Clayton Williams dies at 88 – The oilman whose gaffes cost an election

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Election

Clayton Williams was an oilman in the West Texas region whose campaign for the governor got derailed in 1990 for using crude remarks. The remarks comprised of an invasive comment on rape. This oilman died at the age of 88. The family spokesperson Denise Kelley revealed that he was suffering from pneumonia complications which deteriorated his health in the last few days.

Know more about Clayton Williams

Clayton Williams was a Republican and a successful entrepreneur, who made an unforgettable try back in 1990 in the marquee matchup against Ann Richards. Ann Richards had gained national prominence back in 1988 Democratic National Convention, where she mentioned that George H.W. Bush, the Republican presidential nominee, was probably born having a solver foot in the mouth.

It was the Associated Press that later called the face-off between Richards and also Williams as the costliest, most significant, woolliest, noisiest, craziest governor race ever in Texas.

Clayton and the campaign

Clayton stayed luxuriously, making himself appear as an independent cowboy type who grew from ordinary and also humble roots and flourished as a successful tycoon. He promised to deal with crime with a strong hand so that Texas sees the best days once again. Several polls were pointing towards the apparent victory. However, when the campaign started, Clayton almost sabotaged himself.

Clayton’s comment concerning rape was made during the earlier stages of the campaign. weather with a few reporters who came to visit the ranch. Clayton equated rape and bad weather in a dry tone and also said something that didn’t go well for many people. He asserted that if one can’t help it, one should start enjoying it instead.

This comment was made into headlines by the Associated Press! When questioned, Clayton mentioned that he was merely joking. Now that the Texas Monthly reported this, he even apologized profusely for his comment. Though that comment didn’t make his campaign fail instantly, it did lead to other blunders.

Things that made it worse

Further on this matter, Clayton has talked about visiting prostitutes during his young years. And during a debate, Clayton was reluctant to shake hands with Ms. Richards, which got counted as a questionable gesture and bad sportsmanship. There was a poll, that highlighted that Ms. Richard was recovering from alcohol addiction. And so that made Clayton say that he hopes, she doesn’t restart her drinking habit again. He had other derogatory expressions for her as well.

Clayton Than His Verbal Spat

That wasn’t all! There was more to Clayton than his verbal spat with Ann Richards. During the final campaign days, he confessed to not paying the income tax since 1986. And a few people could relate it to the oil bust, which led to a recession. Ms. Richards made good use of this revelation.

Clayton was born back on October 8th, 1931 in the Alpine region. His father used to be an oilman as well as a country commissioner in the Pecos County. His mother was a homemaker.