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REMEMBERING CHUCK MANATT: Charles T. Manatt, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and one of the best-known Democrats of the Reagan and Clinton eras, diedFriday night at age 75, with his family keeping vigil. Manatt held a unique role as a leader in business, but was a devoted Democratic operative. He was the founder of the powerful Los Angeles law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP, and remained a partner. He lived in Washington at his death, and was an emeritus chairman of the board of trustees of The George Washington University.

Manatt was an avid hunter, and was known for hosting a St. Patrick's Day pheasant shoot. As DNC chair from 1981 to 1985, he led a party that was disillusioned and out of power, with President Ronald Reagan in the White House. In 1987, he was named national chairman of then-Sen. Paul Simon's presidential campaign, after serving as national chairman of Gary Hart's short-lived campaign. In 1992, Manatt was co-chairman of the Clinton-Gore campaign. President Bill Clinton later named him U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic, where he served from 1999 to March 2001. He was a Democratic superdelegate in 2008.

--L.A. Times obituary, by Mark Z. Barabak: "Manatt died at Kindred Hospital in Richmond, Va., of complications from a stroke suffered after surgery in November, according to his daughter, Michele A. Manatt. ... 'We were friends for 30 years,' former President Clinton said in a statement, 'and I saw firsthand how he used his energy, intellect, and common sense to help restore the Democratic Party after 1980, to make America more prosperous and just, and to make friends for our nation around the world.' ... While at Iowa State, Manatt married Kathleen Klinkefus, his high school sweetheart and a fellow student. In 1964, the couple moved to Los Angeles, where Manatt took a job with the powerhouse law firm O'Melveny & Myers. ...

"His law firm served as a kind of farm team for party operatives. ... Manatt owned livestock farms in western Iowa, where he grew up, and was a frequent visitor, even outside the political season. ... Besides his wife of 53 years, Manatt is survived by daughter Michele, sons Timothy and Daniel, and three grandchildren. The funeral and burial will be next week in Audubon, Iowa. A memorial service is planned for September at Washington's Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church, with a celebration of his life in Los Angeles this fall."http://lat.ms/qYTCQ0

Eric D. Schwerin
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com

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