Former Oklahoma Congressman J.C. Watts Jr. will be the keynote speaker at this year's Cole County Republican Central Committee Lincoln Day Dinner and Auction.
The event will be held Feb. 15 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City.
A Meet and Greet the Candidates event will be held at 5:30 p.m. with the dinner at 7 p. m. Cost is $40 in advance and $50 at the door. For more information or to order tickets, call (573) 680-3231, 694-0291 or 635-6634.
Watts is chairman of the J.C. Watts Companies, a multi-industry holding company headquartered in Washington, D.C., with operations in Texas and Oklahoma.
He was elected to the U.S. Congress from Oklahoma in 1994.
In 1998, he was elected by his peers to serve as chairman of the Republican Conference, the fourth-ranking leadership position in the majority party in the U.S. House. He served on the Armed Services Committee, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and House Banking Committee. He also led two congressional trade missions to Africa.
Watts co-authored the American Community Renewal and New Markets Act, which President Clinton signed into law in 2000. He was the author of President Bush's faith-based initiative, the Community Solutions Act of 2001. He also developed legislation with Congressman John Lewis to establish a Smithsonian museum of African American history.
While at the University of Oklahoma, Watts quarterbacked the Sooners to two consecutive Big Eight Championships and Orange Bowl victories. From 1981-86, he started for Ottawa and Toronto in the Canadian Football League and was voted the most valuable player of the Grey Cup, the CFL's Super Bowl.