NEWS OF THE death of former Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr. on June 27 at the age of 87 evoked a variety of obituaries. All of them portrayed the Uvalde rancher and banker as very different from the men (and one woman, the late Ann Richards, 1991-1995) who have held the governor’s office for the last 30 years.

He was strong on “fiscal responsibillity,” and left the state with a $2.8 billion surplus when his second term ended in 1979.

One of his most striking differences affected me personally. One of the Texas governor’s main powers in what is a notably weak office overall lies in appointing the heads and boards of state agencies.

Political influence, both monetary and personal, is usually factored into these appointments. But Gov. Briscoe had a different system; he was once embarassed to learn that he had appointed a dead man.

I WAS AT LEAST still breathing when he appointed me to the Texas Commissioin on the Arts; though I had never met him, never asked anyone to vote for him nor given him a cent.

One of the Commission’s duties was supervision of the Governor’s Mansion, the state’s most historic house, which is situated on a city block just south of the capitol building. Completed in 1856, it is the oldest continuously occupied executive residence west of the Mississippi, according to its website.

In 1901, Texas First Lady Orline Sayers redecorated the Mansion in late Victorian style—fancy parlor furniture set amid a forest of potted plants ­— to receive Texas’ first Presidential visitor, William McKinley, and members of his cabinet.

BY 1914, the Mansion stood in dire need of repair. During the term of Governor Oscar Colquitt, the original kitchen wing was demolished to make room for an addition to the back of the main house. A new enlarged kitchen wing was then built; this completed the Mansion’s basic floor plan which remains today.

The grounds went through many changes until the l960s, when First Lady Nellie Connally guided the landscaping of the formal gardens still in use.

The Arts Commission members were requested to be on hand when the governor’s wife, Janey Briscoe, led a tour of the mansion for her successor, Rita Clements. It seemed to me that it was time to move on from the mid-Victorian look, so I was pleased when that came about.

WITH THE SUPPORT of Gov. William P. Clements and his wife, the Legislature appropriated $1 million for a complete structural restoration. The Friends of the Governor’s Mansion raised an additional $3 million in private donations to refurbish the interiors, using antiques from the American Federal period when the mansion was built.

The Arts Commission was charged with reviewing all the bids for the furnishings, and I was surprised at how (relatively) reasonable the prices for the antique furniture seemed.

Among the Mansion’s treasures are an important collection of portraits and furniture, including Stephen F. Austin’s writing desk and the sofa donated to the Mansion by descendants of Governor Pease.

ALSO, THERE IS the Governor’s Memento Collection developed in the l960s by First Lady Jean Houston Daniel, a descendant of Sam Houston and the wife of Gov. Price Daniel.

The Mansion was already emptied for a new restoration project when it was gutted by a fire on June 8, 2008. The fire started when a still-unidentified man tossed a Molotov cocktail on the front porch.

The 81st Legislature appropriated $22 million to restore the historic home and more millions have been raised through the Texas Governor’s Mansion Restoration Fund, which was started by the current First Lady, Anita Perry, after the fire.

The State Preservation Board plans to begin construction on the exterior of the damaged Mansion this month.

The next phase will include restoration of the interiors and renovation of the Mansion grounds. An addition on the west side of the building will provide space for a staircase that meets building codes. The public rooms will return to their appearance before the 2008 fire.

And, thank goodness, we can look forward to the return of Sam Houston’s extra-long 4-poster mahogony bed, where his and Margaret’s eighth and last child, Temple Lea Houston, was born.

sgreene@tatertv.com