Kreps, Juanita M. (Juanita Morris), 1921-2010

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1921-01-11

Death 2010-07-05

Gender:

Female

Nationality: Americans,

Language: English

Biographical notes:

Clara Juanita Morris Kreps (January 11, 1921 – July 5, 2010) was an American government official and businesswoman. She served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from January 23, 1977 until October 31, 1979, under President Jimmy Carter and was the first woman and first economist to hold that position, and the fourth woman to hold any cabinet position in the United States Executive Branch.

Born in Lynch, Kentucky, she graduated from Berea College in 1942, and earned her master's and Ph.D. in economics at Duke University in 1944 and 1948, respectively. A specialist in labor demographics, Kreps taught at Denison University, Hofstra College, Queens College, and Duke. She rose through the ranks there to become the university's first female vice president. In 1972 she was the first woman director of the New York Stock Exchange.

Political advisor Anne Wexler, who was serving on the President Jimmy Carter's transition team after his victory in the 1976 presidential election, recommended Kreps for a post in the Carter administration. Kreps was appointed to serve as the Secretary of Commerce. Kreps' time as a cabinet member was considered different not only because she was a woman but also because no economist had ever before held her cabinet position. She worked heavily on trade issues during her appointment. One of her biggest accomplishments as a cabinet member was noted as the trade agreement with China. The agreement was a public works program and it was started in her first year on the job. Kreps facilitated a successful bill associated with the Arab boycott during her appointment as well. Kreps made it very clear that the U.S. was not particularly savvy in regard to the world economy. To form successful relations with other countries, like Japan, Kreps believed that the U.S. needed to appreciate the other countries for what they were and to stop trying to force free trade on places that have different kinds of governments. Kreps 0resigned on October 31, 1979 and was replaced by Philip M. Klutznick.

Kreps died in Durham, North Carolina, on July 5, 2010. She was buried at the Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Churchyard in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.