Patricia Roberts Harris
| Patricia Roberts Harris | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 13th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
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In office May 4, 1980 – January 20, 1981 |
|
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Herself (Health, Education, and Welfare) |
| Succeeded by | Richard Schweiker |
| 13th United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare | |
|
In office August 3, 1979 – May 4, 1980 |
|
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Joseph Califano |
| Succeeded by | Herself (Health and Human Services) Shirley Hufstedler (Education) |
| United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |
|
In office January 23, 1977 – September 10, 1979 |
|
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Carla Hills |
| Succeeded by | Moon Landrieu |
| United States Ambassador to Luxembourg | |
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In office September 7, 1965 – September 22, 1967 |
|
| President | Lyndon Johnson |
| Preceded by | William Rivkin |
| Succeeded by | George Feldman |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Patricia Roberts May 31, 1924 Mattoon, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | March 23, 1985 (aged 60) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | William Harris (1955–1984) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education |
Howard University (BA) University of Chicago American University (MS) George Washington University (JD) |
Patricia Roberts Harris (May 31, 1924 – March 23, 1985) served in the American administration of President Jimmy Carter as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (which was renamed the Secretary of Health and Human Services during her tenure). She was the first African American woman to serve in the United States Cabinet, and the first to enter the line of succession to the Presidency. She previously served as United States Ambassador to Luxembourg under President Lyndon B. Johnson, and was the first African-American woman to represent the United States as an ambassador.
Roberts was born on May 31, 1924, in Mattoon, Illinois, the daughter of railroad dining car waiter Bert Fitzgerald Roberts and Hildren Brodie (née Johnson). She graduated summa cum laude from Howard University in 1945. While at Howard, she was elected Phi Beta Kappa and served as Vice Chairman of the Howard University chapter of the NAACP. In 1943, she participated in one of the nation's first lunch counter sit-ins. There she met William Beasley Harris, a member of the Howard law faculty; they were married on September 1, 1955. She did postgraduate work in industrial relations at the University of Chicago from 1946 to 1949 and at American University in 1949.
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