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PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS HISTORIANS OFTEN ARGUE whether the individual shapes the times or the times shape the individual. Political history often revolves around that question. The answer is not always clear. Why Texas voters rejected a century of political tradition in 1978 in favor of a Republican as governor stems from a combination of factors that had built over several decades in post–World War II Texas. Changes in the wealth and demographics of the electorate, economic changes, an evolution in the political tastes of voters, and a clash of distinct personalities drove the election. The contest between John Hill, an accomplished and otherwise popular Democratic attorney general, and Bill Clements, a hard-charging businessman and Republican, created an earthquake in Texas politics, yet one that many observers saw coming for some time. For many Texans, Hill represented a promising new direction for the state; while for others, Clements embodied the mythic, larger-than-life culture of Texas that many voters wanted to see in their governor. This study examines those forces that created a change in Texas political culture and hopes to answer the question of why this occurred at that particular moment in history and between these two particular men and what the consequences became for Texas, for good or ill. The coming together of this study of the 1978 election has been an adventure in itself, and there are many people to thank. At the top of this list I must place the major professor for my Master’s thesis, Ray Stevens. His retirement unfortunately left me searching for another Texas historian to sponsor my academic efforts, but happily, Gregg Cantrell, at that time new to the faculty at the University of North Texas, agreed to take on the task. I had never taken him for a class or even met him before I asked him to serve; he had never supervised a dissertation. But it worked, and I’m grateful for his gracious assistance and advice, especially in locating the key players from the 1978 election. I dived into the topic, trying to put together as much information as possible . My apartment soon came to resemble the Texas History section of the UNT Library, and the stacks of books did not impress my girlfriend, now my wife. As I prepared the interview process in 2002, I discovered that some individuals whose recollections would be important to my efforts had already passed away. However, John Hill, Bob Krueger, Lance Tarrance, and David Dean were very happy to talk with me and were most gracious with their time. The hardest part was trying to explain to them that I did not have much first-hand knowledge of the 1978 election, since I was only three years old at that time. I spent most of 2003 writing and rewriting the work. I am grateful that John Gossett and Roy deCarvalho agreed to serve on my committee, replacing the wonderful Charldean Newell, who had retired, and Bullitt Lowry, truly a great historian and a great human being, whose passing saddened us all. I must also thank Mike Campbell and Gus Seligmann, who also honored me by serving on the committee. These dedicated educators and scholars enabled me to successfully complete the first phase of this research and writing, and I sincerely wish to thank them all. Some of my advisors then suggested that I expand my interviews and revise the work, and this book is a result of those revisions—the new and improved version. I talked with Senator Krueger again in spring 2004, and thanks to the good offices of Lance Tarrance, who helped put me in contact with Governor Bill Clements, I was able, after months of trying to arrange an interview, to speak with the former governor, who provided valuable insights into the times. One of the most interesting things about the research has been discovering how down-to-earth each of these men are in individual settings. The media and campaigns can portray public figures as somewhat unapproachable, but that certainly did not ring true with those I interviewed. I am grateful to all of them for their time and courtesy. Of course, the most important thanks go to my beautiful bride, Karen, for putting up with the pack-rat habits of a historian and my pacing through the living room as I agonized over the proper adverb. Our sons, Kaleb and Toby, have been wonderful sources of inspiration; all writers should be so lucky. The...

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