Arthur Kropp; President of People for the American Way

Arthur Kropp, head of the liberal lobby group People for the American Way, has died. He was 37.

Kropp died June 12 at his Washington home after a battle with AIDS, the group announced.

The lobbyist got his start in politics working in New York Republican campaigns and later worked for the Republican National Committee. He joined People for the American Way in 1984 and rose through its ranks to become president in 1987.

Kropp recently turned over day-to-day management of the 300,000-member group to Executive Vice President Elliott Mincberg. A search process for a new president was begun several weeks ago.

As the group’s president, Kropp appeared frequently on national television and radio programs, and his opinion articles have been published in nearly every major American newspaper.

Kropp led People for the American Way through a number of congressional battles in the 1980s and early 1990s, including the fight against the nomination of conservative jurist Robert Bork to the Supreme Court and against the notion of a constitutional amendment that would make it a federal crime to harm the American flag.

He expanded the group’s work to include voter registration, race relations, support for reproductive rights and protection of civil rights for gay men and lesbians.

Norman Lear, the group’s founder, said Kropp led it “through a remarkable period and he did it with grace, wisdom, courage and vision. His work improved the lives and strengthened the liberties of millions of Americans in communities across the nation.”