Edward Bernard Peter Buck

Mr. Buck first rose to prominence in the 1980s, when he led the Meacham Recall Committee, an effort to remove from office Gov. Evan Mecham of Arizona. Mr. Mecham would later be impeached, accused of fraud and perjury. The longtime activist has given more than $116,000 to Democratic candidates and groups over the past decade or so. Mr. Buck was also a prominent member of L.G.B.T. political circles. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee told Fox News in January it donated Mr. Buck’s contributions to the NALEO Educational Fund, a national bipartisan Latino group, while Representative Ted Lieu of California said he would donate $18,000 in contributions to civil rights organizations.