Weaver, Robert Clifton

Weaver, Robert Clifton (1907-1997), served as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1966 through 1968. As head of the new department, Weaver became the first African American Cabinet member in United States history.

Weaver was born on Dec. 29, 1907, in Washington, D.C. He received B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. He began his government career in 1933 as adviser on black affairs in the Department of the Interior. Weaver was named New York deputy state housing commissioner in 1954. Appointed state rent administrator in 1955, he became the first black to attain New York state cabinet rank. From 1961 to 1966 he served as administrator of the federal Housing and Home Finance Agency. Weaver also served as chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He received the Spingarn Medal in 1962. Weaver was president of Bernard M. Baruch College in New York City in 1969 and 1970. He died on July 17, 1997.