Bill Clements: Texian to His Toenails

In 1978, William P. Clements, Jr., was elected the first Republican governor of Texas since Reconstruction. Defeated for reelection, he regained the seat four years later, serving a total of eight years, longer than any other Texas governor. In a state known for its distinctive political figures, Bill Clements is one of the most colorful. He once wrote, "Many characterize Texans as being of one breed - Maverick. Perhaps this assessment is true." It was true of Bill Clements. As former President George Bush said, "When you come in as the first Republican governor since Reconstruction, you've got to break a little china." Clements proved that a Republican could get elected to the state's top job and that one could function in the traditionally Democratic Texas state government. "Clements will be judged as one of a handful of Texas' most important governors.... He was probably the catalyst that hastened the emergence of Republicans as a viable party down now to the courthouses," said George Shipley, a Democratic consultant in Austin. But Bill Clements' life story is not just that of a governor and political trailblazer. Where most people are fortunate to succeed in one profession, Clements succeeded in three. From an initial investment in two rusty rigs, he built a multimillion-dollar oil drilling contracting company recognized as the leader in the off-shore industry. Spanning the days from oilfield roughneck as a young man to a cattle raiser in retirement, Bill Clements' biography is more than one man's life story. It's also a chapter in the history of a state. Clements personifies changes that were occurring in Texas, politically and economically.