W. Fox McKeithen

Walter Fox McKeithen (September 8, 1946 – July 16, 2005) served five terms as Secretary of State of Louisiana between 1988 and 2005. He is best known for merging the state's election divisions into one department and for the promotion of historical preservation.

W. Fox McKeithen
Secretary of State of Louisiana
In office
December 1988 – July 15, 2005
GovernorBuddy Roemer
Edwin Edwards
Mike Foster
Kathleen Blanco
Preceded byJames H. "Jim" Brown
Succeeded byAl Ater
Louisiana State Representative from Caldwell, Franklin, Jackson, and Winn parishes
In office
1984–1988
Preceded byThomas "Bud" Brady
Succeeded byNoble Ellington
Personal details
Born
Walter Fox McKeithen

(1946-09-08)September 8, 1946
Columbia, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedJuly 16, 2005(2005-07-16) (aged 58)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Resting placeHogan Cemetery
Columbia, Louisiana
Political partyRepublican (1989–2005)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (before 1989)
ChildrenMarjorie A. McKeithen, Marianne McKeithen, Rebecca McKeithen, John McKeithen
Alma materCaldwell Parish High School
Louisiana Tech University (BA)
OccupationEducator; businessman

Early life and education

McKeithen was born in rural Columbia, Louisiana to John Julian McKeithen and the former Marjorie Howell Funderburk. According to his tombstone, he was named for two World War II heroes, Walter Bennett and Elmer Fox. He graduated as class president in 1964 from Caldwell Parish High School, the same month in which his father was inaugurated as governor of Louisiana. One of his classmates was future associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, Chet D. Traylor. McKeithen attended Louisiana Tech University in Ruston in Lincoln Parish to obtain a bachelor's degree in history and social studies.

After graduating from Louisiana Tech, McKeithen returned to Caldwell Parish High School, located off U.S. Route 165, as a civics teacher and coach. He also established three businesses in Caldwell Parish.

Republican for Secretary of State, 1991

In the summer of 1989, McKeithen switched to the Republican Party, whose chairman, William "Billy" Nungesser, had courted him for a possible 1990 campaign for the United States Senate against the Democrat J. Bennett Johnston, Jr.[1] Upon making the party switch, the GOP helped McKeithen pay off $400,000 in campaign debts.[2]

In subsequent elections, McKeithen was often endorsed by Democrats and worked well with members from both parties. His folksy manner meant that he was generally popular with voters despite adopting such unpopular positions as raising the pay of elected state officials.

Death

McKeithen resigned as secretary of state on July 15, 2005, and died just a few hours later. He left his state pension to his widow, Yvonne Y. McKeithen.

Fox McKeithen is interred beside his father, mother, and older brother at the private Hogan Cemetery off Louisiana Highway 559 in Caldwell Parish

Legacy

In 2006, McKeithen was inducted posthumously into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, an honor that his father had procured in 1993, having been among the first thirteen honorees.

References
  1. "Republicans courting McKeithen", Minden Press-Herald, July 14, 1989, p. 1
  2. "GOP wins McKeithen", Minden Press-Herald, July 27, 1989, p. 1
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.