{{Short description|American engineer, oilman and tribal chief}}
{{POV|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
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==Career at Phillips Petroleum Company==
BillKeeler accepted a full-time engineering position at Phillips' [[Kansas City, Kansas]] Refinery even before he graduated. While living there, he met Ruby Lucille Hamilton, who had graduated from the nursing school at Trinity Lutheran Hospital in [[Kansas City, Missouri]]. The couple married in Kansas City on September 15, 1933. They remained in Kansas City, where their first two sons were born, until 1939, when he transferred to the Phillips refinery in [[Borger, Texas]] as chief chemist. The family moved back to Bartlesville in 1941, where their youngest son was born.<ref name="Lowe"/> During World War II, he supervised the construction of a new refinery Phillips built in Mexico. After the end of the war, he was promoted to manager of Phillips' refining department in Bartlesville.<ref name="EOHC-WWKeeler"/>
Keeler's work with Phillips Petroleum was quite a step forward for Indians of the time. He managed to climb through the ranks of a white-owned company despite being a Cherokee Indian. After working for nearly half a century with Philips Petroleum, he rose to CEO of the company in 1968 until he was forced to retire in 1973 due to reaching the company's mandatory retirement age.<ref name="Lowe"/>{{efn|Keeler reached Phillips' mandatory retirement age in 1973.<ref name="EOHC-WWKeeler"/>}} His success with Phillips Petroleum drew the attention of the federal government and displayed him as a leader thatwho could be appointed to higher positions. Keeler was quoted as saying "easterners... are aghast" at finding he iswas Indian due to his success in the oil industry.<ref>{{cite news|title=In petroleum, Indian affairs he is a leader: Cherokee Chief leads Phillips oil firm|work=Chicago Tribune|date=April 2, 1967|via=ProQuest}}</ref>
