Changes

==1982 state Senate race==

==1982 state Senate race==

Reese and Angelo both ran for office one final time, for state senator in different districts in 1982, the most recent year in which Texas Democrats swept all statewide offices. Angelo filed in District 25, in which Wallace Eugene "Pete" Snelson (1923-2014) of Midland retired, and the Democrats nominated Bill Sims as his successor. Angelo had lost to Snelson in 1968 and lost again to Sims in 1982. Reese filed in District 28, which then stretched from Hereford on the north to Odessa on the south but did not include Midland County. Midland and Odessa are now combined in District 31, represented in 2012 by the Moderate Republican Kel Seliger, a former mayor of Amarillo, the winner of a special election for the seat in 2004.<ref>Senator Kel Seliger : District 31, Website: seliger.senate.state.tx.us., accessed November 11, 2010.</ref>

Reese and Angelo both ran for office one final time, for state senator in different districts in 1982, the most recent year in which Texas Democrats swept all statewide offices. Angelo filed in District 25, in which Wallace Eugene "Pete" Snelson (1923-2014) of Midland retired, and the Democrats nominated Bill Sims as his successor. Angelo had lost to Snelson in 1968 and lost again to Sims in 1982. Reese filed in District 28, which then stretched from Hereford on the north to Odessa on the south but did not include Midland County. Midland and Odessa are now combined in District 31, represented in 2012 by the [[Moderate Republican]] Kel Seliger, a former mayor of Amarillo, the winner of a special election for the seat in 2004.<ref>Senator Kel Seliger : District 31, Website: seliger.senate.state.tx.us., accessed November 11, 2010.</ref>

The District 28 seat<ref>Two previous District 28 state senators were Lubbock businessman and future Governor [[Preston Smith]], who held the seat from 1957 to 1963, and Smith's predecessor, Kilmer B. Corbin, a Lamesa and later Lubbock attorney who was the father of the actor Barry Corbin. Kilmer Corbin held the seat from 1947 to 1957, having been unseated by Preston Smith in the 1956 Democratic primary. List of Texas State Senators, Texas State Archives in [[Austin, Texas|Austin]].</ref> was at the time held by the conservative Democrat E L Short, a businessman, farmer, and rancher from Tahoka in Lynn County south of Lubbock. Short, who had served in the Far East with the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]] and had been the District 73 state representative from 1969 to 1979, when he succeeded Kent Hance in the Texas Senate, sought a second senatorial term in 1982 but was narrowly unseated in the party primary by John T. Montford, the Lubbock County district attorney. Short won twelve of the fourteen counties in the primary, but Montford's margin in Lubbock County propelled him to the nomination.<ref>Reese, p. 141.</ref>  Reese defeated a primary opponent but nevertheless lost to Montford in the general election. Short, who himself later became a Republican, remained neutral in the Reese-Montford contest. Montford was known at the time by the sobriquet "Maximum John" because of his aggressive prosecution as district attorney and the lengthy terms that he had sought in the sentencing of convicted criminals.<ref>Reese, p. 141</ref> Montford left the state Senate in 1996 to become the chancellor of both Texas Tech and the newly established Texas Tech University System. Thereafter he became a business executive for numerous companies in San Antonio, includingAT&T.<ref>"John T. Montford (born 1942), a Powerhouse at Tech, in Politics," January 11, 2009, ''Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''  on-line, January 11, 2009 Accessed October 27, 2010: lubbockonline.com/stories/011109/loc375992637.shtml</ref><ref>Meanwhile, Ernest Angelo ran in District 25, which then reached eastward from Midland to San Antonio. He was defeated by the Democrat William "Bill" Sims of San Angelo. The seat was vacated by Pete Pete Snelson,, a decorated World War II veteran from his adopted city of Midland. Snelson was initially nominated in 1968, when he unseated in the Democratic primary the long-term incumbent, [[Dorsey B. Hardeman]] of San Angelo. William Sims and his wife, Sue, in 2011 still resided in San Angelo; they lost a 22-year-old grandson to cancer in 2010. Snelson then defeated Ernest Angelo in the 1968 general election, which coincided with the narrow Texas triumph of presidential nominee [[Hubert Humphrey]] over [[Richard M. Nixon]] and [[George Wallace]].</ref>

The District 28 seat<ref>Two previous District 28 state senators were Lubbock businessman and future Governor [[Preston Smith]], who held the seat from 1957 to 1963, and Smith's predecessor, Kilmer B. Corbin, a Lamesa and later Lubbock attorney who was the father of the actor Barry Corbin. Kilmer Corbin held the seat from 1947 to 1957, having been unseated by Preston Smith in the 1956 Democratic primary. List of Texas State Senators, Texas State Archives in [[Austin, Texas|Austin]].</ref> was at the time held by the conservative Democrat E L Short, a businessman, farmer, and rancher from Tahoka in Lynn County south of Lubbock. Short, who had served in the Far East with the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]] and had been the District 73 state representative from 1969 to 1979, when he succeeded Kent Hance in the Texas Senate, sought a second senatorial term in 1982 but was narrowly unseated in the party primary by John T. Montford, the Lubbock County district attorney. Short won twelve of the fourteen counties in the primary, but Montford's margin in Lubbock County propelled him to the nomination.<ref>Reese, p. 141.</ref>  Reese defeated a primary opponent but nevertheless lost to Montford in the general election. Short, who himself later became a Republican, remained neutral in the Reese-Montford contest. Montford was known at the time by the sobriquet "Maximum John" because of his aggressive prosecution as district attorney and the lengthy terms that he had sought in the sentencing of convicted criminals.<ref>Reese, p. 141.</ref> Montford left the state Senate in 1996 to become the chancellor of both Texas Tech and the newly established Texas Tech University System. Thereafter he became a business executive for numerous companies in San Antonio, includingAT&T.<ref>"John T. Montford (born 1942), a Powerhouse at Tech, in Politics," January 11, 2009, ''Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''  on-line, January 11, 2009 Accessed October 27, 2010: lubbockonline.com/stories/011109/loc375992637.shtml</ref><ref>Meanwhile, Ernest Angelo ran in District 25, which then reached eastward from Midland to San Antonio. He was defeated by the Democrat William "Bill" Sims of San Angelo. The seat was vacated by Pete Pete Snelson,, a decorated World War II veteran from his adopted city of Midland. Snelson was initially nominated in 1968, when he unseated in the Democratic primary the long-term incumbent, [[Dorsey B. Hardeman]] of San Angelo. William Sims and his wife, Sue, in 2011 still resided in San Angelo; they lost a 22-year-old grandson to cancer in 2010. Snelson then defeated Ernest Angelo in the 1968 general election, which coincided with the narrow Texas triumph of presidential nominee [[Hubert Humphrey]] over [[Richard M. Nixon]] and [[George Wallace]].</ref>

In 1982, much of Ector County was outside Senate District 28, which was dominated by the large voting bloc from Lubbock County.  "I was too hard-headed to accept the fact that Lubbock would control the [state senate] district," conceded Reese, after making his last bid for elective office in the race against Montford.<ref>Reese, p. 142.</ref>

In 1982, much of Ector County was outside Senate District 28, which was dominated by the large voting bloc from Lubbock County.  "I was too hard-headed to accept the fact that Lubbock would control the [state senate] district," conceded Reese, after making his last bid for elective office in the race against Montford.<ref>Reese, p. 142.</ref>

Unlike the Bushes, Reese and Angelo were not originally Republicans. Both attended, unknowing to each other, the 1960 Democratic State Convention in El Paso, presided over by chairman [[John Connally]], who some three years later was inaugurated as the Democratic governor of Texas. Reese and Angelo recall how Connally skillfully cast aside the consideration of committee reports to avoid bringing conservative/liberal divisions within the party to the surface.<ref>Reese, p. 142.</ref>  By 1964, Reese and Angelo were firmly in the Republican camp as delegates to the Texas state Republican convention and enthusiastic supporters of U.S. Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] of [[Arizona]] for the presidency against the native Texan Lyndon Johnson, the heir to  [[John F. Kennedy]] since November 22, 1963. Reese became personally acquainted with Goldwater over the years after the Republican nominee made a campaign stop in Odessa in the fall of 1964,<ref>Reese, p. 142.</ref> but the two parted company on the Ford-Reagan contest in 1976, as Goldwater endorsed Ford.<ref>David Greenberg, ''Goldwater's Glitter,'' May 1, 1996, Website: prospect.org, [Accessed November 11, 2010].</ref>

Unlike the Bushes, Reese and Angelo were not originally Republicans. Both attended, unknowing to each other, the 1960 Democratic State Convention in El Paso, presided over by chairman [[John Connally]], who some three years later was inaugurated as the Democratic governor of Texas. Reese and Angelo recall how Connally skillfully cast aside the consideration of committee reports to avoid bringing conservative/liberal divisions within the party to the surface.<ref>Reese, p. 142.</ref>  By 1964, Reese and Angelo were firmly in the Republican camp as delegates to the Texas state Republican convention and enthusiastic supporters of U.S. Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] of [[Arizona]] for the presidency against the native Texan Lyndon Johnson, the heir to  [[John F. Kennedy]] since November 22, 1963. Reese became personally acquainted with Goldwater over the years after the Republican nominee made a campaign stop in Odessa in the fall of 1964,<ref>Reese, p. 142.</ref> but the two parted company on the Ford-Reagan contest in 1976, as Goldwater endorsed Ford.<ref>David Greenberg, ''Goldwater's Glitter,'' May 1, 1996, Website: prospect.org, [Accessed November 11, 2010].</ref>

Reese developed a friendship with [[John Tower]], another partisan of the Bushes. Reese headed the campaign organization, "Young Men for Tower" in 1966, when the Republican senator won a second term over the Democratic Attorney General Vincent Waggoner Carr (1918-2004). Carr and his brother, [[Warlick Carr]] were prominent attorneysborn in Hunt County east of Dallas and reared in Lubbock. Before his death, Warlick Carr contributed to the Republican [[John Cornyn]]'s reelection bid to the same seat that his brother had sought four decades earlier.<ref>Waggoner Carr Campaign Contributions and Donations - Huffington Post [Accessed November 15, 2010]</ref> According to Reese, Tower was "shy and a private individual, not a people person, and he irritated people by his bluntness."<ref>Reese, p. 143.</ref>  After the 1966 election, Reese encountered the affable Carr on an elevator, who told him that Carr had lost not because of Tower but through the "Reese organization," based on the Jaycees model.<ref>Reese, p. 143.</ref>

Reese developed a friendship with [[John Tower]], another partisan of the Bushes. Reese headed the campaign organization, "Young Men for Tower" in 1966, when the Republican senator won a second term over the Democratic Attorney General Vincent Waggoner Carr (1918-2004). Carr and his brother, [[Warlick Carr]], were prominent attorneysborn in Hunt County east of Dallas and reared in Lubbock. Before his death, Warlick Carr contributed to the Republican [[John Cornyn]]'s reelection bid to the same seat that his brother had sought four decades earlier.<ref>Waggoner Carr Campaign Contributions and Donations - Huffington Post [Accessed November 15, 2010]</ref> According to Reese, Tower was "shy and a private individual, not a people person, and he irritated people by his bluntness."<ref>Reese, p. 143.</ref>  After the 1966 election, Reese encountered the affable Carr on an elevator, who told him that Carr had lost not because of Tower but through the "Reese organization," based on the Jaycees model.<ref>Reese, p. 143.</ref>

Reese recalls the feud between Tower and the 1972 Republican gubernatorial nominee, State Senator [[Henry C. Grover]] of Houston. The story also involves Reese's mentor [[Rudy Juedeman]], a former majority leader of the Montana House of Representatives. While Reese and his wife were on an out-of-town trip in 1971, Juedeman called to urge that Reese return immediately to Texas to discuss the possibility of seeking the 1972 gubernatorial nomination. With several high-profile Democratic candidates splitting the ranks of their own party, the GOP nomination might become an unexpected ticket to the governorship.  James E. Lyon, president of River Oaks Bank in Houston,<ref>In 1965, James E. Lyon (1927-1993) built the since destroyed USS Flagship Hotel, the first such structure over tidewater.</ref> then a Republican state kingmaker of the more conservative faction, held firm for Grover, a former educator, and resisted efforts by those who wanted to entice Reese to run, such as former party chairman Peter O'Donnell of Dallas, an organizer of the Draft Goldwater Committee in 1963.<ref>Reese, pp. 143-144.</ref>

Reese recalls the feud between Tower and the 1972 Republican gubernatorial nominee, State Senator [[Henry C. Grover]] of Houston. The story also involves Reese's mentor [[Rudy Juedeman]], a former majority leader of the Montana House of Representatives. While Reese and his wife were on an out-of-town trip in 1971, Juedeman called to urge that Reese return immediately to Texas to discuss the possibility of seeking the 1972 gubernatorial nomination. With several high-profile Democratic candidates splitting the ranks of their own party, the GOP nomination might become an unexpected ticket to the governorship.  James E. Lyon, president of River Oaks Bank in Houston,<ref>In 1965, James E. Lyon (1927-1993) built the since destroyed USS Flagship Hotel, the first such structure over tidewater.</ref> then a Republican state kingmaker of the more conservative faction, held firm for Grover, a former educator, and resisted efforts by those who wanted to entice Reese to run, such as former party chairman Peter O'Donnell of Dallas, an organizer of the Draft Goldwater Committee in 1963.<ref>Reese, pp. 143-144.</ref>

Grover's nomination still required a primary runoff with Albert Bel Fay of Houston, a favorite of the Bushes and the Texas business establishment who had extensive financial holdings in Texas and Louisiana.<ref>Fay, Albert Bel (1913-1992), ''The Handbook of Texas'' on-line</ref>  Reese said that he believes that a dispute over the Republican state chairmanship in 1972 split the Grover and Tower partisans to the breaking point and prevented the election of a Republican governor at that time, six years before Bill Clements was narrowly elected in 1978 over Democrat John Luke Hill. Tower managed to win a third term in 1972, helped in part by the large margin that the national GOP ticket of Richard Nixon and [[Spiro T. Agnew]] accumulated over the Democratic partisans of [[George McGovern]] and [[Sargent Shriver]]. Grover, however, lost by almost exactly 100,000 votes to Dolph Briscoe, an Uvalde banker, rancher, and large landholder with close ties to President Johnson.<ref>Reese, p. 144.</ref><ref>Texas gubernatorial general election returns, November 7, 1972; Briscoe received 1,633,493 votes (47.9 percent), Grover, 1,533,986 (45 percent). Briscoe was a "minority governor" because he failed to garner a simple majority of the votes. The La Raza contender, then 29-year-old Ramsey Muñiz, received 214,118 votes (6 percent). Two other minor candidates shared the remaining 27,994 votes, (0.8 percent). With the death of Sargent Shriver (1915-2011), McGovern became the last living former national candidate from the 1972 general election.He subsequently died in October 2012.</ref>

Grover's nomination still required a primary runoff with Albert Bel Fay of Houston, a favorite of the Bushes and the Texas business establishment who had extensive financial holdings in Texas and Louisiana.<ref>Fay, Albert Bel (1913-1992), ''The Handbook of Texas'' on-line</ref>  Reese said that he believes that a dispute over the Republican state chairmanship in 1972 split the Grover and Tower partisans to the breaking point and prevented the election of a Republican governor at that time, six years before Bill Clements was narrowly elected in 1978 over Democrat John Luke Hill. Tower managed to win a third term in 1972, helped in part by the large margin that the national GOP ticket of Richard Nixon and [[Spiro T. Agnew]] accumulated over the Democratic partisans of [[George McGovern]] and [[Sargent Shriver]]. Grover, however, lost by almost exactly 100,000 votes to Dolph Briscoe, an Uvalde banker, rancher, and large landholder with close ties to President Johnson.<ref>Reese, p. 144.</ref><ref>Texas gubernatorial general election returns, November 7, 1972; Briscoe received 1,633,493 votes (47.9 percent), Grover, 1,533,986 (45 percent). Briscoe was a "minority governor" because he failed to garner a simple majority of the votes. The La Raza contender, then 29-year-old Ramsey Muñiz, received 214,118 votes (6 percent). Two other minor candidates shared the remaining 27,994 votes, (0.8 percent). With the death of Sargent Shriver (1915-2011), McGovern became the last living former national candidate from the 1972 general election. McGovern subsequently died in October 2012.</ref>

==Reese in retrospect==

==Reese in retrospect==