Gary replaces Columbus Day with holiday honoring its late mayor
GARY, Ind. (AP) — The city of Gary has replaced Columbus Day with a holiday honoring its late Mayor Richard Hatcher.
He was one of the first Black mayors of a big U.S. city. He was elected in 1967.
The Gary Common Council voted 8-1 on Tuesday in favor a resolution making Richard Gordon Hatcher Day the second Monday of October for city employees.
He was just 34 when he overcame opposition from the local Democratic machine in a surprise 1967 victory. At the time, Gary was Indiana’s second-largest city.
Hatcher died in 2019.