Richard G Hatcher

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American Democratic politician who became the first African-American Mayor of Gary, Indiana on 1 January 1968. He and Carl Stokes (who was elected mayor of Cleveland on the same day) became, on 7 November 1967, the first two black mayors of cities of more than 100,000 people. Walter E. Washington had been appointed Mayor of Washington, D.C. two months earlier, in September. During his tenure as mayor, Hatcher became internationally known as a fervent and prolific civil rights spokesman. Hatcher was known for developing innovative approaches to urban problems and for being a national and international spokesman for civil rights, minorities, the poor and America's cities. He often delivered speeches alongside Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, and other historic proponents of the civil rights movement. On 5 April 1968, he addressed President Lyndon B. Johnson, along with a collection of politicians and civil rights leaders, on the topic of the King assassination the night before and pending civil unrest. His daughter, Ragen Hatcher, is a member of the Indiana House of Representatives. Richard G. Hatcher died at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago on 13 December 2019 at age 86. Link to Wikipedia biography