James G. Watt
James Gaius Watt (born January 31, 1938) served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1983.
He is remembered chiefly for his hostility to environmentalism and his support of the development and use of federal lands by foresting, ranching, and other commercial interests. He was made to resign as a result of a controversy that arose because he told an ethnic joke.
Quotes
"I don't know how many future generations we can count on until the Lord returns."
-- James Watt, to a Congressional committee in 1981, quoted from "A Brief History of the Apocalypse"
"We have every mixture you can have. I have a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple. And we have talent."
-- James Watt, describing his staff to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on September 21, 1983; this comment led directly to his forced resignation; quoted from Bartlett's Online
