Bill Clements | |
---|---|
42nd & 44th Governor of Texas | |
In office January 20, 1987 – January 15, 1991 |
|
Lieutenant | William Pettus "Bill" Hobby, Jr. |
Preceded by | Mark White |
Succeeded by | Ann Richards |
In office January 16, 1979 – January 18, 1983 |
|
Lieutenant | William Pettus "Bill" Hobby, Jr. |
Preceded by | Dolph Briscoe |
Succeeded by | Mark White |
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 | Charles Duncan, Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born |
William Perry Clements, Jr. April 13, 1917 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
Died | May 29, 2011 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
(aged 94)
Resting place | Grove Hill Memorial Park Dallas, Texas |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) |
(1) Pauline Allen Gill |
Children |
B. Gill Clements (1941–2010) |
Residence | Dallas, Texas |
Alma mater | Southern Methodist University (dropped out) |
Profession | Oil driller |
Religion |
Christianity (Episcopalian) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Army United States Army Corps of Engineers |
Years of service | 1941–1945 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
(1) In 1979, Clements became Texas' first Republican governor in 105 years. (2) Clements was an early contributor to the 2008 candidacy of Republican presidential candidate U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona. |
(1) Pauline Allen Gill
B. Gill Clements (1941–2010)
Nancy Clements-Seay
Stepchildren:
Dan Bass
Bonnie Bass-Smith
Barbara Bass-Moroney
(1) In 1979, Clements became Texas' first Republican governor in 105 years.
William Perry "Bill" Clements, Jr. (April 13, 1917 – May 29, 2011), was the 42nd and 44th Governor of Texas, serving from 1979 to 1983 and again from 1987 to 1991. Clements was the first Republican to have served as governor of the U.S. state of Texas since Reconstruction. Clements' eight years in office were the most served by any Texas governor prior to governor Rick Perry.
Clements was born in Dallas and worked as an oil driller for many years. He founded SEDCO in 1947, the world's largest offshore drilling company and technical leader of the offshore drilling industry, developing dynamically positioned drilling rigs, top drives, and many other offshore drilling innovations. In 1984, SEDCO was sold to Schlumberger, and its assets combined with their drilling contractor subsidiary, Forex, under Schlumberger management, to form Sedco Forex Schlumberger. Sedco Forex Schlumberger was acquired by Transocean in 1999 and combined with their existing fleet. He entered politics as the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and, in 1973, served as acting Secretary of Defense for 39 days, which is the shortest term for any Secretary of Defense.
Among the Secretaries of Defense he served under was Donald Rumsfeld, during the latter's first tenure in the office. The two men did not get along, yet when Rumsfeld was appointed Clements resisted efforts to be moved to another department, even going so far as to threaten if removed from his office to hold a press conference and label his dismissal a "power play." Though Clements remained as deputy secretary, Clements later termed his time under Rumsfeld "very unpleasant."