Bill W. Clayton Biography

Bill Wayne Clayton, sometimes known as Billy Clayton (September 11, 1928 – January 6, 2007), was an American politician from West Texas who served as a state legislator for twenty years and was Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from 1975 to 1983, a tenure twice as long as that of any other presiding officer of the house elected before him. A Conservative Democrat from a rural area of the Texas South Plains, Clayton attained the speakership by successfully forging a broad-based House coalition. He was considered one of the most influential legislators - and, after he left the chamber, lobbyists - in modern Texas history.