Bill Clements

Bill Clements
Portrait of Clements, c. 1991
42nd & 44th Governor of Texas
In office January 20, 1987 – January 15, 1991
Lieutenant	William P. Hobby Jr.
Preceded by	Mark White
Succeeded by	Ann Richards
In office January 16, 1979 – January 18, 1983
Lieutenant	William P. Hobby Jr.
Preceded by	Dolph Briscoe
Succeeded by	Mark White
Acting United States Secretary of Defense
In office May 24, 1973 – July 2, 1973
President	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Elliot Richardson
Succeeded by	James R. Schlesinger
15th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
In office January 30, 1973 – January 20, 1977
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Kenneth Rush
Succeeded by	Robert Ellsworth
Personal details
Born	William Perry Clements Jr. (1917-04-13)April 13, 1917 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	May 29, 2011(2011-05-29) (aged 94) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	Grove Hill Memorial Park Dallas, Texas
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Pauline Gill ​ ​ (m. 1940; div. 1975)​ Rita Crocker ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	2
Residence(s)	Dallas, Texas
Alma mater	Southern Methodist University (dropped out)
Profession	Oil driller
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army Corps of Engineers
Years of service	1941–1945
Battles/wars	World War II

William Perry Clements Jr. (April 13, 1917 – May 29, 2011) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who served two nonconsecutive terms as the governor of Texas between 1979 and 1991. His terms bookended the sole term served by Mark Wells White, a Democrat who defeated Clements in the 1982 election only to lose his campaign for reelection in 1986.

When Clements was first sworn in 1979, he became the first Republican to have served as governor of Texas since Reconstruction. When Clements left office for good at the end of his second term in 1991, his eight years in office were the most served by any Texas governor until Rick Perry surpassed his total in 2009. Clements was the first governor to be elected to multiple terms since Texas changed its constitution in 1972 to extend its governor's term of office to four years. Since then, George W. Bush, Rick Perry, and Greg Abbott, also Republicans, have all won multiple terms.

Before he became Governor of Texas, Clements made his fortune in crude oil and served as United States Deputy Secretary of Defense for President Richard Nixon. After his first gubernatorial term ended, Clements joined the administrative staff at Southern Methodist University where he served as chairman of the Board of Governors. While there, he presided over a massive pay-to-play system in the school's football program that resulted in catastrophic consequences for the team and the end of his political career.