Editing Bill Clements (section)

== Early life and career ==
Born in [[Dallas, Texas]], Clements graduated from [[Highland Park High School (University Park, Texas)|Highland Park High School]] in the Dallas suburb of [[University Park, Texas|University Park]] in 1934.<ref name="handbook">{{cite web|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/clements-william-perry-jr-bill|title= Clements, William Perry, Jr. [Bill] (1917–2011) |last=Slaughter|first=George|work=Handbook of Texas|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|access-date=September 26, 2020}}</ref> Although Clements was an all-state [[offensive guard]] on the Highland Park football team, after his father lost his job due to the [[Great Depression]], Clements worked as an oil driller in [[South Texas]] after graduating from high school.<ref name="Dallas Morning News">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504234546/http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20110529-bill-clements-texas-first-republican-governor-in-more-than-a-century-dies.ece|archive-date=May 4, 2012|title=Bill Clements, Texas' first GOP governor in more than a century, dies |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20110529-bill-clements-texas-first-republican-governor-in-more-than-a-century-dies|work=The Dallas Morning News|date=May 29, 2011|last=Stutz|first=Terrence|access-date=September 26, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the late 1930s, Clements studied engineering at [[Southern Methodist University]] before dropping out and returning to the oil industry.<ref name="Dallas Morning News"/> During [[World War II]], Clements served in the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]].<ref name="handbook"/>

[[File:Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger with Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General George S. Brown and Deputy Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger and Air Force Chief of Staff General David C. Jones.jpg|left|thumb|222x222px|[[United States Deputy Secretary of Defense|Deputy Secretary of Defense]] Bill Clements met with [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[James R. Schlesinger|James Schlesinger]], [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]] General [[George Scratchley Brown|George S. Brown]], and [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force|Air Force Chief of Staff]] General [[David C. Jones]] at the [[White House]] in January 1975.|alt=]]

In 1947, Clements founded the offshore drilling business Southeastern Drilling Company (SEDCO), which would expand to 20 countries and grow into the top drilling contracting company in the world before being sold to [[Schlumberger]] in 1984.<ref name="handbook"/><ref name="Dallas Morning News"/> Clements had a personal wealth worth nearly $30 million by 1978, the year he first ran for Texas governor.<ref name="Dallas Morning News"/>

From 1973 to 1977, Clements served as [[United States Deputy Secretary of Defense]] under Presidents [[Richard Nixon]] and [[Gerald Ford]].<ref name="handbook"/> For 39 days in 1973, Clements served as acting Secretary of Defense.

Among the Secretaries of Defense he served under was [[Donald Rumsfeld]], during the latter's first tenure in the office. The two men did not get along, yet when Rumsfeld was appointed, Clements resisted efforts to be moved to another department, even going so far as to threaten, if removed from his office, to hold a press conference and label his dismissal a "power play." Though Clements remained as deputy secretary, Clements later termed his time under Rumsfeld "very unpleasant."<ref>{{cite book|last=Graham|first=Bradley|title=By His Own Rules: The Story of Donald Rumsfeld|date=2009|publisher=PublicAffairs|isbn=978-1586484217|page=135}}</ref>