Patricia Roberts Harris Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Patricia Roberts Harris
OCCUPATION: Political Leader
BIRTH DATE: May 31, 1924
DEATH DATE: March 23, 1985
EDUCATION: Howard University, University of Chicago, George Washington University’s National Law Center
PLACE OF BIRTH: Mattoon, Illinois
PLACE OF DEATH: Washington, D.C.
Maiden Name: Patricia Roberts

Best Known For

Patricia Roberts Harris was the first African-American woman to hold a cabinet position, serve as U.S. ambassador and head a law school.

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Patricia Roberts Harris

APA Style

Patricia Roberts Harris. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 10:24, May 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/patricia-roberts-harris-205630.

Harvard Style

Patricia Roberts Harris. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/patricia-roberts-harris-205630 [Accessed 18 May 2013].

MLA Style

"Patricia Roberts Harris." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 18 2013, 10:24 http://www.biography.com/people/patricia-roberts-harris-205630.

MHRA Style

"Patricia Roberts Harris," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/patricia-roberts-harris-205630 [accessed May 18, 2013].

Chicago Style

"Patricia Roberts Harris," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/patricia-roberts-harris-205630 (accessed May 18, 2013).

CBE/CSE Style

Patricia Roberts Harris [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/patricia-roberts-harris-205630.

Bluebook Style

Patricia Roberts Harris, http://www.biography.com/people/patricia-roberts-harris-205630 (last visited May 18, 2013).

AMA Style

Patricia Roberts Harris. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/patricia-roberts-harris-205630. Accessed May 18, 2013.

During her confirmation hearings some thought her years in corporate law made her unable to understand the needs of the people that HUD serves. Harris proved her critics wrong by calling for increases in assistance to the poor and putting a stop to discriminatory housing and employment practices - causes she had championed for many years previously.

Political Legacy

Sometimes described as blunt and tough, Harris demanded the best from her staff and herself while serving as secretary. She was an able administrator who reshaped the agency, which was in disarray when she took over the post. Harris worked hard to rebuild urban neighborhoods and to encourage businesses to invest in troubled areas. Encouraged by her success at HUD, Carter later made Harris the secretary of what is now known as health and human services. Harris left the position after Carter lost the 1980 election to Republican Ronald Reagan.

Harris ran for mayor of Washington, but bowed out after losing the Democratic primary to incumbent Marion Barry. She then left politics and returned to teaching. Harris served as a professor at George Washington University Law School until the time of her death. She died on March 23, 1985.