Born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina on August 26, 1945, Mel Watt was a 1967 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of North Carolina with a BS degree in Business Administration. In 1970 he received a JD degree from Yale University Law School and was a published member of the Yale Law Journal.
Mel practiced law from 1970 to 1992, specializing in business and economic development. He served in the North Carolina State Senate from 1985 to 1986. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2014 as a member of the House Financial Services Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and was sworn in as the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency on January 6, 2014.
Mel is married to Eulada Paysour Watt, an educator. They have two sons, Brian and Jason, both graduates of Yale University, and three grandchildren.