Wikipedia:

Mel Watt

Mel Watt
Mel Watt

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 12th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 5, 1993
Preceded by None (District Created After 1990 Census)
Succeeded by Incumbent

Born August 26 1945 (1945--) (age 62)
Steele Creek, North Carolina
Political party Democratic
Spouse Eulada Watt
Religion Presbyterian

Melvin Luther (Mel) Watt (born August 26, 1945), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing the Twelfth District of North Carolina (map).

Born in Steele Creek, North Carolina, a community in the southwest corner of Charlotte, Watt attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Yale University Law School. He served a single term in the North Carolina Senate (19851986), before returning to his law practice and running private business. He was elected to the House in 1992 by defeating Barbara Gore Washington (R) and Curtis Wade Krumel(L). He serves on the Financial Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee. He previously served on the Joint Economic Committee. In the 109th Congress, he chaired the Congressional Black Caucus. He is a member of the NAACP.

One of the most liberal Southern Democrats, Watt was elected to his seventh consecutive term in the 2004 Congressional elections, earning 67 percent of the popular vote and defeating Republican Ada Fisher.

Controversies

Gerrymandered district

The "infamous" 12th district is widely known to be one of the most blatant cases of gerrymandering in the nation.[1] The Wall Street Journal called the district "political pornography," and some have said that it is the most famous district in the nation for its odd shape. It is very long and so thin at some points that it is no wider than a freeway lane, as it follows Interstate 85 closely.[2] The District was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1992, the same year Watt was first elected.[3]

Ralph Nader incident

In 2004, Ralph Nader attended a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus, where he says that Congressman Watt twice uttered an "obscene racial epithet" towards him; Watt subsequently did not offer an apology. Nader wrote:

"Instead, exclamations at the meeting... end[ed] with the obscene racist epithet repeated twice by Yale Law School alumnus Congressman Melvin Watt of North Carolina. One member of your Caucus called to apologize for the crudity of some of the members. I had expected an expression of regret or apology from Congressman Watt in the subsequent days after he had cooled down. After all there was absolutely no vocal or verbal provocation from me or from my associates, including Peter Miguel Camejo, to warrant such an outburst. In all my years of struggling for justice, especially for the deprived and downtrodden, has any legislator--white or black--used such language? I do not like double standards, especially since our premise for interactions must be equality of respect that has no room, as I responded to Mr. Watt, for playing the race card. Therefore, just as African-Americans demanded an apology from Agriculture Secretary Earl Butts and Senator Trent Lott--prior to their resignation and demotion respectively--for their racist remarks, I expect that you and others in the Caucus will exert your moral persuasion and request an apology from Congressman Watt. Please consider this also my request for such an expression--a copy of which is being forwarded directly to Mr. Watt's office."[4]

References

External links


Political offices
Preceded by
None
(District Created After 1990 Census)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 12th congressional district

1993–Present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Elijah Cummings
Maryland
Chairman of Congressional Black Caucus
2005–2007
Succeeded by
Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick
Michigan

 
 
 

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