[citation needed], In 1944, Weaver became director of the Commission on Race Relations in the Office of the Mayor of Chicago. At a Glance …. Elizabethtown, PA: The Continental Press, Inc. p. 56. Robert Clifton Weaver (December 29, 1907 – July 17, 1997) served as the first United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (also known as HUD) from 1966 to 1968. [1][2], The young Weaver attended the M Street High School, now known as the Dunbar High School. Robert C. Weaver became the first African American to hold a Cabinet-level position when he was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The program was intended to provide financial support to local housing departments, as a subsidy toward lowering the rent poor African Americans had to pay. The Long Fight to Appoint the First African-American Cabinet Secretary. He worked with the White House to provide more opportunities for African Americans. Robert Clifton Weaver was born on December 29, 1907, into a middle-class family in Washington, D.C. His parents were Mortimer Grover Weaver, a postal worker, and Florence (Freeman) Weaver. Selected writings. You can unsubscribe at any time. Robert C Weaver, First Black Presidential Cabinet Member Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Robert C. Weaver became the first Black member of a presidential cabinet … The appointment made history and was the result of years of political infighting, so why did TIME’s cover story about the news declare that choosing Weaver was “unpredictably tapping the most predictable candidate for the job”? Reel #: 1812 TC In: 014621 TC Out: 014647 This clip is available for licensing without time code and logo - To inquire about licensing email us at Myfootage@gmail.com or call us … Weaver drafted the U.S Housing Program under Roosevelt, which was established in 1937. [6] He noted there was a great difference between the income of most African Americans and the cost of living; African Americans did not have enough housing supply because of many social factors, including the long economic decline of rural areas in the South. Most members were not politicians but community leaders, scholars and activists, with strong ties to the African American community. Weaver was the first African American to be appointed to a US cabinet-level position. [1], In 1949, Weaver become director of fellowship opportunities for the John Hay Whitney Foundation. Robert Clifton Weaver (December 29, 1907 - July 17, 1997) was an American economist, academic, and political administrator; he served as the first United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) Weaver went on to Harvard University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degree. The Black Cabinet, or Federal Council of Negro Affairs or Black Brain Trust, was the informal term for a group of African Americans who served as public policy advisors to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt in his terms in office from 1933 to 1945. All Rights Reserved. Weaver certainly had the credentials. from 1966 to 1968, when the department was newly established by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Robert Clifton Weaver (December 29, 1907 – July 17, 1997) was an American economist, academic, and political administrator; he served as the first United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) It wasn’t till 1965, after Kennedy’s death, that President Johnson succeeded in creating a new department of Housing and Urban Development, coyly dancing around who would head it up. NEW BRUNSWICK—It was during the Presidential campaign of 1932 that Robert C. Weaver, who three decades later became the first black to serve in a President's Cabinet… An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. [1] In 1960, he became vice chairman of the New York City Housing and Redevelopment Board. [1][3] In 1938, he became special assistant to the US Housing Authority. In private, Johnson had strong reservations. In 1966, he became the first Black person to be appointed to a presidential cabinet position and the first secretary of the Housing and Urban Development. Johnson was worried about how the new Secretary would interact with congressional representatives from the Solid South; they were overwhelmingly Democrat as most African Americans were still disenfranchised and excluded from the political system. Robert Clifton Weaver (December 29, 1907 – July 17, 1997) was an American economist, academic, and political administrator; he served as the first United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (H.U.D.) Robert C. Weaver 1907 – 1997. [citation needed], Weavers served on the boards of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (1969-1978) and Bowery Savings Bank (1969-1980). Reading Exercises in Black History, Volume 1. Please attempt to sign up again. They encouraged the boy in his academic studies. In public, President Lyndon B. Johnson reiterated Weaver's status as a potential nominee but would not promise him the position. The high school for blacks at a time of racial segregation had a national reputation for academic excellence. On January 13, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson appoints the first African American cabinet member, making Robert C. Weaver head of the Department of … When Dr. Weaver joined the Kennedy Administration, whose Harvard connections extended to the occupant of the Oval Office, he held more Harvard degrees – three, including a doctorate in economics – than anyone else in the administration's upper ranks. Please try again later. [1] They adopted a son, who died in 1962. [1] In 1945, he became director of community services for the Chicago-based American Council on Race Relations through 1948. The Black Cabinet, or Federal Council of Negro Affairs or Black Brain Trust, was the informal term for a group of African Americans who served as public policy advisors to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt in his terms in office from 1933 to 1945. [1][2], In 1934, Weaver was appointed as an aide to United States Secretary of the Interior Harold L. In 1960, Weaver was the board chairman of the NAACP when John F. Kennedy, then running for President, sought his advice on civil rights. Ten days after receiving the report, the president put forward the nomination, and Weaver was successfully confirmed by the United States Senate. The Robert C. Weaver Federal Building is a 10-story office building in Washington, D.C., owned by the federal government of the United States.Completed in 1968, it serves as the headquarters of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Weaver was the first African American to be appointed to a US cabinet-level position. "Robert C. Weaver, 89, First Black Cabinet Member, Dies". Prior to his appointment as cabinet officer, Weaver had served in the administration of President John F. Kennedy. In addition, generally restricted to segregated housing, African Americans could not necessarily take advantage of other subsidized housing. The intervening years—and perhaps Weaver’s work at HHFA and the progress of the civil-rights movement—had changed some minds in Congress. As a result, Congress passed legislation prohibiting presidents from using that authority to create a new cabinet department, although the previous Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower administration had created the cabinet-level U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare under that authority. Robert Clifton Weaver was an economist, academic, and political administrator; he served as the first United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1966 to 1968, in the new agency established in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. from 1966 to 1968, in the new agency established in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. He took part in lobbying for the Senior Citizens Housing Act of 1962. The nation was faced with a stock of substandard, aged housing in many cities, and problems of unemployment. [citation needed], Johnson wanted a strong proponent for the new department. Retrieved 15 April 2010. Government official, scholar. [2], Some Republicans and southern Democrats opposed the legislation to create the new department. Weaver was the first African American to be appointed to a US cabinet-level position. The University of Alabama's Emphasis Symposium on Contemporary Issues, List of African-American United States Cabinet Secretaries, "Robert C. Weaver, 89, First Black Cabinet Member, Dies", "New Administration: Ornaments on the Tree", "American President: A Reference Resource", United States Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_C._Weaver&oldid=1001302725, African-American members of the Cabinet of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt administration personnel, Lyndon B. Johnson administration cabinet members, Presidents of campuses of City University of New York, Dunbar High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni, Articles needing additional references from April 2010, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1987: Equal Opportunity Day Award of the, 2006: "Robert Clifton Weaver Way" NE in Washington, DC, Undated: "Robert Weaver Avenue" "Robert Weaver Circle" in, Telephone Conversation between President Johnson and, Telephone Conversation between President Johnson and Richard Daley, 1 December 1965, 9:56am, Citation # 9301, Recordings of Telephone Conversations, Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, Telephone Conversation between President Johnson and Roy Wilkins, 1 November 1965, 10:11am, Citation # 9101, Recordings of Telephone Conversations, Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, Telephone Conversation between President Johnson and Roy Wilkins, 4 November 1965, 10:50am, Citation # 9106, Recordings of Telephone Conversations, Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, Telephone Conversation between President Johnson and Roy Wilkins, 5 January 1966, 4:55pm, Citation # 9430, Recordings of Telephone Conversations, Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, This page was last edited on 19 January 2021, at 02:56. 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