Hills, Carla Anderson, 1934-

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1934-01-03

Gender:

Female

Nationality: Americans,

Language: English

Biographical notes:

Carla Anderson Hills (born January 3, 1934) is an American lawyer and a public figure. She served as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Gerald Ford administration, and as U.S. Trade Representative. She was the first woman to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the third woman to serve as a cabinet officer.

Born in Los Angeles, California, she received her B.A. from Stanford University after studying in England at Oxford University. In 1958, she earned an LL.B. from Yale University Law School. Admitted to the California State Bar in 1959, Hills served as assistant United States attorney general in California from 1959 to 1961. She was a partner in the law firm of Munger, Tolles, Hill, and Rickershauser from 1962 to 1974, and was adjunct professor at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1972. In 1974, Hills headed the civil division at the Justice Department, the first woman to serve as assistant attorney general in 40 years. She coauthored books on federal practice and antitrust law and was former president of the Women's Lawyers Association.

On March 10, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford appointed Carla Hills as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), making her the third woman in the nation's history to hold a cabinet rank. While Secretary, she approved the demolition of the massive public housing project in Northwest St. Louis, Pruitt-Igoe, a decayed project. Hills was one of the candidates on Ford’s “short list” to replace U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, although Ford ultimately selected John Paul Stevens. From 1978 through 1989, Hills was again a practicing attorney, and served as chairwoman of the board of trustees of the Urban Institute from 1983 through 1988. Hills served as U.S. Trade Representative under President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993. An advocate of free trade, she was the primary U.S. negotiator of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Since 1993, she has worked as a consultant and a public speaker through Hills & Company International Consultants, which advises on investment, trade and risks abroad. She was one of the founders of the Forum for International Policy where she is a trustee. Carla stepped down from Time Warner, Inc. with Ted Turner in 2006. She now serves on international advisory boards for American International Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Gilead Sciences, Inc., J.P. Morgan Chase and Rolls Royce as well as the board of the U.S.-China Business Council.