Agar Jaicks, fixture of SF Democratic politics, dies at 93

Agar Jaicks, a longtime Democratic Party leader in San Francisco who fought for progressive causes with tireless energy and who cheerfully helped advance the careers of countless elected officials, has died.

“He was the sweetest man in the world and he was what Democratic politics were all about,” said John Burton, a former congressman from San Francisco and current chairman of the California Democratic Party.

Mr. Jaicks served for three decades as a member and eventually as the chairman of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, organizing voter registration drives and backing the candidacies of minority, gay and female candidates, including former Mayor Willie Brown, former San Francisco Supervisors Tom Ammiano and Carole Midgen, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

“Agar was a relentless advocate for social and economic justice,” Pelosi said.

After the war, he met and married Roosevelt’s niece Diana, who was equally committed to progressive politics.

Together they protested outside San Francisco businesses that discriminated against blacks and they picketed car dealerships on Van Ness Avenue that would not hire minorities.

For decades, the Jaickses’ living room on Parnassus Heights was a gathering place for Democratic officeholders past, present and future.

Frequently, Mr. Jaicks and his friend Phil Burton would pore over precinct maps spread on the carpet to plot strategy, dispatch doorbell ringers and rally the volunteers.

When not involved in campaigns and telecasts, Mr. Jaicks delighted in attending family gatherings, theater and musical performances by family members, and in going to Giants games.

Shortly before he died and while feeling the effects of his illness, Mr. Jaicks with characteristic resolve filled out his absentee ballot for the November election and made sure it was dispatched to the mailbox.