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'''James O'Quinn Reese''' (December 14, 1929 &ndash; September 15, 2017), known as '''Jim Reese''', was a [[business]]man who served from 1968 to 1974 as the [[mayor]] of [[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]], [[Texas]]. From the 1960s to the 1980s, he was a key figure in the development of the two-party system in West Texas. In 1978, he lost the [[Republican Party|Republican]] nomination for Texas' 19th congressional district seat to future [[U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]]. Bush was then defeated in the [[general election]] by the then [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], later Republican, Kent Ronald Hance.<ref>{{cite web|title=James O'Quinn Reese|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/oaoa/obituary.aspx?pid=186681500|publisher=''The Odessa American''|accessdate=February 21, 2018}}</ref>

'''James O'Quinn Reese''' (December 14, 1929 &ndash; September 15, 2017), known as '''Jim Reese''', was a [[business]]man who served from 1968 to 1974 as the [[mayor]] of [[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]], [[Texas]]. From the 1960s to the 1980s, he was a key figure in the development of the two-party system in West Texas. In 1978, he lost the [[Republican Party|Republican]] nomination for Texas' 19th congressional district seat to future [[U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]]. Bush was then defeated in the [[general election]] by the then [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], later Republican, Kent Ronald Hance.<ref>{{cite web|title=James O'Quinn Reese|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/oaoa/obituary.aspx?pid=186681500|publisher=''The Odessa American''|accessdate=February 21, 2018}}</ref>

Mayor Reese and the city council quickly replaced the city manager, Weir Routh, who supervised seventeen departments and was, according to Reese, reluctant to delegate authority to subordinates. Reese later recommended Routh for the city manager's position in the smaller city of Alvin near Houston. The new manager, Ronald Neighbors, had previously been in the same position in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton.<ref>Reese, p. 133.</ref>

Mayor Reese and the city council quickly replaced the city manager, Weir Routh, who supervised seventeen departments and was, according to Reese, reluctant to delegate authority to subordinates. Reese later recommended Routh for the city manager's position in the smaller city of Alvin near Houston. The new manager, Ronald Neighbors, had previously been in the same position in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton.<ref>Reese, p. 133.</ref>

Reese recalls Odessa as a "growing city" requiring street pavement, the extension of sewer lines, and plans for managed growth. When sanitation workers went on strike, Reese went to their workplace and told them, "If you'll go back to work, we'll figure out something" to relieve their back-breaking work and low wages. As a result, Odessa began the use of dumpsters placed in an alley or along the streets with mechanically-embellished trucks lifting the plastic waste receptacle with a forklift and depositing the garbage and trash into the truck bed, usually equipped with a compactor.<ref>Reese, p. 133</ref> This technology was first advanced in the 1950s in Knoxville, [[Tennessee]], by brothers with the unlikely name of Dempster. Two large metal arms grab the standardized container, lift it over the cab, and tip the garbage into the hopper.<ref>"A Brief History of the Dumpster," Website: hubpages.com/hub/Haulingportlandor, accessed November 15, 2010.</ref>  That system is now universal in most cities, as workers rarely leave the truck while on their errands. Technology hence relieved the workers of past drudgery. Reese recalls that Odessa was the first city in his region to utilize the new technology.<ref>Reese, p. 133.</ref>

Reese recalls Odessa as a "growing city" requiring street pavement, the extension of sewer lines, and plans for managed growth. When sanitation workers went on strike, Reese went to their workplace and told them, "If you'll go back to work, we'll figure out something" to relieve their back-breaking work and low wages. As a result, Odessa began the use of dumpsters placed in an alley or along the streets with mechanically-embellished trucks lifting the plastic waste receptacle with a forklift and depositing the garbage and trash into the truck bed, usually equipped with a compactor.<ref>Reese, p. 133.</ref> This technology was first advanced in the 1950s in Knoxville, [[Tennessee]], by brothers with the unlikely name of Dempster. Two large metal arms grab the standardized container, lift it over the cab, and tip the garbage into the hopper.<ref>"A Brief History of the Dumpster," Website: hubpages.com/hub/Haulingportlandor, accessed November 15, 2010.</ref>  That system is now universal in most cities, as workers rarely leave the truck while on their errands. Technology hence relieved the workers of past drudgery. Reese recalls that Odessa was the first city in his region to utilize the new technology.<ref>Reese, p. 133.</ref>

In the Reese years, Country Club Estates in east Odessa was annexed to the city. The cable company president told Reese that he could not offer service to the new subdivision because of distance and cost. Reese replied that the city would find another cable carrier who could handle all of Odessa. When faced with the loss of its market, the company relented and wired cable to the new subdivision.<ref>Reese, pp. 133-134.</ref>

In the Reese years, Country Club Estates in east Odessa was annexed to the city. The cable company president told Reese that he could not offer service to the new subdivision because of distance and cost. Reese replied that the city would find another cable carrier who could handle all of Odessa. When faced with the loss of its market, the company relented and wired cable to the new subdivision.<ref>Reese, pp. 133-134.</ref>

</ref>  Mahon replied that he had not voted to raise his own pay. The ''Lubbock Avalanche-Journal'' later found that Mahon had voted for higher congressional pay and thus verified Reese's contention. Reese said he believed that Mahon simply forgot about the vote in question.<ref>Reese, pp. 135-136.</ref>

</ref>  Mahon replied that he had not voted to raise his own pay. The ''Lubbock Avalanche-Journal'' later found that Mahon had voted for higher congressional pay and thus verified Reese's contention. Reese said he believed that Mahon simply forgot about the vote in question.<ref>Reese, pp. 135-136.</ref>

Reese greatly expanded the showing by Joe  Phillips a dozen years earlier and finished with 72,991 votes (45.4 percent); Mahon prevailed with 87,908 ballots (54.6 percent) in a nationally Democratic year.<ref>''Congressional Quarterly's Guide'', p. 1305.</ref> Reese said that he might have prevailed had all of Ector County then been within the 19th District. At the time, no more than a third of Ector County, which Reese swept, was within district boundaries.<ref>Reese, p. 136.</ref>

Reese greatly expanded the showing by Joe  Phillips a dozen years earlier and finished with 72,991 votes (45.4 percent); Mahon prevailed with 87,908 ballots (54.6 percent) in a nationally Democratic year.<ref>''Congressional Quarterly's Guide,'' p. 1305.</ref> Reese said that he might have prevailed had all of Ector County then been within the 19th District. At the time, no more than a third of Ector County, which Reese swept, was within district boundaries.<ref>Reese, p. 136.</ref>

Years later, Reese described Mahon as "a fine gentleman" but claimed that the veteran congressman had long severed direct ties to the 19th District and retained his Washington residence after his retirement in 1979. At the time of the 1976 campaign, Mahon's district address was a post office box in the Lubbock federal building since named for Mahon.<ref>Reese, p. 136.</ref> In the summer of 1977, Mahon announced that he would not seek a 23rd term in Congress. Reese said that he believes that Mahon decided not to run again because he wished to avoid a second consecutive draining, competitive race against a Republican candidate. There was also the sense that Texas was either closely divided or leaning Republican in the mid-term elections of the Jimmy Carter presidency, as exhibited by the last reelection of Senator [[John Tower]]  and the first Republican gubernatorial victory since 1869, with the triumph of [[Bill Clements]]. As of 2016, Carter remains the last Democrat to have won the electoral votes of Texas, for Reagan's 1980 Texas triumph marked the first of a full generation of at least ten consecutive Republican presidential victories in the Lone Star State.<ref>Reese, p. 136.</ref>

Years later, Reese described Mahon as "a fine gentleman" but claimed that the veteran congressman had long severed direct ties to the 19th District and retained his Washington residence after his retirement in 1979. At the time of the 1976 campaign, Mahon's district address was a post office box in the Lubbock federal building since named for Mahon.<ref>Reese, p. 136.</ref> In the summer of 1977, Mahon announced that he would not seek a 23rd term in Congress. Reese said that he believes that Mahon decided not to run again because he wished to avoid a second consecutive draining, competitive race against a Republican candidate. There was also the sense that Texas was either closely divided or leaning Republican in the mid-term elections of the Jimmy Carter presidency, as exhibited by the last reelection of Senator [[John Tower]]  and the first Republican gubernatorial victory since 1869, with the triumph of [[Bill Clements]]. As of 2016, Carter remains the last Democrat to have won the electoral votes of Texas, for Reagan's 1980 Texas triumph marked the first of a full generation of at least ten consecutive Republican presidential victories in the Lone Star State.<ref>Reese, p. 136.</ref>

Like his father, the younger Bush drew the support of the Republican "establishment," with Reese in the role of the "populist" dissenter, akin to Ronald Reagan's challenge of Gerald Ford two years earlier for the party's presidential nomination. Reese had supported Reagan in that exchange in which the Californian ultimately secured all one hundred Texas delegates at the party's national convention held in the Kemper Arena in [[Kansas City]].<ref>Reese, p. 137.</ref>

Like his father, the younger Bush drew the support of the Republican "establishment," with Reese in the role of the "populist" dissenter, akin to Ronald Reagan's challenge of Gerald Ford two years earlier for the party's presidential nomination. Reese had supported Reagan in that exchange in which the Californian ultimately secured all one hundred Texas delegates at the party's national convention held in the Kemper Arena in [[Kansas City]].<ref>Reese, p. 137.</ref>

Reese said that Bush's campaign literature which proclaimed him as having been "born July 6, 1946, and raised in Midland, Texas" was misleading because of Bush's birth in New Haven, Connecticut, and the Bush generational family's ties to East Coast Republicans.  Reese also questioned the membership of the senior George Bush in the [[Trilateral Commission]],<ref>Reese, p. 137.</ref> a group founded in 1973 with the goal of "a new international economic order."<ref>Trilateral Commission membership – 2008, Website: Augustreview.com, accessed November 11, 2010.</ref> He scolded "Junior Bush," as he called him despite the variation of middle names, of being a "[[Nelson Rockefeller|Rockefeller]]-type Republican" who had supported Gerald Ford in the 1976 nomination fight against Ronald Reagan.<ref>Reese, p. 137.</ref> The senior Bush, out of the country at the time of the Reagan-Ford rivalry, later expressed dismay at Reagan's involvement in the congressional primary: "I am not interesting in getting into an argument with Reagan. But I am surprised about what he is doing here, in my state. ... They are making a real effort to defeat George."<ref>Lois Romano and George Lardner, Jr., "Young Bush, a Political Natural Revs Up," ''[[The Washington Post]]'', July 29, 1999, A1.</ref>

Reese said that Bush's campaign literature which proclaimed him as having been "born July 6, 1946, and raised in Midland, Texas" was misleading because of Bush's birth in New Haven, [[Connecticut]], and the Bush generational family's ties to East Coast Republicans.  Reese also questioned the membership of the senior George Bush in the [[Trilateral Commission]],<ref>Reese, p. 137.</ref> a group founded in 1973 with the goal of "a new international economic order."<ref>Trilateral Commission membership – 2008, Website: Augustreview.com, accessed November 11, 2010.</ref> He scolded "Junior Bush," as he called him despite the variation of middle names, of being a "[[Nelson Rockefeller|Rockefeller]]-type Republican" who had supported Gerald Ford in the 1976 nomination fight against Ronald Reagan.<ref>Reese, p. 137.</ref> The senior Bush, out of the country at the time of the Reagan-Ford rivalry, later expressed dismay at Reagan's involvement in the congressional primary: "I am not interesting in getting into an argument with Reagan. But I am surprised about what he is doing here, in my state. ... They are making a real effort to defeat George."<ref>Lois Romano and George Lardner, Jr., "Young Bush, a Political Natural Revs Up," ''[[The Washington Post]]'', July 29, 1999, A1.</ref>

When George W. Bush was asked about the close ties of all the 19th District Republican candidates to the petroleum industry, he replied, "There's no such thing as being too closely aligned with the oil industry in West Texas."<ref>''Washington Post'', July 29, 1999.</ref> The presence of a third candidate, Joe Hickox, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel from Lubbock, prevented an outright winner from being nominated in the May 6 primary.<ref>Reese, p. 138.</ref><ref>''Washington Post,'' July 29, 1999.</ref> Bush led 6,296 (47.5 percent) to Reese's 5,498 (41.5 percent) and Hickox's 1,455 (11 percent). Therefore, under Texas law, a runoff election was held on June 3 to nominate a majority winner. Bush then prevailed in the low turnout contest, 6,787 (55.9 percent) to Reese's 5,350 (44.1 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Congressional primary election returns, May 6 and June 3, 1978.</ref>

When George W. Bush was asked about the close ties of all the 19th District Republican candidates to the petroleum industry, he replied, "There's no such thing as being too closely aligned with the oil industry in West Texas."<ref>''Washington Post'', July 29, 1999.</ref> The presence of a third candidate, Joe Hickox, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel from Lubbock, prevented an outright winner from being nominated in the May 6 primary.<ref>Reese, p. 138.</ref><ref>''Washington Post,'' July 29, 1999.</ref> Bush led 6,296 (47.5 percent) to Reese's 5,498 (41.5 percent) and Hickox's 1,455 (11 percent). Therefore, under Texas law, a runoff election was held on June 3 to nominate a majority winner. Bush then prevailed in the low turnout contest, 6,787 (55.9 percent) to Reese's 5,350 (44.1 percent).<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Congressional primary election returns, May 6 and June 3, 1978.</ref>

Among the donors to Bush in the primary against Reese were the widow of [[General]]  [[Douglas MacArthur]], former CBS television president Frank Shakespeare, former Ambassador to Great Britain Anne Armstrong,<ref>Anne L. Armstrong (1927-2008), a long-term Texas Republican figure from tiny Kenedy County  near Corpus Christi, was the first woman to keynote a national party convention, the 1972 GOP conclave in Miami Beach,  [[Florida]].</ref> and former and future Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]] as well as automobile executives from [[Detroit]] and oil tycoons from across Texas.<ref>Reese, p. 138.</ref> It was in this campaign too that Bush first met his political operative and long-term advisor, [[Karl Rove]].<ref>[[John Gizzi]], ''Human Events'', January 4, 2005.</ref>

Among the donors to Bush in the primary against Reese were the widow of [[General]]  [[Douglas MacArthur]], former CBS television president Frank Shakespeare, former Ambassador to Great Britain Anne Armstrong,<ref>Anne L. Armstrong (1927-2008), a long-term Texas Republican figure from tiny Kenedy County  near Corpus Christi, was the first woman to keynote a national party convention, the 1972 GOP conclave in Miami Beach,  [[Florida]].</ref> and former and future Secretary of Defense [[Donald Rumsfeld]] as well as automobile executives from [[Detroit]] and oil tycoons from across Texas.<ref>Reese, p. 138.</ref> It was in this campaign too that Bush first met his political operative and long-term advisor, [[Karl Rove]].<ref>[[John Gizzi]], ''Human Events'', January 4, 2005.</ref>

Reagan political advisor Franklyn Curran "Lyn" Nofziger (1924-2006) urged the former governor to support Reese because of Reese's political experience and past loyalty to Reagan. Nofziger dispatched Reese a $1,000 check from Reagan's political action committee, Citizens for the Republic.<ref>Reese, p. 139.</ref> After Reagan donated to the Reese campaign, Texas gubernatorial candidate Bill Clements and his wife, the former Rita Crocker, visited Reagan at the former governor's home in Pacific Palisades, [[California]]. Clements was a Bush family friend who had served as assistant defense secretary under Rumsfeld in the Ford administration and had been the finance chairman of the elder Bush's unsuccessful 1964 U.S. Senate race against the Democrat [[Ralph Yarborough]]. Clements urged Reagan to match the $1,000 contribution that Reagan had rendered to Reese by giving equally to the second Bush. Nofziger claimed to have told Clements: "'Mr. Clements, we don't do business that way.' Nothing more was said about it."<ref>Reese, p. 139.</ref>

Reagan political advisor Franklyn Curran "Lyn" Nofziger (1924-2006) urged the former governor to support Reese because of Reese's political experience and past loyalty to Reagan. Nofziger dispatched Reese a $1,000 check from Reagan's political action committee, Citizens for the Republic.<ref>Reese, p. 139.</ref> After Reagan donated to the Reese campaign, Texas gubernatorial candidate Bill Clements and his wife, the former Rita Crocker, visited Reagan at the former governor's home in Pacific Palisades, [[California]]. Clements was a Bush family friend who had served as assistant defense secretary under Rumsfeld in the Ford administration and had been the finance chairman of the elder Bush's unsuccessful 1964 U.S. Senate race against the Democrat [[Ralph Yarborough]]. Clements urged Reagan to match the $1,000 contribution that Reagan had rendered to Reese by giving equally to the second Bush. Nofziger claimed to have told Clements: "'Mr. Clements, we don't do business that way.' Nothing more was said about it."<ref>Reese, p. 139.</ref>

Reagan and his political team had a rule against making endorsements in contested primaries except for incumbents. Reagan broke his own policy to assist Reese. In the spring of 1978, Reagan came to Abilene, Texas, at the time outside the 19th congressional district, to deliver a speech. Reagan was accompanied by his aide [[Michael Deaver]]<ref>Reese, p. 139.</ref> and Ernest Angelo, Jr., the Republican national committeeman, co-chairman of the 1976 Reagan primary campaign in Texas, but also a Midland friend of the elder Bush. Reese recalls that Deaver and Angelo urged Reagan not to become involved in a contested primary. Nofziger countered by reminding Reagan that he owed nothing politically to the Bushes.<ref>Reese, p. 139.</ref> This was two years before the formulation of the Reagan–Bush national ticket. Reese, however, said to Reagan: "I told him that I needed his public endorsement."  Thereafter while in Amarillo, also outside the 19th congressional district, Reagan filmed a 30-second spot for Reese, with the former governor's hand on Reese's shoulder. Reese added that despite philosophical differences he has attempted to maintain cordial ties with the Bushes over the years.<ref>Reese, p. 139.</ref>

Reagan and his political team had a rule against making endorsements in contested primaries except for incumbents. Reagan broke his own policy to assist Reese. In the spring of 1978, Reagan came to Abilene, Texas, at the time outside the 19th congressional district, to deliver a speech. Reagan was accompanied by his aide [[Michael Deaver]]<ref>Reese, p. 139.</ref> and Ernest Angelo, Jr., the Republican national committeeman, co-chairman of the 1976 Reagan primary campaign in Texas, but also a Midland friend of the elder Bush. Reese recalls that Deaver and Angelo urged Reagan not to become involved in a contested primary. Nofziger countered by reminding Reagan that he owed nothing politically to the Bushes.<ref>Reese, p. 139.</ref> This was two years before the formulation of the Reagan–Bush national ticket. Reese, however, said to Reagan: "I told him that I needed his public endorsement."  Thereafter while in Amarillo, also outside the 19th congressional district, Reagan filmed a 30-second spot for Reese, with the former governor's hand on Reese's shoulder. Reese added that despite philosophical differences he has attempted to maintain cordial ties with the Bushes over the years.<ref>Reese, p. 139.</ref>

Political writer Kevin P. Phillips, who in 1969 coined the phrase "the emerging Republican majority" in the title of a book, claims that Reese refused to endorse Bush for the general election. The newcomer was dismissed as "too preppy, to Yalie, to be truly Texan."<ref>Kevin Kevin P. Phillips, ''American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush'' (New York: Viking, 2004, ISBN=0-670-03264-6, p. 46.</ref> Reese, however, indicates that he voted for George W. Bush every time that Bush's name appeared on a Texas general election ballot. Reese also recalls that he attended a Bush fundraiser in Midland after the runoff election.<ref>Reese, p. 140.</ref> Bush does not indicate in his memoirs if Reese came aboard for the general election but adds that the Reese challenge "toughened me up as a candidate. I learned I could take a hard punch and keep fighting and win."<ref>George W. Bush, ''Decision Points'', p. 40.</ref> Bush mentions that Reagan called him immediately after the runoff election to offer assistance for the general election, but Bush declined to use either his father or Reagan in the campaign.<ref>Reese, p. 140.</ref>

Political writer Kevin P. Phillips, who in 1969 coined the phrase "the emerging Republican majority" in the title of a book, claims that Reese refused to endorse Bush for the general election. The newcomer was dismissed as "too preppy, to Yalie, to be truly Texan."<ref>Kevin Kevin P. Phillips, ''American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush'' (New York: Viking, 2004, ISBN=0-670-03264-6, p. 46.</ref> Reese, however, indicates that he voted for George W. Bush every time that Bush's name appeared on a Texas general election ballot. Reese also recalls that he attended a Bush fundraiser in Midland after the runoff election.<ref>Reese, p. 140.</ref> Bush does not indicate in his memoirs if Reese came aboard for the general election but adds that the Reese challenge "toughened me up as a candidate. I learned I could take a hard punch and keep fighting and win."<ref>George W. Bush, ''Decision Points'', p. 40.</ref> Bush mentions that Reagan called him immediately after the runoff election to offer assistance for the general election, but Bush declined to use either his father or Reagan in the campaign.<ref>Reese, p. 140.</ref>

John Gizzi of ''Human Events'' recalls that Reese did support Bush after the runoff primary.<ref>John Gizzi, "GOP Moderates Often Sore Losers," ''Human Events'', September 28, 2010, Website: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=39183, [Accessed October 27, 2010].</ref> Reese told Gizzi in 2004: "I never saw George after our primary. He's doing a fine job as President. The endorsement from Reagan in the 1978 primary was, without question, one of the proudest moments of my life. It said a lot about Ronald Reagan."<ref>John Gizzi, ''Human Events'', January 4, 2005.</ref>

John Gizzi of ''Human Events'' recalls that Reese did support Bush after the runoff primary.<ref>John Gizzi, "GOP Moderates Often Sore Losers," ''Human Events'', September 28, 2010, Website: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=39183, [Accessed October 27, 2010].</ref> Reese told Gizzi in 2004: "I never saw George after our primary. He's doing a fine job as President. The endorsement from Reagan in the 1978 primary was, without question, one of the proudest moments of my life. It said a lot about Ronald Reagan."<ref>John Gizzi, ''Human Events'', January 4, 2005.</ref>

Though he had developed a network of friends, particularly from Midland and in the oil industry elsewhere, Bush still lost, 53-47 percent, to the Democratic nominee, then state Senator Kent Hance, who is four years G. W. Bush's senior. A native of Dimmitt in Castro County, Hance held the House seat until 1985.<ref>Historian Ashley Armes of Wayland Baptist University produced a comprehensive study of the Hance-Bush race but makes no mention of the Reese-Bush primary contests in her article entitled "Kent Hance, George W. Bush, and West Texas' 1978 Congressional Election" in the ''West Texas Historical Association Year Book'', Vol. 81  (2004).</ref>  The loss to Hance had been foretold to Bush more than a year earlier by Democratic former Governor Robert Allan Shivers (1907-1985), who informed the young candidate that the 19th Congressional District was tailor-made for a conservative Democrat in the mold of Hance.<ref>George W. Bush, ''Decision Points'', pp. 39, 41; Allan Shivers was until [[Bill Clements]] completed two nonconsecutive four-year terms the longest-serving governor in Texas history, having held the position from July 1949, to January 1957.</ref> Bush said that Hance, with whom he later became friends, continued the Reese strategy against him but was "a storyteller" and "more subtle and more charming" than had been Reese.<ref>George W. Bush, ''Decision Points'', p. 40.</ref>

Though he had developed a network of friends, particularly from Midland and in the oil industry elsewhere, Bush still lost, 53-47 percent, to the Democratic nominee, then state Senator Kent Hance, who is four years G. W. Bush's senior. A native of Dimmitt in Castro County, Hance held the House seat until 1985.<ref>Historian Ashley Armes of Wayland Baptist University produced a comprehensive study of the Hance-Bush race but makes no mention of the Reese-Bush primary contests in her article entitled "Kent Hance, George W. Bush, and West Texas' 1978 Congressional Election" in the ''West Texas Historical Association Year Book'', Vol. 81  (2004).</ref>  The loss to Hance had been foretold to Bush more than a year earlier by Democratic former Governor Robert Allan Shivers (1907-1985), who informed the young candidate that the 19th Congressional District was tailor-made for a conservative Democrat in the mold of Hance.<ref>George W. Bush, ''Decision Points'', pp. 39, 41; Allan Shivers was until [[Bill Clements]] completed two nonconsecutive four-year terms the longest-serving governor in Texas history, having held the position from July 1949, to January 1957.</ref> Bush said that Hance, with whom he later became friends, continued the Reese strategy against him but was "a storyteller" and "more subtle and more charming" than had been Reese.<ref>George W. Bush, ''Decision Points'', p. 40.</ref>

In 1984, Hance ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the retiring John Tower. In 1985, Hance switched parties and in 1986 and again in 1990 sought the Republican gubernatorial nominations, losing, respectively, to Bill Clements, who went on to secure a non-consecutive second term, and Clayton W. "Claytie" Williams, Jr., the entrepreneur from Midland and Fort Stockton defeated by [[Ann Richards]]. A lobbyist, Hance on December 1, 2006, became the third chancellor of his ''alma mater'', [[Texas Tech University]]. He is no longer chancellor.<ref>"Office of the Chancellor: Texas Tech University: Kent Hance", Website: ttu.edu., accessed November 11, 2010.</ref>

In 1984, Hance ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the retiring John Tower. In 1985, Hance switched parties and in 1986 and again in 1990 sought the Republican gubernatorial nominations, losing, respectively, to Bill Clements, who went on to secure a non-consecutive second term, and Clayton W. "Claytie" Williams, Jr. (1932-2020), the entrepreneur from Midland and Fort Stockton defeated by [[Ann Richards]]. A lobbyist, Hance on December 1, 2006, became the third chancellor of his ''alma mater'', [[Texas Tech University]]. He is no longer chancellor.<ref>"Office of the Chancellor: Texas Tech University: Kent Hance", Website: ttu.edu., accessed November 11, 2010.</ref>

==1982 state Senate race==

==1982 state Senate race==

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 [[Waggoner Carr|Vincent Waggoner Carr]]. 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 involved 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. [[Jimmy Lyon]], president of River Oaks Bank in Houston,<ref>In 1965, [[Jimmy Lyon]] 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 involved 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. [[Jimmy Lyon]], president of River Oaks Bank in Houston,<ref>In 1965, [[Jimmy Lyon]] 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>