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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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| Name | Patricia R. Harris |
| Address |
, District of Columbia , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
May 31, 1924
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| Died | March 23, 1985
(60 years)
|
| Contributor | Ben |
| Last Modifed | Juan Croniqueur
Dec 03, 2015 12:15pm |
| Tags |
Black - Cancer -
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| Info | Patricia Roberts Harris
Patricia Harris was born in Mattoon, Ill., a suburb of Chicago on May 31, 1924. She was the daughter of Hildren and Bert Reynolds. Harris received a scholarship to Howard University and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1945. She was active in civil rights demonstrations in Washington D.C. and in 1943 she participated in a student sit-in at a whites-only cafeteria.
While at Howard, Harris met Professor William Beasley Harris. She graduated from Howard University in 1945 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics. Following graduation, Mrs. Harris went to work for the Chicago Young Women’s Christian Association (1946-1949), then became assistant director for the American Council for Human Rights (1949-1953), and executive director of Delta Sigma Theta (1953-1959). Harris and the professor were married Sept. 1,1955 and he encouraged her to go to law school.
Harris received her law degree from George Washington University in 1960 and graduated at the top of her class. In the same year, she was admitted to the District of Columbia bar and admitted to practice before the U.S. State Supreme Court.
She was a Phi Beta Kappa and became the youngest member of the board of directors of Georgetown University. After graduating from law school she went to work for the criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice for about a year before joining the facility of Howard University Law School in 1961.
On August 26, 1964, Harris gave the seconding address for the nomination of Lyndon B. Johnson for president at the National Democratic Convention. In her speech, she expressed her sentiments about continuing programs and efforts to ensure equal rights and justice for all people. Harris also served on several federal civil rights commissions and was active in Democratic politics. Soon after meeting with Robert Kennedy in 1963, she was appointed co-chair of the National Women’s Committee for Civil Rights. Harris gave the seconding address for Lyndon Johnson’s nomination in 1964 and in 1965 President Johnson appointed her as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.
She returned to Howard in 1967 and in 1969 she was named the dean of Howard’s School of Law. Patricia resigned after only one month as the result of a student protest. She had taken a strong stand against the protest and was not supported in her position by Howard’s president.
In 1970, she joined a Washington, D.C. law firm, practicing corporate law. She stayed at the firm until she was appointed U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. She was a controversial choice due to her establishment connections and during her Senate confirmation hearings she was challenged repeatedly by Republican senators. In reply, Patricia stated, “You do not seem to understand who I am. I am a black woman, the daughter of a dining car waiter. I am a black woman who could not buy a house eight years ago in parts of the District of Columbia.”
She was the first black woman to direct a federal department.
During her tenure, the department was renamed Health and Human Services. As Secretary, she secured additional funding for HUD and dramatically increased the number of available subsidized housing. She promoted grants that increased the number of businesses in blighted neighborhoods. She also supported a program to provide for a wider choice in housing by the poor.
After Carter was defeated in his bid for a second presidential term, Harris resigned as Secretary of DHHS in 1981.
In 1979 President Carter appointed Patricia as the Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Patricia left government service in 1980 after Ronald Reagan was elected President. In 1982 she ran unsuccessfully against Marion Barry for Mayor of Washington, D.C.
In 1980, she became professor of law at the George Washington National Law Center.She received many honors and degrees included being named woman of the Year by the Ladies Home Journal and receiving the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award. She achieved many firsts, among them: the first black female cabinet member, first black female ambassador, first black to serve in the United Nations, first black female on major corporate boards, first black female to chair a national political party committee, first black female to participate in a presidential nomination, first female to serve as dean of a law school, and first black, and only woman to serve in three cabinet level positions.
Patricia Roberts Harris died of breast cancer in Washington, D.C. on March 23, 1985.
A United States commemorative stamp was issued in honor as part of the Black Heritage Series.
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