart Leilani Bomgardner and their two children: Erin and Eric.

Source: abtc.ng