Arthur Fletcher was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 government official, widely referred to as the "father of affirmative action

Affirmative action

Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...

" as he was largely responsible for the Revised Philadelphia Plan

Revised Philadelphia Plan

The Revised Philadelphia Plan was a plan that required government contractors in Philadelphia to hire minority workers. Department of Labor Assistant Secretary for Wage and Labor Standards Arthur Fletcher implemented the Revised Philadelphia Plan in 1969, based on an earlier plan developed in 1967...

.

Life and career

Fletcher obtained a degree from distance learning school La Salle Extension University

La Salle Extension University

La Salle Extension University , also styled as LaSalle Extension University, was a nationally accredited private university based in Chicago, Illinois. Although the school offered resident educational programs in classes and seminars their primary mode of delivery was by way of distance learning...

.

He ran for Lieutenant Governor of Washington State in 1968, losing to John Cherberg. During the campaign, his driver and bodyguard was Ted Bundy, who was active in Republican Party politics in the late 1960s through early 1970s.

An African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 and a Republican, he served in the Nixon

Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

, Ford

Gerald Ford

Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...

, Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

 and George H.W. Bush administrations.

In 1978

Washington, D.C. mayoral election, 1978

The 1978 election for Washington, D.C. mayor was the second mayoral election under DC Home Rule. The Democratic primary election took place on Tuesday, September 12, with At-Large Councilman Marion Barry defeating incumbent mayor Walter E...

 he stood unsuccessfully for Mayor of Washington, D. C. In 1995, he briefly pursued a bid for the Republican presidential nomination

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

.

Numbers of his fellow Republicans were often at odds with the affirmative action policies which Fletcher initiated.

As head of the United Negro College Fund

United Negro College Fund

The United Negro College Fund is an American philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for black students and general scholarship funds for 39 private historically black colleges and universities. The UNCF was incorporated on April 25, 1944 by Frederick D. Patterson , Mary...

, he coined their famous slogan, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."