Harris, Patricia, 1924-1985

Lawyer, educator, diplomat, and cabinet officer; born Patricia Roberts.

From the description of Patricia Harris papers, 1950-1983 (bulk 1977-1980). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70983070

Patricia Roberts Harris was born Patricia Roberts on May 31, 1924, in Mattoon, Illinois. On September 1, 1955, she married Attorney William Harris. She graduated summa cum laude from Howard University in 1945 and received a doctorate in jurisprudence from George Washington University Law School in 1960. In the same year, she was admitted to the District of Columbia bar and admitted to practice before the U.S. State Supreme Court. After serving as a trial attorney at the Department of Justice, she became associate dean of students and lecturer in law at Howard University. During the administration of President John F. Kennedy, she served as co-chairman of the National Women's Committee on Civil Rights. In 1964, she became the first black, woman ambassador when President Lyndon Johnson named her ambassador to Luxembourg. She was dean of Howard University Law School in 1969, and served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from January 23, 1977 to 1979. She served as Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare and was the first Secretary of Health and Human Services, serving from August 3, 1979 to January 20, 1981. In 1982, she became a professor at the George Washington National Law Center, a position she held until her death from breast cancer on March 23, 1985. She was named woman of the Year by the Ladies Home Journal and received the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award.

From the description of Harris, Patricia, 1924-1985 (U.S. National Archives and Records Administration). naId: 10582307

Lawyer, educator, diplomat, and cabinet officer; b. Patricia Roberts.

From the description of Papers, 1950-1983 (bulk 1977-1980). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 28416017

Biographical Note

• 1924, May 31: Born, Mattoon, Ill.
• 1945: B.A., Howard University, Washington, D.C.
• 1946 - 1949 : Program director, Young Women's Christian Association
• 1949 - 1953 : Assistant director, American Council on Human Rights
• 1953 - 1959 : Executive director, Delta Sigma Theta
• 1955: Married William Beasley Harris
• 1959 - 1960 : Research associate, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
• 1960: J.D., George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
• 1960 - 1961 : Trial attorney, Criminal Division, Justice Department
• 1961 - 1963 : Associate dean of students and lecturer in law, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
• 1963: Cochair, National Women's Committee for Civil Rights
• 1963 - 1965 : Law professor, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
• 1964 - 1966 : Member, United States-Puerto Rico Commission on the Status of Puerto Rico
• 1965 - 1967 : United States ambassador, Luxembourg
• 1967 - 1969 : Law professor, Howard University, Washington, D.C.; dean of School of Law in 1969
• 1967 - 1977 : Member, board of directors, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• 1968 - 1969 : Member, National Committee on the Causes and Prevention of Violence
• 1970 - 1977 : Partner, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Kampelman, Washington, D.C.
• 1977 - 1979 : Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development
• 1979 - 1981 : Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services (formerly Department of Health, Education, and Welfare until May 1980)
• 1982: Candidate, mayor of Washington, D.C.
• 1985, Mar. 23: Died, Washington, D.C.

From the guide to the Patricia Harris Papers, 1924-1983, (bulk 1977-1980), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)