Juanita M. Kreps

Clara Juanita Morris Kreps (January 11, 1921 – July 5, 2010) was an American economist, educator and businesswoman who served as the 24th United States secretary of commerce under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, Kreps was the first woman to hold that post and the fourth female ever to serve in a presidential cabinet (alongside simultaneously appointed HUD Secretary Patricia Roberts Harris).

Early life and career Kreps was born Clara Juanita Morris on January 11, 1921, in Lynch, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Cenia (née Blair) and Elmer M. Morris.

Family background Living in Harlan County, Kreps was raised in a part of Kentucky known for its coal mining industry. Coming from a family of mostly farmers on her mother's side which continued through her mother's adulthood, Kreps' father was initially an accountant for the coal mining business, later he moved up to be the manager of a small, independent coal mine. When Kreps was young her parents divorced. Her father lived close by to lessen the impact of divorced parents. Kreps had five siblings: one older sister and four brothers. she later reconnected with him while he was also doing his Ph.D. at Duke University. That summer, Kreps and her husband worked as wage analysts who were in charge of trying to stop inflation and ensure that wage increases were not increasing too rapidly. She served on various corporate boards: AT&T, Armco, Chrysler, Citicorp, JCPenney, John Deere, Kodak, RJR Nabisco, UAL Corporation and Zurn Industries. She resigned on October 31, 1979.

Kreps worked heavily on trade issues during her appointment. One of her biggest accomplishments as a cabinet member was noted as the trade agreement with China. The agreement was a public works program and it was started in her first year on the job. The report examined Social Security as a whole and its feasibility. The report began with a quote that Kreps herself agreed with in regard to Social Security policies: "There is really no way to support retired Americans comfortably and affordably."

Kreps was awarded the 1976 North Carolina Award for public service and 20 honorary degrees. She sat on the board of 10 major corporations.

Kreps died on July 5, 2010, in Durham, North Carolina, from complications of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 89. She was buried at the Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Churchyard in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.