Changes

Upham was named Texas Republican chairman in 1979, when [[Ray Barnhart]] of Pasadena, near [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], resigned to join the Clements administration as one of the then three members of the Texas Transportation Commission. During Clements' first term, Upham worked closely with the administration, but Republican growth remained slow even with the statewide victory of [[Ronald W. Reagan]] in Texas in 1980. In 1983, blamed for poor Republican election showings in 1982, Upham was replaced as state party chairman by the Houston oilman and philanthropist [[George Strake, Jr.]], who had been the unsuccessful nominee for lieutenant governor in 1982 on Clements's failed reelection ticket. Strake lost to the incumbent [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], William Pettus "Bill" Hobby, Jr., also of Houston, whom Strake attempted to brand in the campaign as a "liberal." ''Texas Monthly'' [[magazine]] later reflected that "squabbling and demoralized Republicans turned on" Upham mistakenly as "a postelection scapegoat."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7CsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80&lpg=PA80&dq=Chet+Upham+and+GOP+chairmanship+in+TX&source=bl&ots=YOp7T9Nszq&sig=jiVJ_qG4t4CJDT8f4UUfuoo7lfg&hl=en&ei=C9BkS_m3M8qztgf-wfnECA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CB0Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=&f=false|title=''Texas Monthly''|date=February 1986|publisher=Google Books|accessdate=January 30, 2010}}</ref>

Upham was named Texas Republican chairman in 1979, when [[Ray Barnhart]] of Pasadena, near [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], resigned to join the Clements administration as one of the then three members of the Texas Transportation Commission. During Clements' first term, Upham worked closely with the administration, but Republican growth remained slow even with the statewide victory of [[Ronald W. Reagan]] in Texas in 1980. In 1983, blamed for poor Republican election showings in 1982, Upham was replaced as state party chairman by the Houston oilman and philanthropist [[George Strake, Jr.]], who had been the unsuccessful nominee for lieutenant governor in 1982 on Clements's failed reelection ticket. Strake lost to the incumbent [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], William Pettus "Bill" Hobby, Jr., also of Houston, whom Strake attempted to brand in the campaign as a "liberal." ''Texas Monthly'' [[magazine]] later reflected that "squabbling and demoralized Republicans turned on" Upham mistakenly as "a postelection scapegoat."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7CsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80&lpg=PA80&dq=Chet+Upham+and+GOP+chairmanship+in+TX&source=bl&ots=YOp7T9Nszq&sig=jiVJ_qG4t4CJDT8f4UUfuoo7lfg&hl=en&ei=C9BkS_m3M8qztgf-wfnECA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CB0Q6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=&f=false|title=''Texas Monthly''|date=February 1986|publisher=Google Books|accessdate=January 30, 2010}}</ref>

Upham was an admirer of Ronald Reagan, whom he described as a man of principles who did not waver in his beliefs: "The thing about Ronald Reagan so many of us were so very, very proud of is that he didn’t worry about the polls," Upham told the ''Mineral Wells Index.''<ref name=upham/> He claimed in a 1983 interview with ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that former U.S. President [[Jimmy Carter]], who was unseated by Reagan in 1980, "pushed" the Texas oil and gas industry "into the Republican Party. There's no question about it. The principles of the Republican Party are more akin to the things that oil and gas people are seeking."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A216888|author=Michael King|title=It All Leads Back to Texas|date=June 18, 2004|publisher=austinchronicle.com|accessdate=January 30, 2010}}</ref>

Upham was an admirer of Ronald Reagan, whom he described as a man of principles who did not waver in his beliefs: "The thing about Ronald Reagan so many of us were so very, very proud of is that he didn’t worry about the polls," Upham told the ''Mineral Wells Index.''<ref name=upham/> He claimed in a 1983 interview with ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that former U.S. President [[Jimmy Carter]], who was unseated by Reagan in 1980, "pushed" the Texas oil and gas industry "into the Republican Party. There's no question about it. The principles of the Republican Party are more akin to the things that oil and gas people are seeking."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A216888|author=Michael King|title=It All Leads Back to Texas: Robert Bryce on the Texas-Washington-international crony network|date=June 18, 2004|publisher=austinchronicle.com|accessdate=January 30, 2010}}</ref>

Even as his chairmanship ended, Upham continued to work to nominate and elect various Republican candidates over the years, including Ed Hargett,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/elec2/elec-MINERAL-WELLS-TX.html|title=Mineral Wells, TX, Political Contributions by Individuals|publisher=city-data.com|accessdate=January 30, 2010}}</ref> a former [[football]] star, who failed in a 1985 [[special election]] for the [[United States House of Representatives]] in East Texas. In 2002, Upham and later GOP state chairman Thomas Pauken worked to nominate former State Representative Kenn George of [[Dallas]], who lost the [[primary]] for Texas land commissioner to state Senator [[Jerry Patterson]], then of Harris County.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kenngeorge.com/endorsed.html|title=Kenn George for Texas Land Commissioner|publisher=kengeorge.com|accessdate=January 30, 2010; no longer on-line}}</ref>

Even as his chairmanship ended, Upham continued to work to nominate and elect various Republican candidates over the years, including Ed Hargett,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/elec2/elec-MINERAL-WELLS-TX.html|title=Mineral Wells, TX, Political Contributions by Individuals|publisher=city-data.com|accessdate=January 30, 2010}}</ref> a former [[football]] star, who failed in a 1985 [[special election]] for the [[United States House of Representatives]] in East Texas. In 2002, Upham and later GOP state chairman Thomas Pauken worked to nominate former State Representative Kenn George of [[Dallas]], who lost the [[primary]] for Texas land commissioner to state Senator [[Jerry Patterson]], then of Harris County.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kenngeorge.com/endorsed.html|title=Kenn George for Texas Land Commissioner|publisher=kengeorge.com|accessdate=January 30, 2010; no longer on-line}}</ref>