Former Gary, Ind., Mayor Richard Hatcher dead at 86

Former Gary, Ind., Mayor Richard Hatcher, who became one of the first black mayors of a big U.S. city when he was elected in 1967, died Friday night. He was 86.

Hatcher died in a Chicago hospital, said his daughter, Indiana state Rep. Ragen Hatcher, a Gary Democrat. She did not announce the cause of her father’s death.

The Hatcher family said in a news release that “in the last days of his life, he was surrounded by his family and loved ones.”

“While deeply saddened by his passing, his family is very proud of the life he lived, including his many contributions to the cause of racial and economic justice and the more than 20 years of Richard service he Hatcher devoted to

the city of Gary,” the family added.

Hatcher had to overcome opposition from the local Democratic machine to become mayor of what was then Indiana’s secondlargest city in a surprise victory in 1967. He went on to serve five terms.

Hatcher became the political face of Gary and a political force for blacks after his election. He organized the 1972 National Black Political Convention in Gary and served as chairman of Jesse Jackson’s Democratic presidential campaign in 1984 and vice chairman four years later.

Jackson told The Associated Press on Saturday that Hatcher was a “transformational figure” who helped people see that AfricanAmericans could run for some of the highest offices, and win.

“Mayor Richard Hatcher was not just a historical figure; he was a transformational figure. We thank him, and we miss him,” Jackson said, adding that he has been asked to speak at services for Hatcher next Saturday.

Hatcher’s mayorship was marred by the steel city’s deterioration.

The election of Hatcher, then a 34-year-old activist, lawyer and City Council president, sparked high emotions in Gary. He defeated incumbent A. Martin Katz in the primary by more than 2,300 votes, prompting a celebration that forced police to shut down a six-block section of Broadway for four hours.

The celebration was short-lived. When Hatcher said he wasn’t going to allow Lake County Democratic leaders to pick the city’s police chief, city attorney and other major positions, the party refused to support him in the general election. It even went so far as to work for his GOP opponent, Joseph Radigan.

Although Gary hadn’t had a Republican mayor since 1938, it was a challenge for a campaign that had spent most of its money on the primary. Hatcher managed to raise $8,000 to run ads in The New York Times and the Post-tribune in Gary that stated: “Richard Hatcher is battling bigotry and ignorance. And he needs your help.”

Those ads brought in more than $250,000, drew invitations to appear on TV and radio shows, and attracted the attention of Sen. Robert Kennedy, Vice President Hubert Humphrey and others.

“It was unbelievable,” Hatcher, who kept a framed copy of the ad on his office wall, said during a 2011 interview with The Associated Press. “We ended up having enough money to run a decent campaign.”

He gave credit for his election to the city’s black residents, who made up slightly more than half of Gary’s population of about 175,000 residents in 1967 but trailed whites in the number of registered voters.

During his inauguration speech, Hatcher said his primary goal was to make the city a decent place to live for his “brothers and sisters.”