Robert Clifton Weaver
| Robert C. Weaver | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 1st United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |
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In office January 18, 1966 – December 18, 1968 |
|
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
| Succeeded by | Robert Coldwell Wood |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Robert Clifton Weaver December 29, 1907 Washington, D.C. |
| Died | July 17, 1997 (aged 89) Manhattan, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Ella V. Haith |
| Education | M Street High School |
| Alma mater |
Harvard University (B.S.), (M.A.), and (Ph.D. 1934) |
Robert Clifton Weaver (December 29, 1907 – July 17, 1997) was an economist, academic, and political administrator; he served as the first United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) from 1966 to 1968, in the new agency established in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Weaver was the first African American to be appointed to a US cabinet-level position.
Prior to his appointment as cabinet officer, Weaver had served in the administration of President John F. Kennedy. In addition, he had served in New York State government, and in high-level positions in New York City. During the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, he was one of 45 prominent African Americans appointed to positions and helped make up the Black Cabinet, an informal group of African-American public policy advisers. Weaver directed federal programs during the administration of the New Deal, at the same time completing his doctorate in economics in 1934 at Harvard University.
Weaver was born on December 29, 1907 into a middle-class family in Washington, D.C. His parents were Morgan Weaver, a postal worker, and Margaret Freeman, of mixed-race ancestry; they encouraged the boy in his academic studies. His maternal grandfather was Dr. Robert Tanner Freeman, the first African American to graduate from Harvard in dentistry.
The young Weaver attended the M Street High School, now known as the Dunbar High School. The academic high school for blacks at a time of racial segregation had a national reputation for excellence. Weaver went on to Harvard University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degree. He also earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in economics, completing his doctorate in 1934.
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