Clyde W. Dawley (Napoleon's World)

Clyde Wilson Dawley (June 3rd, 1918-October 14th, 2003) was the 36th President of the United States of America, holding office from January 20th, 1973 to January 20th, 1977. Prior to the Presidency, he served as the Governor of Texas from 1961-1971, being the only Governor of Texas to serve more than two terms consecutively and the first Governor to win more than three consecutive elections (prior to the four-year terms instituted in 1984). He was notable as his single term marked the first and last time that the National Party had ever held the White House for four consecutive Presidential terms, a feat the Democrats have yet to accomplish themselves.

Early Life
Clyde Wilson Dawley was born on June 3rd, 1918 in the then-rural Texas town of Salt, approximately thirty miles southeast of Dallas. His father, Samuel Dawley, Sr. (1888-1938) was the head of the county's real estate office and ran the Dawley Rural Properties Company after going into private work. His mother, Ann Dawley (1895-1930) had married his father at the age of seventeen and ran the Dawley household. Dawley had a pair of elder twin brothers, Samuel Jr. (1913-1994) and Nicholas (1913-) as well as a younger sister, Catherine (1920-).

When Dawley was only twelve years old, his mother died in a trolley car accident in Dallas. When Sam Dawley, Sr. fell ill in the mid-1930's, his two eldest sons took over his company while Clyde was still in high school.

Dawley was a standout baseball player at Salt Township High School and was offered a full scholarship to the University of Texas by legendary baseball coach Gus Bender. His father encouraged him to take the opportunity in order to bring university expertise to the realty company, which was struggling due to competition with larger firms establishing themselves in the Booming Thirties.

Dawley attended Texas between 1936 and 1940. When in the spring of 1937 he travelled to play a baseball game against the University of Arkansas, it was his first time ever leaving the state of Texas. He helped the Longhorns win a national title in baseball in 1939 during his junior season. He graduated with a degree in economics from Texas and hoped to earn a contract offer from a major league baseball team, but there were no offers.

Death and Legacy
On January 15th, 2003, Dawley's family released a statement announcing that the former President, who had been out of the public eye for quite some time, had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and had been given about four to six months to live without treatment, and possibly two years with it. President Romney flew Dawley out to Washington to honor him with a special banquet in February that was attended by leaders from around the world, including Crown Prince Maurice Napoleon of France and Czar Nikolai II of Alaska.

After several months of chemotherapy, Dawley reportedly refused further treatment sometime in September. On October 14th, his son Nick announced that his father had died that morning at a Dallas hospital after checking himself in two days before. Dawley's body was flown from Dallas to Washington lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, and his state funeral was held on the 17th.

His sons Nick and John delivered two of the eulogies, as well as former Vice President Droughns and former President van Dyke. He was flown back to Texas on the 18th for a smaller, private funeral for family and friends, and shortly thereafter buried in Salt, TX on the same plot of land as his parents and grandparents.