Washington  - Kenneth Bacon, president of the Washington- based Refugees International, died Saturday aged 64, the organization said.

Bacon, who became president of Refugees International in 2001, died from an aggressive melanoma that spread to his brain.

Bacon was a former Wall Street Journal reporter and also served as Pentagon spokesman during the administration of former US president Bill Clinton.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called Bacon a "great humanitarian leader."

"For millions of the world's most vulnerable people - refugees and other victims of conflict - Ken was an invaluable source of hope, inspiration and support," Clinton said in a statement.

"From Central Africa to South Asia to the Americas, Ken shone the spotlight on the causes of humanitarian suffering, and served as an impassioned yet reasoned advocate for the principles of humanitarian protection and assistance."

During his tenure, Refugees International said it successfully advocated for increased protection for displaced people in Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Congo, Colombia and Thailand. In recent months he had focused on the growing threat of climate displacement.

Bacon is survived by his wife, two daughters, two grandchildren, his brother and his father. (dpa)