W. Fox McKeithen
Walter Fox McKeithen 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, 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.
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, Billy Nungesser Sr., had courted him for a possible 1990 campaign for the United States Senate against the Democrat J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. Upon making the party switch, the GOP helped McKeithen pay off $400,000 in campaign debts.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
Five months after suffering a paralyzing injury, McKeithen died on July 15, 2005—just hours after submitting his resignation as Secretary of State. He left his state pension to his wife, Yvonne Y. McKeithen.Image:Fox McKeithen grave, Caldwell Parish, Louisiana IMG 2741.JPG|right|thumb|Fox McKeithen is interred beside his father, mother, and older brother at the private Hogan Cemetery off Louisiana Highway 559 in Caldwell Parish