Oil, ranch tycoon lost governor’s race to Richards
MIDLAND — Clayton Williams, a colorful character in Texas politics, died in Midland Friday after complications of pneumonia. He was 88.
The West Texas ranching and oil tycoon ran for governor in 1990, losing a heated race to Ann Richards. Williams made a distasteful comment about rape to a reporter and bragged to a Houston Chronicle reporter about not paying income taxes for years just days before the election, tanking a race that he was once led by more than 20 points.
While he never ran for office again, Williams remained a loyal Republican. He was also a dedicated graduate of Texas A&M University, where he earned a degree in animal husbandry in 1954 and was a member of the school’s Corps of
Cadets.
“We lost a legend,” tweeted the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, the largest statewide oil and gas association. “He and his wife were generous with their successes. He will be missed.”
He went on to give generously to A&M, which named the school’s alumni center in his honor.
Williams was inducted into the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum’s Hall of Fame in 2005. The Permian Basin Petroleum Association also honored Williams with its Top Hand award.
In January 2017, Noble Energy purchased Clayton Williams Energy in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $2.7 billion.
Williams’ impact on Midland was greater than just oil and politics. His name lives on in the office complex he developed — ClayDesta, located northwest of the intersection of Wadley Avenue and Big Spring Street. The complex was named for Williams and his wife, Modesta.
Both Clayton and Modesta were on hand in November when the Association of Fundraising Professionals Permian Basin Chapter honored them as its “Outstanding Philanthropists.”