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Richard G. Hatcher | |
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16th Mayor of Gary, Indiana | |
In office January 1, 1968 – January 1, 1988 | |
Preceded by | A. Martin Katz |
Succeeded by | Thomas V. Barnes |
38th President of the United States Conference of Mayors | |
In office 1980–1981 | |
Preceded by | Richard Carver |
Succeeded by | Helen Boosalis |
Personal details | |
Born | Richard Gordon Hatcher July 10, 1933 Michigan City, Indiana, U.S. |
Died | December 13, 2019 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 86)
Political party | Democratic |
Children | Ragen Hatcher (daughter), Rachelle Hatcher (daughter), Renee Hatcher (daughter) |
Education | Indiana University (BS) Valparaiso University (LLB, JD) |
Richard Gordon Hatcher (July 10, 1933 – December 13, 2019) was an American attorney and politician who served as the first African-American mayor of Gary, Indiana, for 20 years, from 1968 to 1988. At the time of his first election on November 7, 1967, he and Carl Stokes were the first African Americans to be elected mayors of a U.S. city with more than 100,000 people. Hatcher also served as Vice-Chairman of the Democratic National Committee in the early 1980s.