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Gary replaces Columbus Day with holiday honoring its late mayor

Gary, Ind., mayoral candidate Ragen Hatcher poses April 17, 2011, for a photo with her father, former Gary Mayor Richard Hatcher, prior to a election forum held in downtown Gary. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond File)

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.