Obituary: Richard Boone, War on Poverty Pioneer and Activist

Richard W. Boone, who played an integral role in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty and went on to lead liberal and progressive philanthropic institutions, died at age 86 at his California home on February 26, The Washington Post and The New York Times reported last week. The cause was complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Parkinson’s disease.

Serving in the White House Office of Economic Opportunity, Mr. Boone was closely involved in developing the Head Start and Upward Bound education programs as part of the anti-poverty initiative launched in 1964. He also worked on efforts to establish community health clinics and legal aid for the poor across the country.

Mr. Boone later directed the Citizens’ Crusade Against Poverty, a nonprofit group active in anti-poverty and anti-hunger efforts, and the grant-making Field Foundation. He also helped found the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank.

Read more on the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty in a Chronicle of Philanthropy special section.