Preston E. Smith dies, former Texas governor

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Preston E. Smith, the former Texas governor known for his assortment of polka-dot ties and his old-fashioned electioneering, died Saturday, a Texas Tech University official said.

Smith, 91, died three days after entering Texas Tech Medical Center with pneumonia, said university spokeswoman Sally Logue Post.

Smith, a Democrat, who was elected governor in 1968 and served two terms, relied on personal contacts, face-to-face campaigning and direct mail.

"We didn't have any money," Smith said in a 2002 interview. "People. That's how we got elected."

Smith focused on education and criminal justice, pushing for the first comprehensive drug abuse program in Texas. He was also instrumental in passing the state's first minimum wage law.

Smith had been associated with Texas Tech for more than a decade, helping raise about $500 million in what was the school's first major fund-raising effort.