Coleman, William Thaddeus, Jr. (1920-2017), was United States secretary of transportation from 1975 to 1977. Coleman, appointed by President Gerald R. Ford, was the second African American Cabinet member in U.S. history. The first black Cabinet member was Robert Weaver, who was secretary of housing and urban development from 1966 through 1968. As transportation secretary, Coleman worked to help the bankrupt railroads in the Northeast solve their problems. He also worked to help cities improve their transit systems.
Previously, Coleman had served as an attorney on transportation matters for the governments of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. Coleman also was a civil rights leader. He helped write the legal argument that resulted in the 1954 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States banning segregation in public schools.
Coleman was born in Philadelphia on July 7, 1920. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and from Harvard Law School. Coleman died on March 31, 2017.
