Charlotte Moton Hubbard

Charlotte Moton Hubbard (November 7, 1911 – December 18, 1994) was the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state from 1964 to 1970, the first black woman to serve in this role.

Early life Charlotte Moton was born to Robert Russa Moton and Jennie Dee Booth Moton – both educators and community leaders – on November 27, 1911, in Hampton, Virginia. She had two sisters: Catherine and Jennie.

Charlotte Moton married Maceo W. Hubbard, an attorney with the United States Department of Justice and civil rights activist, on December 29, 1949. Her early activism against racial discrimination continued throughout her life.

Career

Hubbard began her career in 1934 as an associate professor of Health and Physical Education at the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia.

Following the end of World War II, Hubbard worked and consulted in public relations with a variety of organizations, including the Girl Scouts of America, the Tuskegee Institute, and the United Givers Fund. She joined the State Department in 1963 as a coordinator of women's activities.

President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Hubbard Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs in 1964, the highest rank attained by a black woman at the time. In this role, Hubbard developed programs to address racial discrimination against Black soldiers during the Vietnam War. Hubbard retired in 1970 after the onset of Cushing's disease.

Death Hubbard died of congestive heart failure at the age of 82 on December 18, 1994, in Chevy Chase, Maryland.