Kathleen Marie Karpan[1] (born September 1, 1942) is an American politician who served as secretary of state of Wyoming from 1987 to 1995,[2][3] and as the director of the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 1997 to 2000.

She is the most recent Democrat to serve as Wyoming Secretary of State or any other statewide office aside from Dave Freudenthal's service as Governor from 2003 to 2011.

In 1997, Karpan was appointed by President Bill Clinton, whose presidential campaigns she had supported, to serve as the first female director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

In early 2000, she stepped down and took another position in the interior department, while applying for another job that raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

As an elementary school student, she displayed a bumper sticker supporting Adlai Stevenson II, the Democratic presidential candidate, on her bicycle.

In 1952, the railroad closed its coal mines and transferred Thomas, prompting the family to move around 100 miles from Rock Springs to Rawlins.

[5] In 1960, Karpan graduated from Rawlins High School,[6] and was offered a scholarship to the University of Wyoming College of Commerce and Industry.

One month later, she protested the Vietnam War at a march in Washington, D.C., and wrote about her experience in an unofficial student publication, Free Lunch.

Karpan then worked in Canberra for several months, converting political stories from print media to broadcasting at the Australian capital.

[11][12] Governor Edgar Herschler appointed her as director of the Wyoming Department of Health and Social Services, and she took office in December 1984.

[13][14] Karpan announced that she would seek the Democratic nomination for secretary of state of Wyoming in 1986, and selected H. L. Jensen and Roncalio's wife to serve as the co-chairs of her campaign.

She was also the defendant in Gorin v. Karpan, a reapportionment case that required the state's legislators to be elected from districts of equal population, rather than by county.

On November 1, 1992, Governor Mike Sullivan and Karpan published a letter calling for Wyoming voters to support Clinton.

They criticized President George H. W. Bush for his negative campaign tactics, such as the Willie Horton ad during the 1988 presidential election.

[3] In 1994, Karpan met with representatives of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to consider running in that year's Senate election.

[29] During the general election campaign, Karpan accused staffers for her Republican opponent, Jim Geringer, of spreading rumors that she is a closeted lesbian.

[30] Karpan denied being a lesbian, calling the rumors a scare tactic, but caused controversy when she said, "Now I have to prove I'm a normal human being... and I am...

[5] In 1995, Karpan was appointed to serve as interim Laramie County attorney to replace Roberta Coates, who resigned.

[5] In 1996, a poll paid for by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee showed Karpan leading John Barrasso, Dan Sullivan, and Eli Bebout in that year's United States Senate election.

[38] During the general election, The New York Times remarked that Karpan was "running a surprisingly strong race", despite the state's Republican-leaning electorate.

[39] She and her opponent, Republican Mike Enzi, both received an A rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF), indicating a strong record of supporting gun rights and the Second Amendment.

[42] On May 6, 1997, Clinton, who had won reelection, selected Karpan to serve as director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

On April 10, 2000, unsure of whether she would actually get the job, Karpan stepped down as director[47] and became acting principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management.