Affirmative action ‘father’ dies

Arthur Fletcher, a Republican whose determined support of affirmative action brought the cause to national attention, died of a heart attack in his D.C. home Tuesday.

He was 80.

Mr. Fletcher called himself “the father of affirmative action,” advising Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and George Bush on the practical challenges and ultimate rewards of equal opportunity employment standards and civil rights.

His ardent devotion and inner mettle brought reward over many decades.

In 1969, Mr. Nixon appointed Mr. Fletcher as assistant secretary of wage and labor standards, ensuring fair and equal treatment for minorities working on federally funded contracts. Social gains without economic security were meaningless, Mr. Fletcher reasoned.

As executive director of the United Negro College Fund, Mr. Fletcher originated the motto “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” in 1972. He became deputy adviser for urban affairs in the Ford administration four years later and was appointed to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission by both Mr. Reagan and Mr. Bush, serving as chairman from 1990 to 1993.

“Mr. Fletcher’s deep dedication to his beliefs was manifested in everything he did, including his service here at commission,” said Gerald A. Reynolds, commission chairman. “We’ll remember and miss him for his tireless spirit.”

The spirit was long in place.

Born in Phoenix in 1924 to a military family, a young Mr. Fletcher refused to allow photos of himself and other black students to be consigned to the back of his high school yearbook in Topeka, Kan. — leading his first civil rights protest there in 1943. He enlisted in the Army soon after graduation, was wounded while fighting with Gen. George S. Patton and received a Purple Heart.

After graduating from Washburn University in Topeka in 1950 with a degree in political science, the 6-foot-4-inch Mr. Fletcher received his law degree through an extension course and joined the Los Angeles Rams football team. He later played for the Baltimore Colts.

By 1954, though, Mr. Fletcher entered politics, working on Fred Hall’s campaign for governor of Kansas, eventually serving as vice chairman of the state Republican Party. He later served on the Kansas Highway Commission and subsequently was employed in the aviation and atomic energy fields in both California and Washington.

Politics was never far off, however. Mr. Fletcher ran for lieutenant governor of Washington in 1968 and challenged Marion Barry as a Republican candidate for mayor of the District a decade later. He declared his candidacy for president in 1996 as a foil to Sen. Bob Dole, who did not support affirmative action.

The indefatigable Mr. Fletcher also was a delegate to the United Nations and chairman of the National Black Chamber of Commerce. He owned consulting and food service businesses and authored the book “My Hour of Power.”

Mr. Fletcher is survived by his wife, Bernyce Hassan-Fletcher of the District, three children, 16 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.