Julius Caesar Watts (born 1957), a conservative African American politician and former football player, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994. His victory represents the first time that a black Republican from a Southern state has won a seat in Congress since Reconstruction.

In 1994, the American public met a man whom Oklahomans and football fans had known for two decades--J.C. Watts, Jr. That year he was elected to represent Oklahoma's fourth district in the U.S. House of Representatives. The race wasn't even close; he won a three-way competition with 52 percent of the vote. In 1996 he scored another victory in a three-way race, this time winning 58 percent. A decisive win is nice, but not unusual. However, Congressman Watts is an unusual man. He is the first African American Republican from a Southern state to win a seat in Congress since Reconstruction, and the only African...