Civil rights activist Arnold Pinkney dies at 84

CLEVELAND -- A political strategist and civil rights activist who helped elect Ohio's first black congressman and managed Jesse Jackson's unsuccessful 1984 presidential campaign has died. Arnold Pinkney was 84.

His wife, Betty Pinkney, says he died Monday at a Cleveland hospice after a recent hospitalization.

Arnold Pinkney had a long career in Democratic political campaigns including the 1968 campaign of Louis Stokes, who became Ohio's first black member of Congress. He also advised Jackson, Cleveland Mayor Carl Stokes and Gov. Richard Celeste.

He was special adviser to the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, which plans a special recognition on Feb. 19. Caucus President Alicia Reece says he leaves a legacy of public service.

Pinkney was co-founder of Pinkney-Perry Insurance Agency, Ohio's oldest and largest minority-owned insurance company.

-- AP