Samuel Pierce
Samuel Pierce | |
---|---|
8th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |
In office January 23, 1981 – January 20, 1989 | |
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Moon Landrieu |
Succeeded by | Jack Kemp |
Personal details | |
Born | Samuel Riley Pierce Jr. September 8, 1922 Criminal Investigation Division |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Samuel Riley Pierce Jr. (September 8, 1922 – October 31, 2000) was an American attorney and politician who served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from January 23, 1981 until January 20, 1989, during the administration of Ronald Reagan.
Early life
Pierce Jr. was born and grew up in Glen Cove, New York. His father, also Samuel Pierce, came from Virginia to New York as a young man in 1899 during the early years of the Great Migration of Black Americans who were fleeing Jim Crow laws and poor economic opportunities.[1][note 1] Pierce (senior) worked at the Nassau Country Club, on Long Island, for over forty years.[2]
Pierce (Jr.) was an
Pierce served in the
Political career
Pierce was an assistant
In 1981, Pierce became Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Ronald Reagan. Pierce was Reagan's only African-American Cabinet member and the only cabinet member to serve in his post throughout both of Reagan's terms as President. On June 18, 1981 during a luncheon for the US Conference of Mayors in Washington DC, President Reagan mistook Pierce for one of the mayors on the dais, infamously greeting him, "Hello, Mr. Mayor."[9] Due to his perceived low profile within the Reagan administration, he was sometimes derided as "Silent Sam."[10] During Pierce's tenure, HUD appropriations for low-income housing were cut by nearly half and funding all but ended for new housing construction.[5] According to several former aides and HUD employees, Pierce, uninterested in his job, would often delegate important decisions to advisors and would watch television in his office.[5][11][12]
Political scandal
After leaving office, he was investigated by the
Death
Pierce died at the Holy Cross Hospital outside Washington, D.C., on October 31, 2000, at the age of 78.[5]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ "King of Valets". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 29, 1916. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ Tolhurst, D. (January 1, 1995). NASSAU COUNTRY CLUB THE PLACE TO BE 1896-1996 - NASSAU C. C. Nassau Country Club.
- ^ "Distinguished Eagle Scouts" (PDF). Scouting.org. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^ "History".
- ^ a b c d e f Shenon, Philip (December 6, 2016). "Samuel R. Pierce Jr., Ex-Housing Secretary, Dies at 78". The New York Times.
- ^ Jackson, Robert L. (November 4, 2000). "Samuel R. Pierce Jr.; Reagan HUD Chief Was Investigated but Never Charged". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "What's My Line? - Frankie Laine; Vincent Price [panel] (Apr 12, 1959)". YouTube.
- ^ a b c d "Pierce Helped His Old Law Firm On H.U.D. Requests, Files Show". The New York Times. August 6, 1989. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
- ^ Associated Press (June 19, 1981). "CABINET AIDE GREETED BY REAGAN AS 'MAYOR'". The New York Times. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ Michael Riley, Nancy Traver and Samuel Pierce (September 18, 1989). "Silent Sam Speaks Up". Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ The Morning Call (July 17, 1989). "PIERCE HOLDS KEY IN SCANDAL". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
- ^ "DETERMINATION BY ADMINISTRATIVE JUDGE TIMOTHY J. GRESZKO" (PDF). hud.gov. May 19, 1995.