Richard D. Warden, retired lobbyist

Richard D. Warden, 86, retired labor and public interest lobbyist, who filled executive branch positions in two Democratic administrations, died Monday, Sept. 3, 2018, at Delaware Hospice Center in Milford.

Warden lived in the Washington, D.C. area for about 35 years. He came to Washington in 1961 as a recipient of an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship. Before that, he had been a reporter and later state editor for the Great Falls (Montana) Tribune.

Following the one-year fellowship period, Warden joined the staff of the late U.S. Sen. Lee Metcalf (D-MT) as a legislative assistant, and later served five years as administrative assistant for the late U.S. Rep. James G. O’Hara (D-MI).

In 1967, he left Capitol Hill for the Office for Civil Rights in what was then the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. He was deputy director of OCR at the end of the Johnson Administration in January 1969.

Warden became a legislative representative in the Department of Legislation of the AFL-CIO, a position he held for two years, before leaving to join Marian Edelman, who had established the Washington Research Project, the forerunner of the Children’s Defense Fund. He was the director of the project’s lobbying arm, and was active on issues relating to education and civil rights. 

In 1972, Warden became the assistant legislative director of the United Auto Workers. Two years later, he was named legislative director, a position he held until he was nominated by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 to be assistant secretary for legislation at HEW. He served at HEW with then-secretary of the department, Joseph A. Califano.

Warden returned to the UAW as its legislative director after leaving the Carter Administration, and he remained in that position until retiring in 1991. After that, he was engaged in legislative consulting for labor, senior and other public interest organizations. He also worked as a consultant for the Department of Labor. 

He was the recipient of numerous citations and awards from labor and other organizations, including the Hubert H. Humphrey Award from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights in 1991 as well as a superior service award for his work at HEW’s Office for Civil Rights in 1968.

Warden received service awards from the UAW and from the Service Employees International Union, for which he consulted, and an Equal Justice Award from Legal Services of New Jersey and the New Jersey Bar Association for legislative work on legal services for the poor. He received a similar citation from the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. The Americans for Democratic Action in 1990 recognized Warden for leadership on progressive legislation, and in 2000, he received ADA’s Winn Newman Award for lifetime achievement.

Warden was born in Great Falls, Mont.. His first marriage to the former Wanda Flory ended in divorce. He and his widow, Barbara Freeman Warden, were married in 1976. They lived in Washington for 23 years before moving to Rehoboth Beach. They moved to Lewes in 2002.

Barbara Warden survives him, as do the four children from the previous marriage: Denise Warden of Lewes, Michael Warden of Great Falls, Va., Joseph Warden of  Ashburn, Va., and Jerome Warden of Springfield, Va.; six grandchildren:  Allison McCall of Mesa, Ariz., Hayley, Lindsay and Kylie Warden of Great Falls, and Tyler and Matthew Warden of Ashburn; three stepsons, Duncan Brent of Silver Spring, Md., David Brent of San Rafael, Calif., and William Brent of Barcelona, Spain; and eight step-grandchildren.

Before moving to Washington in 1976, Warden lived in Alexandria, where he was active in desegregation of housing and education in the 1960s and early 1970s. He was a lifelong Democrat, and was active in various campaigns and other political activity at local, state and national levels.

A graduate of the University of Montana with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and history/political science, Warden also earned a master's degree in history. He was a veteran of service in the Navy during the Korean War. He was a member of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Rehoboth Beach and the National Capital Area Union Retirees Club.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m., at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 18 Olive Ave., Rehoboth Beach.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Mr. Warden's name to Delaware Hospice Center, 100 Patriots Way, Milford, DE 19963.

Arrangements by Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, Lewes.