Services Set for Former Texas Governor Clements

DALLAS (AP) — Funeral services for former Texas Gov. Bill Clements will be Thursday in Dallas.

Clements, who in 1979 became the first Republican elected governor in Texas since Reconstruction, died Sunday. The 94-year-old had been ill for several months and grieving the death of his son, who was shot by a neighbor last year in East Texas.

A memorial service will be held Thursday at Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas. A private burial will be held prior to the service.

Clements served two terms as governor despite losing his first re-election bid. The oilman ran Texas under the belief that state government should operate like a big business.

Gov. Rick Perry called Clements the father of the modern-day Texas Republican Party, which now holds every elected statewide office.