Thaddeus H. Spratlen (1930 – May 18, 2021) was an American economist and professor emeritus of marketing at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. A pioneering figure in academia, he was the first African American faculty member at both Western Washington University and the UW Foster School of Business, where he also became the first Black professor to earn tenure. Born in Union City, Tennessee, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, for better educational opportunities. He served as an