Prints and Photographs Collection
Price Daniel
In this photo, Price Daniel greets John Connally as George and Barbara Bush look on. The occasion is the inauguration of Bill Clements for his first term as governor, January 16, 1979.
Connally had defeated Daniel for the governorship in 1962 and gone on to become a popular and skillful governor. Later he served as secretary of the treasury under Richard Nixon and became a prominent member of the Republican party. At the time of this photo, he was considered a leading contender for the 1980 presidential nomination. One of his rivals was George Bush, a Houston oilman and former congressman who had served as an ambassador and head of the Central Intelligence Agency. In the end, Connally and Bush were both defeated by Ronald Reagan. Bush became Reagan's vice-president and president in his own right in 1988. Connally's adventures continued as a high-flying real estate developer.