Former Congressman Wes Watkins died March 26 at the age of 86 and his funeral was at the Wes Watkins Center on the Oklahoma State University campus last Sunday.
Watkins was raised on a peanut and cattle farm in Bennington and he graduated from Bennington High School in 1956.
According to his obituary by Strode Funeral Home in Stillwater, Watkins was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in 1974, filling an unexpired two-year term. He was elected to the U.S. Congress, replacing Speaker Carl Albert and taking office in January 1977. During his congressional career, he served on the Appropriations, Banking, Science and Technology, Ways and Means, and Budget Committees.
Watkins ran under Democratic, Independent, and Re- publican banners, winning the majority vote in the Third Congressional District. After an unsuccessful gubernatorial run, he founded World Export Services, Inc. in 1991 and returned to Congress in 1996. In 2003, he stepped away from political office to establish the Matthew 25:40 Mission, Inc., a 50l(c)(3) organization dedicated to community service and economic development.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt ordered flags on state property be lowered to half-staff from March 27-30 to honor the life and legacy of Watkins.
“His dedication to Oklahoma spanned decades in both our state and federal government,” Stitt said, in a news release. “His tireless advocacy for rural development and economic growth changed the lives of countless Oklahomans. Sarah and I extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Lou, their children, and grandchildren.”
