Dolph Briscoe

These photos show Dolph Briscoe and his wife Janey on the campaign trail. Briscoe ran for governor a total of four times. In 1968, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination but was defeated by lieutenant governor Preston Smith. In 1972, in the wake of the Sharpstown scandal, Briscoe's time had come. He won a runoff for the nomination against liberal legislator Frances "Sissy" Farenthold. Briscoe was reelected in 1974, the first governor to be elected to a four year term of office. In 1978, he made another reelection bid, but was defeated for the nomination by attorney general John Hill, who lost the general election to Bill Clements.

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Courtesy The Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.