James Watt, sharp-tongued and pro-development Interior secretary under Reagan, dies at 85

By MEAD GRUVER
Associated Press

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Reagan administration Interior Secretary James Watt has died at age 85. The sharp-tongued Watt drew frequent criticism from environmentalists over what they saw as pro-development policies that included expanded logging and drilling on public lands. A Wyoming native, Watt was interior secretary from 1981 to 1983, when he resigned. As interior secretary, Watt contended that land should not be preserved for its own sake but put to use. He also came under fire for banning rock music from Fourth of July festivities on the National Mall. A family statement says Watt died May 27 in Arizona, where he lived with his wife.