Patricia Roberts Harris
Patricia Roberts Harris | |
---|---|
United States Ambassador to Luxembourg | |
In office September 7, 1965 – September 22, 1967 | |
President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
Preceded by | William R. Rivkin |
Succeeded by | George J. Feldman |
Personal details | |
Born | Patricia Roberts May 31, 1924 Mattoon, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | March 23, 1985 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 60)
Resting place | Rock Creek Cemetery Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
William Harris
(m. 1955; died 1984) |
Education | Howard 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
Early life
Patricia Roberts was born on May 31, 1924, in
Education
After earning scholarships to five different colleges, Roberts selected
After marrying in 1955, Harris was beginning to pursue a career in education, but saw limited opportunity because of segregation.
Career
While studying in Chicago, Roberts was a program director for the
One year later, Harris took a job as a lecturer and the Associate Dean of Students at Howard University.[2] In 1963, she ceased her role as Dean, but stayed on as a lecturer.[2] Concurrently, from 1962–65, she worked with the National Capital Area Civil Liberties Union.[2] As her skills as an organizer bloomed, Harris also became increasingly involved in the Democratic Party.[1] In 1963, she was elevated to a full professorship at Howard, and President John F. Kennedy appointed her co-chairman of the National Women's Committee for Civil Rights, described as an "umbrella organization encompassing some 100 women's groups throughout the nation."[18][1][2] Her co-chair was Mildred McAfee Horton.[2]
In 1964, Harris was elected a delegate to the
In 1967, Harris returned to the faculty of
In 1971, Harris was named to the board of directors of
Harris continued making an impact on the Democratic Party when, in 1972, she was appointed chairman of the credentials committee[14] and, in 1973, a member-at-large of the Democratic National Committee.[1][22] A testimony to her effectiveness and her commitment to excellence came when President Jimmy Carter appointed her to two cabinet-level posts during his administration.
Cabinet Secretary
Harris was appointed to the
As a result of her success leading HUD, Carter appointed Harris as the
Harris offered a number of critiques of her own work in these cabinet positions, including that enforcement of civil rights fell off while she was head of HHS, that Congress called her responses to requests for policy changes that would lower health care costs sluggish, and that many of her programs ended up doing little for her hometown of Washington, D.C.[17]
On the other hand, Office of Management and Budget Associate Director Dennis Green described her approach as "tough-minded, intelligent, quick to grasp the intricacies of her agency, and she went after what she wanted."[17]
Post-government
In 1981, Harris was appointed a full-time professor at the George Washington University Law School.[2][14] She remained on the faculty until her death in 1985.[9]
Harris ran unsuccessfully for
Personal life and death
During her tenure at the American Council on Human Rights, Harris first met William Beasley Harris, then a member of the Howard law faculty and later a federal Maritime Commission administrative judge.[8] They began dating in 1955, and were married on September 1, 1955.[8]
Harris was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and served for six years as its first national executive director.[2][15]
In 1967, Lord Snowdon photographed Harris at the United Nations for Vogue.[8] In her spare time, Harris enjoyed cooking and baking.[8]
Harris's husband died in November 1984.[14] She died of breast cancer at age 60 on March 23, 1985.[14] She was interred at the Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Legacy
Upon her death, Harris endowed the Patricia Roberts Harris Public Affairs Fellowship to enable Howard University students to undertake domestic and international public affairs internships.[25] Established in 1987, the program provides a stipend for a summer internship, along with mentoring, academic, and service learning opportunities; it has so far served over 200 Fellows.[25][26][27]
On January 27, 2000, the United States Postal Service's released its 23rd commemorative stamp in its Black Heritage Series, honoring Harris.[1][28] The stamp was designed by Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Arizona, and 150 million copies were produced in recognition of Black History Month.[1][28] Additionally, in 2003, Harris was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.[5]
See also
- List of African-American firsts
- List of African-American United States Cabinet members
- List of female United States Cabinet members
- List of people who have held multiple United States Cabinet-level positions
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "A Higher Standard: Patricia Roberts Harris". National Museum of African American History and Culture. November 8, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Patricia Roberts Harris | American public official". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ISBN 0-7876-4066-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g US State Department. "Patricia Roberts Harris: Ambassador - National Museum of American Diplomacy". Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Harris, Patricia Roberts". National Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Weatherford, Doris. Women in American Politics: History and Milestones. United States, SAGE Publications, 2012. p. 314-315
- ISBN 0-253-32774-1.
- ^ ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- ^ a b "Patricia Roberts Harris, Lawyer and Diplomat born". African American Registry. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 9781578593231.
- ^ Taylor, Erica; Show, The Tom Joyner Morning (March 5, 2013). "Little Known Black History Fact: Patricia Roberts Harris". Black America Web. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-7656-3524-2.
- ^ a b "A Woman of Many Firsts: Patricia Roberts Harris". Historic America. March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- ^ a b Notable Deltas Archived October 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ American Women Managers and Administrators
- ^ a b c d e Pianin, Eric (July 25, 1982). "The Harris Record". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "A Higher Standard: Patricia Roberts Harris". National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "Harris, Patricia Roberts (1924-1985) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". www.blackpast.org. March 19, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ "Biography.com". Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Washington, Elsie (September 24, 1971). "Patricia Harris: Blunt new voice in the boardroom". Life Magazine – via Google Books.
- ^ Currie, Netisha (January 19, 2021). "Before Kamala: Black Women in Presidential Administrations". Rediscovering Black History. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Congrats Patricia Roberts Harris Public Affairs Fellows | Howard University". www2.howard.edu. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ "The Patricia Roberts Harris Public Affairs Fellowship | ProFellow". July 10, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ Pope-Johns, Imani (December 10, 2020). "Howard University Announces 2021 Patricia Roberts Harris Fellows". Howard Newsroom. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "33c Patricia Roberts Harris single". National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
Further reading
- Plowden, Martha Ward (2002). Famous firsts of Black women (2nd ed.). Gretna, La.: Pelican Pub. Co. OCLC 47650434.
- Hightower-Langston, Donna (2002). A to Z of American women leaders and activists. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 0816044686.
- Baldwin, Louis (1996). Women of strength: biographies of 106 who have excelled in traditionally male fields, A.D. 61 to the present. Jefferson, NC [u.a.]: McFarland. ISBN 0786402504.
- Foote, Joseph (September, 1995). "As They Saw It: HUD's Secretaries Reminisce About Carrying Out the Mission" . Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research, pp. 79–82.
External links
- "African-American Almanac, "Biography: Patricia Roberts Harris"". Archived from the original on January 28, 1999. Retrieved September 2, 2004.
- Patricia Roberts Harris at Find a Grave
- A&E Biography
- National Women's Hall of Fame biodata for Patricia Roberts Harris
- Patricia Roberts Harris biodata
- The short film STAFF FILM REPORT 66-28A (1966) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
- Patricia Roberts Harris Archival Collection Finding Aid Moorland Spingarn Research Center
- Old D.C. Council Campaign Posters - Ghosts of DC blog