Clay Smothers, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Clay Smothers

Texas state legislator and educator

Date of Birth: 01-Apr-1935

Place of Birth: Malakoff, Texas, United States

Date of Death: 11-Jun-2004

Profession: teacher, politician, journalist

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Claiborne Washington Smothers, I, known as Clay Smothers (April 1, 1935 – June 11, 2004), was an African-American member of the Texas House of Representatives from the former District 33-G in Dallas County who served from 1977 to 1981.
Though elected as a conservative Democrat, Smothers switched to Republican affiliation on December 17, 1979, near the end of the first year of the first administration of Bill Clements, first Republican governor of Texas since Reconstruction.However, Smothers was a Republican in 1970, when had had run unsuccessfully in District 12 for the Texas House; he was defeated by the Democrat Sam Coats.
In that same election George Herbert Walker Bush lost the U.S.
Senate race to Democrat Lloyd Bentsen, and Republican gubernatorial nominee Paul Eggers failed to unseat Preston Smith in their second consecutive match.