He is remembered chiefly for his hostility to environmentalism and his favouring 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"

"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