Patricia Roberts Harris

Patricia Roberts Harris
13th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services[a]
In office
August 3, 1979 – January 20, 1981
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byJoseph A. Califano Jr. (Health, Education, and Welfare)
Succeeded byRichard Schweiker (Health and Human Services)
Shirley Hufstedler (Education)
6th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
In office
January 23, 1977 – September 10, 1979
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byCarla Anderson Hills
Succeeded byMoon Landrieu
United States Ambassador to Luxembourg
In office
September 7, 1965 – September 22, 1967
PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byWilliam R. Rivkin
Succeeded byGeorge J. Feldman
Personal details
Born
Patricia Roberts

(1924-05-31)May 31, 1924
Mattoon, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMarch 23, 1985(1985-03-23) (aged 60)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeRock Creek Cemetery
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
William Harris
(m. 1955; died 1984)
EducationHoward University (BA)
University of Chicago
American University (MS)
George Washington University (JD)

Patricia Roberts Harris (May 31, 1924 – March 23, 1985) was an American politician, diplomat, and legal scholar. She served as the 6th United States secretary of housing and urban development from 1977 to 1979 and as the 13th United States secretary of health and human services[a] from 1979 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. She previously served as the United States ambassador to Luxembourg from 1965 to 1967 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her public career, Harris was a trailblazer for women and people of color to hold a number of positions, including the first African American woman and woman of color ever to serve in a presidential cabinet and the first woman and person of color appointed to two different presidential cabinet positions. She was the first African American HHS secretary and just the second black HUD secretary, as well as the second woman to lead either of those executive departments. Furthermore, she was the first black woman U.S. ambassador, the dean of a U.S. law school, and a member of a Fortune 500 company's board of directors. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for mayor of the District of Columbia in the 1982 mayoral election but was defeated during the primaries, ultimately finishing second to incumbent mayor Marion Barry.[1][2][3][4][5][6]


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  1. ^ "A Higher Standard: Patricia Roberts Harris". National Museum of African American History and Culture. November 8, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  2. ^ "Patricia Roberts Harris | American public official". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. ^ DeLaat, Jacqueline (2000). "Harris, Patricia Roberts". Women in World History, Vol. 7: Harr-I. Waterford, CT: Yorkin Publications. pp. 14–17. ISBN 0-7876-4066-2.
  4. ^ US State Department. "Patricia Roberts Harris: Ambassador - National Museum of American Diplomacy". Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Harris, Patricia Roberts". National Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. ^ Weatherford, Doris. Women in American Politics: History and Milestones. United States, SAGE Publications, 2012. p. 314-315