Gail S. Schoettler was the 44th Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

The lieutenant governor of Colorado is the second-highest-ranking member of the executive department of the Colorado state government, below only the Governor of Colorado. The lieutenant governor, who acts as governor in his absence and succeeds to the governorship in case of vacancy, is elected on...

 from 1995 to 1999. She had previously served as Colorado State Treasurer

Colorado State Treasurer

The Treasurer of the State of Colorado is one of the five elected officials of the U.S. state of Colorado. The State Treasurer is responsible for managing the Colorado State Treasury and the Colorado Department of the Treasury...

 from 1987 to 1995.

1998 Governor Race

She was the unsuccessful Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 nominee for Governor of Colorado

Governor of Colorado

The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...

 in 1998, losing to Bill Owens by 7,783 votes.

After Elective office

Since then, Schoettler has remained active in politics, and some believed she would run again in 2006

Colorado gubernatorial election, 2006

The Colorado gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006 to determine the successor for incumbent Bill Owens, who was unable to run due to term limits...

, when Owens was prevented by term limits from seeking re-election. Deciding against running for Governor, she threw her support behind gubernatorial front-runner and Democratic nominee Bill Ritter

Bill Ritter (politician)

August William "Bill" Ritter is an American politician of the Democratic Party, and was the 41st Governor of the state of Colorado, from 2007 to 2011. Before his election in 2006, he served as the district attorney for Denver...

. She is currently a non-executive chairperson of AspenBio Pharma.

Personal life

She earned a BA in economics from Stanford and MA and PhD degrees in African History from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She was awarded the French Legion of Honour by President Jacques Chirac

Jacques Chirac

Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...

.