W. Fox McKeithen
Encyclopedia
Walter Fox McKeithen served five terms as Secretary of State of Louisiana
between 1988 and 2005. He is best remembered for merging the state's election divisions into one department and for the promotion of historical preservation.
in Caldwell Parish
in north 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 from Caldwell Parish High School as class president in 1964, some two months after his father was elected 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 rural Caldwell Parish.
as a Democrat
. In 1987, he was elected as secretary of state for his first term. In the jungle primary
, McKeithen led with 462,965 votes (34 percent) to 365,151 (27 percent) for his principal challenger and fellow Democrat, Mike Cutshaw. Two Republican
candidates shared 13 percent of the vote, and two other Democrats had a combined 19 percent. Three "no party" candidates polled 8 percent. In the general election
, McKeithen only narrowly prevailed over Cutshaw, 490,190 (51 percent) to 467,582 (49 percent).
's plurality over Democrat Louis Lambert
in the 1979 gubernatorial contest. Returns gave McKeithen 827,506 votes to Schmidt's 818,355.
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. In his last race in 2003, he even carried the endorsement of organized labor, which rarely supports Republicans.
During January 2004, McKeithen supervised the combining of the former elections department into the secretary of state's office. A few weeks later, when voting machines were slow to arrive in New Orleans in time for the 2004 elections, he helped deliver them himself. McKeithen's gravestone in Caldwell Parish lists his principal accomplishments as the restoration of the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge, the Cotton Museum, the Delta Music Museum
in Ferriday
, and the Louisiana Exhibition Building in Shreveport
.
to his former wife, Yvonne Y. McKeithen.
Alan Ray Ater
, a former state representative from Ferriday
in Concordia Parish became the acting secretary of state on McKeithen's death by virtue of having been the first deputy secretary of state. Ater did not seek the position in the special election held on September 30, 2006, to fill the remaining fifteen months of McKeithen's term. Late in 2006, Ater hence turned over the office to Republican state Senator Jay Dardenne
of Baton Rouge. Dardenne was declared the winner of the special election after the runner-up candidate, outgoing Democratic state Senator Francis C. Heitmeier of New Orleans withdrew from a pending runoff election, which would have coincided with the November 7 national general election. In the September 30 election, Dardenne led with 30 percent of the vote. He ran up large margins in the greater Baton Rouge area and finished second in other portions of the state. Heitmeier, who ran best in liberal
and labor areas of the state, trailed with 28 percent.
A third candidate, the conservative
former Louisiana Republican State Chairman Mike Francis
of Crowley
in Acadia Parish, finished with 26 percent of the ballots. He ran well in Acadiana and his native north Louisiana—he is originally from Jena
, the seat of La Salle Parish -- but trailed badly in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and the Florida Parishes.
offered the following analysis of McKeithen's career:
"Though born in the first year of the Baby Boom, McKeithen more belonged to the bygone era of Louisiana politics, of stump speeches, election tickets and country hams given to voters. He grew up in that world of his father, former Governor John McKeithen, and of former Governor Earl Long, who indeed was young Fox's "Uncle Earl".
"McKeithen was the last living link to that colorful era, and perhaps Uncle Earl wouldn't mind us calling Fox another of the 'last of the red hot poppas.'
"He was one of the last of a few other things, such as North Louisiana politicians at the state level, going back to when governors hailed from Winnfield and Beech Springs and his hometown of Columbia.
"McKeithen was the most consistently successful Republican elected official, the only one holding statewide office in state government.
His daddy called it "crazy" when Fox became a Republican midway during his first term as secretary of state, and Big John wasn't far off. His next election, against Democrat Doug Schmidt in 1991, was his closest. The top Republican on the ballot was David Duke
, and McKeithen was nearly buried in Edwin Edwards' Democratic landslide. He survived by 9,000 votes, partly due to the support of the Morial political organization in New Orleans, a returned favor going back to John McKeithen's appointing Dutch Morial a state judge in the 1960s, the future mayor's first political office.
"It was his own family ties that caused Fox McKeithen to campaign for his daughter Marjorie, a Democrat, in her near-miss challenge to Congressman Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, in 1998. Some GOP officials wanted to censure Fox, but since McKeithens were winning elections in this state before Republicans were, they got over it. He won his last two elections easily.
"In a final act of non-partisanship, hours before he died, he resigned and turned over his office to his first assistant and longtime friend, Democrat Al Ater.
"Fox McKeithen came from a time when friendship and kinship counted for more than party, and one wonders if those days haven't passed with him."
In 2006, McKeithen was inducted posthumously into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
in Winnfield
, an honor his father had procured in 1993, having been among the first thirteen honorees.
Secretary of State of Louisiana
The Secretary of State of Louisiana is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The position was created by Article 4, Section 7 of the Louisiana Constitution.The current Secretary of State is Tom Schedler....
between 1988 and 2005. He is best remembered for merging the state's election divisions into one department and for the promotion of historical preservation.
Son of a governor
He was born Walter Fox McKeithen in ColumbiaColumbia, Louisiana
Columbia is a town in and the parish seat of Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbia is located at ....
in Caldwell Parish
Caldwell Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,560 people, 3,941 households, and 2,817 families residing in the parish. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 5,035 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
in north Louisiana, to John Julian McKeithen
John McKeithen
John Julian McKeithen was the 49th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1964 to 1972. A Democrat from the town of Columbia, he was the first governor of his state in the twentieth century to serve two consecutive terms...
and the former Marjorie Howell Funderburk. According to his tombstone, he was named for two World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
heroes, Walter Bennett and Elmer Fox. He graduated from Caldwell Parish High School as class president in 1964, some two months after his father was elected governor of Louisiana. One of his classmates was future associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
Louisiana Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Louisiana 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 Orleans....
, Chet D. Traylor
Chet D. Traylor
Chet D. Traylor is a retired associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from Monroe, Louisiana, who was defeated in the Republican primary election on August 28, 2010, for the U.S. Senate seat held since 2005 by the incumbent David Vitter of New Orleans...
. McKeithen attended Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
in Lincoln Parish to obtain a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and social studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
.
After graduating from Louisiana Tech, McKeithen returned to Caldwell Parish High School, located off U.S. Route 165
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 from U.S. Route 90 in Iowa, Louisiana north to U.S. Highway 70 in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The route passes through the states of Arkansas and Louisiana. It passes through the...
, as a civics teacher and coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. He also established three businesses in rural Caldwell Parish.
Democrat for secretary of state, 1987
In 1983, McKeithen was elected as a member of the Louisiana House of RepresentativesLouisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
as a Democrat
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...
. In 1987, he was elected as secretary of state for his first term. In the jungle primary
Jungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
, McKeithen led with 462,965 votes (34 percent) to 365,151 (27 percent) for his principal challenger and fellow Democrat, Mike Cutshaw. Two Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidates shared 13 percent of the vote, and two other Democrats had a combined 19 percent. Three "no party" candidates polled 8 percent. In the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, McKeithen only narrowly prevailed over Cutshaw, 490,190 (51 percent) to 467,582 (49 percent).
Republican for Secretary of State, 1991
Two years later, he switched to the Republican Party, despite opposition from his father and daughter, Marjorie A. McKeithen (born 1965). McKeithen faced an even closer race in 1991. Two Democrats, Mary Chehardy (later a Republican) and Doug Schmidt, challenged him. McKeithen led in the jungle primary, with 629,237 votes (46 percent) to Schmidt's 387,243 (28 percent). Close behind was Chehardy with 357,173 (26 percent). Schmidt, who used the expression "Get the Fox out of the Henhouse," advanced to the general election with McKeithen. In the showdown, McKeithen prevailed by 9,151 votes, a margin similar to David C. TreenDavid C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
's plurality over Democrat Louis Lambert
Louis Lambert
Louis Joseph Lambert, Jr. , is a Louisiana attorney, businessman, former member and chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and a former Louisiana state senator....
in the 1979 gubernatorial contest. Returns gave McKeithen 827,506 votes to Schmidt's 818,355.
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. In his last race in 2003, he even carried the endorsement of organized labor, which rarely supports Republicans.
During January 2004, McKeithen supervised the combining of the former elections department into the secretary of state's office. A few weeks later, when voting machines were slow to arrive in New Orleans in time for the 2004 elections, he helped deliver them himself. McKeithen's gravestone in Caldwell Parish lists his principal accomplishments as the restoration of the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge, the Cotton Museum, the Delta Music Museum
Delta Music Museum
The Delta Music Museum is a museum located in Ferriday, Louisiana. It offers exhibits on sixteen rock and roll and blues musicians from the Mississippi River delta country. The museum opened with a grant from the State of Louisiana and is operated by local volunteers. There is no admission charge;...
in Ferriday
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
, and the Louisiana Exhibition Building in Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
.
Premature obituary
After a fall in the garage of his home in Baton Rouge in February 2005, McKeithen was hospitalized with paralysis from the neck down. Trouble struck again and he re-entered the hospital on June 21 with a serious infection caused from the fall. He resigned as secretary of state on July 15, 2005, and died just a few hours later. He left his state pensionPension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
to his former wife, Yvonne Y. McKeithen.
Alan Ray Ater
Al Ater
Alan Ray Ater , known as Al Ater, is a farmer and businessman from Ferriday, Louisiana, who served from 1984-1992 as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 21 in the eastern portion of his state....
, a former state representative from Ferriday
Ferriday, Louisiana
Ferriday is a town in Concordia Parish in northeastern Louisiana, United States. The population, which is three-fourths African American, was 3,723 at the 2000 census....
in Concordia Parish became the acting secretary of state on McKeithen's death by virtue of having been the first deputy secretary of state. Ater did not seek the position in the special election held on September 30, 2006, to fill the remaining fifteen months of McKeithen's term. Late in 2006, Ater hence turned over the office to Republican state Senator Jay Dardenne
Jay Dardenne
John Leigh "Jay" Dardenne, Jr. , has been Louisiana's Republican lieutenant governor since November 22, 2010. He won a special election to the position held in conjunction with the regular November 2 general election. At the time, Dardenne was Louisiana secretary of state...
of Baton Rouge. Dardenne was declared the winner of the special election after the runner-up candidate, outgoing Democratic state Senator Francis C. Heitmeier of New Orleans withdrew from a pending runoff election, which would have coincided with the November 7 national general election. In the September 30 election, Dardenne led with 30 percent of the vote. He ran up large margins in the greater Baton Rouge area and finished second in other portions of the state. Heitmeier, who ran best in liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and labor areas of the state, trailed with 28 percent.
A third candidate, the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
former Louisiana Republican State Chairman Mike Francis
Mike Francis
Michael Gordon Francis, known as Mike Francis , is a prominent Crowley businessman who was the chairman of the Republican Party in Louisiana from 1994–2000. A staunch fiscal and social conservative, Francis was an unsuccessful candidate for Secretary of State of Louisiana in a special election held...
of Crowley
Crowley, Louisiana
Crowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
in Acadia Parish, finished with 26 percent of the ballots. He ran well in Acadiana and his native north Louisiana—he is originally from Jena
Jena, Louisiana
Jena is a town in and the parish seat of La Salle Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,971 at the 2000 census.In September 2006, Jena became the focus of national news stories in the United States for a racial controversy involving its school system and a group of students known...
, the seat of La Salle Parish -- but trailed badly in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and the Florida Parishes.
Fox McKeithen's legacy according to John Maginnis
Political writer John MaginnisJohn Maginnis (Louisiana political writer)
John Maginnis is a writer of columns and commentaries on current political events in Louisiana. His column, always about the latest political event in Louisiana, appears in newspapers and other sources around the state. His web site is read by political analysts nationwide as a barometer of...
offered the following analysis of McKeithen's career:
"Though born in the first year of the Baby Boom, McKeithen more belonged to the bygone era of Louisiana politics, of stump speeches, election tickets and country hams given to voters. He grew up in that world of his father, former Governor John McKeithen, and of former Governor Earl Long, who indeed was young Fox's "Uncle Earl".
"McKeithen was the last living link to that colorful era, and perhaps Uncle Earl wouldn't mind us calling Fox another of the 'last of the red hot poppas.'
"He was one of the last of a few other things, such as North Louisiana politicians at the state level, going back to when governors hailed from Winnfield and Beech Springs and his hometown of Columbia.
"McKeithen was the most consistently successful Republican elected official, the only one holding statewide office in state government.
His daddy called it "crazy" when Fox became a Republican midway during his first term as secretary of state, and Big John wasn't far off. His next election, against Democrat Doug Schmidt in 1991, was his closest. The top Republican on the ballot was David Duke
David Duke
David Ernest Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan an American activist and writer, and former Republican Louisiana State Representative. He was also a former candidate in the Republican presidential primaries in 1992, and in the Democratic presidential primaries in...
, and McKeithen was nearly buried in Edwin Edwards' Democratic landslide. He survived by 9,000 votes, partly due to the support of the Morial political organization in New Orleans, a returned favor going back to John McKeithen's appointing Dutch Morial a state judge in the 1960s, the future mayor's first political office.
"It was his own family ties that caused Fox McKeithen to campaign for his daughter Marjorie, a Democrat, in her near-miss challenge to Congressman Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, in 1998. Some GOP officials wanted to censure Fox, but since McKeithens were winning elections in this state before Republicans were, they got over it. He won his last two elections easily.
"In a final act of non-partisanship, hours before he died, he resigned and turned over his office to his first assistant and longtime friend, Democrat Al Ater.
"Fox McKeithen came from a time when friendship and kinship counted for more than party, and one wonders if those days haven't passed with him."
In 2006, McKeithen was inducted posthumously into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in Winnfield, Louisiana, highlights the careers of more than a hundred of the state’s leading politicians and political journalists. Because three governors, Huey P. Long, Jr., Oscar K...
in Winnfield
Winnfield, Louisiana
Winnfield is a city in and the parish seat of Winn Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census. It has long been associated with the Long faction of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was home to three governors of Louisiana.-Geography:Winnfield is located at ...
, an honor his father had procured in 1993, having been among the first thirteen honorees.