Secretary of H.U.D. Patricia Harris, Jimmy Carter and New York Mayor Abraham Beame tour the South Bronx
10/5/1977
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Patricia Roberts Harris, a native of Mattoon, Illinois was a gifted scholar who graduated from Howard University with honors in 1945. After earning her law degree from George Washington University Law School, Harris became an attorney in the criminal division of the Department of Justice in 1960. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy appointed Harris co-chairman of the National Women’s Committee of Civil Rights. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Harris as Ambassador to Luxembourg. By accepting this appointment, Harris was the first African American woman to serve the United States as an ambassador. Harris would continue to be a force in the Democratic Party serving as chairman of the credentials committee in 1972 and a member-at-large of the Democratic National Committee in 1973.
Her due diligence and commitment to social justice and civil rights would catch the attention of presidential candidate Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Harris as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, which made her the first African American to serve in the United States Cabinet, and the first African American woman to enter the line of succession to the presidency. After serving as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in 1979 Harris became Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the largest cabinet agency in President Carter’s administration.
Her due diligence and commitment to social justice and civil rights would catch the attention of presidential candidate Jimmy Carter in 1976. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Harris as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, which made her the first African American to serve in the United States Cabinet, and the first African American woman to enter the line of succession to the presidency. After serving as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in 1979 Harris became Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the largest cabinet agency in President Carter’s administration.
This primary source comes from the Collection JC-WHSP: White House Staff Photographers Collection.
National Archives Identifier: 176392
Full Citation: C-02906-02A; Secretary of H.U.D. Patricia Harris, Jimmy Carter and New York Mayor Abraham Beame tour the South Bronx; 10/5/1977; President Carter's visit to the UN; Jimmy Carter's Presidential Photographs , 1/20/1977 - 1/20/1981; Collection JC-WHSP: White House Staff Photographers Collection; Jimmy Carter Library, Atlanta, GA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/hud-patricia-harris-jimmy-carter-and-mayor-beame-south-bronx, March 26, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
