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.

Early life and education

McKeithen was born in rural

Columbia, Louisiana Columbia is a town in, and the parish seat of, Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 390 as of the 2010 census, down from 477 in 2000. History The land that became Columbia was first cleared by Daniel Humphries in 1827. ...

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 A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. One of his classmates was future associate justice of the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (french: Cour suprême de Louisiane) is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orlea ...

, Chet D. Traylor. McKeithen attended Louisiana Tech University in

Ruston Ruston may refer to: Place names ;United States * Ruston, Louisiana * Ruston, Washington ;United Kingdom * East Ruston, Norfolk, England * Ruston, North Yorkshire, England * Ruston Parva, East Riding of Yorkshire, England Companies * Ruston (engi ...

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 U.S. Route 165 is a north–south United States highway spur of U.S. Highway 65. It currently runs for 412 miles (663 km) from U.S. Route 90 in Iowa, Louisiana north to U.S. Highway 70 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The route passes throu ...

, as a civics teacher and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

. He also established three businesses in Caldwell Parish.

Democrat for secretary of state, 1987

Republican for Secretary of State, 1991

In the summer of 1989, McKeithen switched to the Republican Party, whose chairman,

William "Billy" Nungesser William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

, had courted him for a possible 1990 campaign for the United States Senate against the Democrat

J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. John Bennett Johnston Jr. (born June 10, 1932) is a retired American attorney, politician, and later lobbyist. A member of the Democratic Party, Johnston represented Louisiana in the U.S. Senate from 1972 to 1997. Beginning his political caree ...

Upon making the party switch, the GOP helped McKeithen pay off $400,000 in campaign debts."GOP wins McKeithen", ''Minden Press-Herald'', July 27, 1989, p. 1 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.

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

Links

''Shreveport Times'' report on death July 16, 2005

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McKeithen, W. Fox 1946 births 2005 deaths Secretaries of State of Louisiana Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives Louisiana Democrats Louisiana Republicans Historical preservationists 20th-century American businesspeople Methodists from Louisiana Louisiana Tech University alumni People from Columbia, Louisiana Politicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Louisiana 20th-century American politicians Burials in Louisiana 20th-century American educators Schoolteachers from Louisiana