Astrid Gram Trauth

Astrid Gram Trauth, 82, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 19th, at home with her husband John by her side. They were married for 50 years.

She was born in Johnson City, Tennessee on June 2nd, 1939. At age five, the family moved to West Hartford, Connecticut where she spent her early years. She graduated from Vassar College in 1961, majoring in European History.

She spent the vast majority of her career in federal service, championing the cause of Native Americans.

Immediately after graduation, she moved to Washington DC to work on Capitol Hill, initially for the House Small Business Committee, where she was exposed to the legislative process for expediting bills into law. She subsequently worked for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the Assistant to the Undersecretary, Bob Wood, transferring to San Francisco in 1967 to continue her career in HUD’s Community Development Division serving the western region.

She met her husband, John, while both were on assignment in Salt Lake City in 1970. They were married in San Francisco in 1972.

Native American populations are the largest in the country in this region. Early in her tenure in San Francisco, she saw that HUD’s community development programs designed to help cities were not appropriate for Native American tribes and reservations. With drive and determination, and building upon her experience in Washington, she drafted proposed legislation to amend Title I if the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to create the new “Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBD) program”. She coordinated with tribal leaders and HUD’s Central Office to develop political support for the bill in both the House and the Senate, and it was subsequently passed by Congress and signed into law by the President.

Her next major task was to author the regulations needed to implement the provisions of the law to make the program operational. She subsequently ran the program in the western region for five years prior to her retirement.

For her extraordinary work and devotion to this cause, she was awarded the US Government’s “Distinguished Service Award,” which is the highest honor the Federal Government can grant to a career civilian employee. It is in recognition of exceptional achievements that are of unusual benefit to the Nation. Then HUD Secretary Pat Harris presented her the award in a special ceremony in Washington, DC.

The first year of funding for the ICDBG program was 1978. Over the following years, hundreds of millions of dollars have been provided to Native American tribes to help address significant community development needs including housing rehabilitation, creation of community facilities, and economic development initiatives. In recent years, funding for the program has exceeded seventy-five million dollars annually.

After retiring from federal service, she remained active, consulting in various Federally funded projects benefiting Native Americans.

Outside of work, she remained passionate in her love of European history. Following her retirement, she moved with her husband to France in 1995 and 1996, living first in Paris and then in Provence, and subsequently retuned to France annually to explore more of France as well as other European countries. Her travels continued until the start of the pandemic.

She is survived by her husband John, her sister Ingrid, her brother, Peter A.M. Gram, her niece Nina Gram and her nephews Peter E. Gram and Nils Gram.

She will be remembered for her keen intellect and wicked sense of humor, which were matched with her passion for justice and independent spirit.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her name on-line to the “American Indian College Fund.”