Lt. Gen. Claudius “Bud” Watts III was a United States Air Force veteran who served as president of The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina, from 1989 to 1996.
- Died: October 1, 2023 (Who else died on October 1?)
- Details of death: Died in Charleston, South Carolina, at the age of 87.
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Lt. Gen. Claudius “Bud” Watts III’s legacy
Born in Bennettsville, South Carolina, Watts graduated from the same academy he would eventually lead, The Citadel, in 1958. He finished Squadron Officer School in 1962, flew with the 17th Air Transport Squadron, then flew with the 12th Special Operations Squadron during the Vietnam War, where he saw combat. Watts also attended the London School of Economics and Political Science as a Fulbright Scholar.
He built a decorated career in the U.S. Air Force, serving in such positions as director of budget at Air Force Headquarters, senior military assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and Comptroller of the Air Force. After he retired from active service in 1989, he was named President of The Citadel, and oversaw the military academy until 1996. During his tenure, the school admitted its first female cadet under a court order that Watts protested. He also served on the NCAA Council, the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Board, and other positions.
After leaving The Citadel, he became the founding director and later chairman of the board of the Carolina Financial Corporation bank. He led the organization during the financial crisis of the late 2000s and during its debut as a publicly traded company. Watts eventually retired in 2015.
Tributes to Lt. Gen. Claudius “Bud” Watts III
Full obituary: Legacy
