Samuel Pierce
| Samuel Pierce | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 8th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |
|
In office January 23, 1981 – January 20, 1989 |
|
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Moon Landrieu |
| Succeeded by | Jack Kemp |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Samuel Riley Pierce September 8, 1922 Glen Cove, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 31, 2000 (aged 78) Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Penn Wright |
| Children | 1 |
| Education |
Cornell University (BA, JD) New York University (LLM) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Unit | Criminal Investigation Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Samuel Riley Pierce Jr. (September 8, 1922 – October 31, 2000) was Ronald Reagan's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from January 23, 1981 until January 20, 1989.
Born in Glen Cove, New York, Pierce was an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America. Pierce was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity. He was also elected to Cornell's oldest senior honor society, the Sphinx Head Society. Pierce served in the United States Army's Criminal Investigation Division during World War II. Pierce graduated from Cornell University in 1947 and received a law degree from Cornell Law School in 1949. He earned a master of laws degree from New York University School of Law in 1952.
Pierce was an assistant United States attorney in New York from 1953 to 1955. A lifelong Republican, he first entered government when Eisenhower was president. He became an assistant to the undersecretary of labor in 1955. Pierce was appointed by Governor Nelson Rockefeller to serve as a judge in New York City, 1959–1960. Pierce was named a partner of the law firm Battle Fowler in 1961, the first African-American partner of a major New York firm, and was there until 1981 excepting a period from 1970 through 1973 when, during the Nixon presidency, he was general counsel for the Department of the Treasury. Pierce argued before the United States Supreme Court on behalf of Martin Luther King Jr. and the New York Times in the important First Amendment case styled New York Times v. Sullivan. After becoming the first African-American to become partner in a major New York law firm, Pierce went on to become the first African-American to serve on the board of directors of a Fortune 500 company.
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