AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former Gov. Bill Clements, the first Republican governor in Texas since Reconstruction, has died at 94.
Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst says he has been contacted by Clements' family members, who confirmed the former governor died Sunday in a Dallas-area hospital.
Clements looked to completely change the face of Texas politics when he first took office in 1979. The Texas oilman believed state government should be operated as a big business.
Clements was governor from 1979-1983. He lost his re-election bid to Democrat Mark White in 1982.
Four years later, Clements came back to defeat White and served until 1991.
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