Carole Keeton Strayhorn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carole Keeton Strayhorn
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| 36th Comptroller of Texas | |
| In office January 20, 1999 – January 20, 2007 |
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| Governor | George W. Bush Rick Perry |
| Preceded by | John Sharp |
| Succeeded by | Susan Combs |
| Railroad Commissioner of Texas | |
| In office December 10, 1994 – January 3, 1999 |
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| Governor | Ann Richards George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Mary Scott Nabers |
| Succeeded by | Michael Williams |
| 49th Mayor of Austin | |
| In office 1977 – February 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Jeff Friedman |
| Succeeded by | Ron Mullenf |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Carole Stewart Keeton
September 13, 1939 Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | March 26, 2025 (aged 85) Tarrytown, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations |
Republican (1986–2006) Independent (2006–2014) |
| Spouses | Barr McClellan (Divorced) Curtis Rylander (Divorced) Ed Strayhorn (Divorced) |
| Children | 4, including Scott and Mark |
| Parent |
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| Education | University of Texas at Austin (BA) |
Carole Stewart Keeton (September 13, 1939 – March 26, 2025) was an important American politician. She was known by several names during her career, including Carole Keeton McClellan, Carole Keeton Rylander, and Carole Keeton Strayhorn. She served as the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, which means she was in charge of the state's money and taxes.
Carole Keeton was first elected as Comptroller in 1998 as a Republican. Later, in 2006, she ran for Texas governor as an independent candidate. She ran against the Republican governor at the time, Rick Perry. She did not win the election, coming in third place.
Keeton was famous for being the first woman to achieve many political roles in Austin and Texas. She was the first and only woman elected as mayor of Austin. She was also the first Austin mayor to be elected three times in a row. She was the first woman elected to the Texas Railroad Commission. She was also the first woman to become Comptroller. On top of that, she was the first woman to lead the Austin school board and the Austin Community College board.
In May 2009, Keeton ran for Mayor of Austin again but did not win.
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Her Family and Education
Carole Stewart Keeton was born in Austin, Texas. She was the second child and only daughter of Madge Anna (Stewart) and W. Page Keeton. Her father was a lawyer and a dean at the University of Texas Law School for many years.
Carole went to the University of Texas at Austin. There, she was part of the Orange Jackets, a special group for women who do community service.
Carole had four sons from her first marriage to Barr McClellan: Scott, Mark, Brad, and Dudley. She changed her last name several times throughout her life as she married and divorced. She eventually returned to her maiden name, Keeton.
Starting Her Political Journey
Carole Keeton McClellan began her political career in 1972. She served on the board of trustees for the Austin Independent School District. This board also oversaw the Austin Community College. She led both boards from 1976 to 1977.
In 1977, she was elected as the mayor of Austin. She held this position until 1983. After being mayor, Governor Mark White appointed her to the State Board of Insurance. She worked there until 1986.
As Carole Keeton Rylander, she won a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission in 1994. This commission mainly regulates the production of oil and natural gas in Texas. Even though it's called the "Railroad Commission," it no longer deals with railroads. She was the chairman of the commission for a few years.
Serving as Comptroller
In 1998, Carole Keeton ran for the position of Texas Comptroller. The Comptroller is like the state's chief financial officer. They manage state money and taxes. She won this election by a small number of votes.
She was reelected as Comptroller in 2002. In this election, she received more votes than any other Republican candidate in the state. She even got more votes than Governor Rick Perry in his election that same year.
During her time as Comptroller, there was a discussion about how some religious groups were taxed. The Texas State Appeals Court said that the Comptroller's office could not require a group to believe in a "Supreme Being" to get tax-exempt status. This decision protected many different belief systems.
In 2004, her office briefly tried to remove the tax-exempt status of a Unitarian Universalist Church. This was because the church's main group, the Unitarian Universalist Association, does not have one single set of religious teachings. Her office changed its decision after the news reported on it.
Running for Governor
After the 2002 election, Carole Keeton began to disagree publicly with Governor Perry. She felt he wasn't leading well on important issues like school funding and government spending.
On May 9, 2006, she submitted over 223,000 signatures to run for governor as an independent. She only needed 45,540 signatures to get on the ballot. This showed strong support for her campaign.
During a debate for governor, Keeton had a moment where she couldn't name the new president-elect of Mexico, Felipe Calderón. This happened during a quick-answer part of the debate. She explained that the election had been very close.
Political Party Changes
When Carole Keeton ran for school board and mayor, she didn't have a political party listed. This is because those elections are often nonpartisan, meaning candidates don't run as a Democrat or Republican.
She was a Democrat until the mid-1980s. She even helped with Walter Mondale's presidential campaign in her home county in 1984. In 1986, she switched to the Republican Party. She was elected Railroad Commissioner and Comptroller as a Republican.
In 2006, she ran for governor as an independent candidate, not tied to either major party. In 2014, she returned to the Democratic Party, almost 30 years after she first left it.
Her Passing
Carole Keeton passed away on March 26, 2025. She was 85 years old and died at her home in Tarrytown, Texas.
