Clay Smothers
Texas state legislator and educator
Died when: 69 years 71 days (830 months)Star Sign: Aries
Claiborne Washington "Clay" Smothers (April 1, 1935 – June 11, 2004) was an American politician and commentator.He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from the former District 33-G in Dallas County who served from 1977 to 1981.
Though elected as a conservative Democrat, Smothers switched to Republican affiliation on December 17, 1979, near the end of the first year of the first administration of Bill Clements, first Republican governor of Texas since Reconstruction.
However, Smothers was a Republican in 1970, when he had run unsuccessfully in District 12 for the Texas House; he was defeated by the Democrat Sam Coats.
In that same election George Herbert Walker Bush lost the U.S.Senate race to Democrat Lloyd Bentsen, and Republican gubernatorial nominee failed to unseat Preston Smith in their second consecutive match.