Question: Who was the first Texas governor since Reconstruction to be elected to a four-year term?
Answer: Dolph Briscoe Jr. The current state constitution established a two-year term for governor when it was ratified in 1876. In 1972, voters approved an amendment to extend the governor’s term to four years. Dolph Briscoe, a rancher and former lawmaker from Uvalde, was elected to a two-year term in 1972 and a four-year term in 1974. He lost the 1978 Democratic nomination for governor to Texas Attorney General John Hill, who narrowly lost to Bill Clements in the general election.
