Richard G. Hatcher

Richard G. Hatcher
16th Mayor of Gary, Indiana
In office
January 1, 1968 – January 1, 1988
Preceded byA. Martin Katz
Succeeded byThomas V. Barnes
38th President of the United States Conference of Mayors
In office
1980–1981
Preceded byRichard Carver
Succeeded byHelen Boosalis
Personal details
Born
Richard Gordon Hatcher

(1933-07-10)July 10, 1933
Michigan City, Indiana, U.S.
DiedDecember 13, 2019(2019-12-13) (aged 86)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
ChildrenRagen Hatcher (daughter), Rachelle Hatcher (daughter), Renee Hatcher (daughter)
EducationIndiana 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.