Mother: Carole Keeton Strayhorn State comptroller (1998-2004), Texas Railroad commissioner (1994-98), mayor of Austin (1977-83)

Father: Oliver Barr McClellan Attorney and author, attorney for National Labor Relations Board and Federal Power Commission under President Lyndon Baines Johnson

Brothers

Brad McClellan: Attorney, former assistant Texas attorney general, campaign manager for Keeton’s 2006 gubernatorial run

Dr. Mark McClellan: Director of the Engel­berg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brook­ings Institute, director of Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2004-06), commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Admini­stration (2002-04), White House senior director for health care policy (2001-02), deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury (1998-99)

Dudley McClellan: Attorney, assistant chief disciplinary counsel for the State Bar of Texas

A brief chronology:

Feb. 14, 1968: Born in Austin. Later attends Casis Elementary School, Baker Sixth Grade Center, Austin High School, and UT-Austin; becomes president of the Baker student council and Austin High student body.

1988: Votes for George Herbert Walker Bush in presidential election.

1989: Resigns as president of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity in protest over continued hazing.

1990: Part-time press assistant for Clayton Williams’ unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign.

1991: Graduates from UT with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.

1992: Campaign manager for Tom Haywood’s unsuccessful Senate campaign; first meets Karl Rove and volunteers on Kay Bailey Hutchison’s first Senate run; leaves before election day to work on tort reform.

1994: Campaign spokesman for mother’s successful run for Railroad commissioner.

1995: Chief of staff for Sen. Tom Haywood, R-Wichita Falls.

1996: Chief spokesman, mother’s re-election cam­paign for Railroad commission; later joins Lower Colo­rado River Authority in governmental affairs position.

1998: Chief spokesman for mother’s successful run for comptroller.

1999: Gubernatorial spokesman, Gov. George Bush.

2000: Traveling press secretary, Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign.

2001: Deputy assistant to the president and principal deputy press secretary.

June 20, 2003: President Bush appoints McClellan as assistant to the president and White House press secretary.

July 15, 2003: First day as press secretary.

Aug. 22, 2003: Holds his first press conference aboard Air Force One.

April 9, 2006: McClellan announces resignation from Bush staff.

May 9, 2006: Holds final press conference with Julie Goon, director of Medicare Outreach for the Department of Health and Human Services; the final question concerns the administration’s stance on Iran’s nuclear program.

This article appears in June 20 • 2008.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US