Voting Station

Samuel Pierce

Please vote to return to collections.

Politician

The Resume

    (September 8, 1922-October 31, 2000)
    Born in Glen Cove, New York
    Partner in the law firm Battle Fowler (1961-70, 1973-81)
    Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1981-89)

Why he might be annoying:

    During a Conference of Mayors luncheon, President Reagan failed to recognize him and greeted him with 'Hello, Mr. Mayor. How are things in your city?" (June 18, 1981)
    According to aides, he was uninterested in his job, usually delegating important decisions and spending most of his workdays watching TV in his office.
    During his tenure, HUD officials engaged in favoritism and insider trading, resulting in millions of dollars being awarded to politically connected developers, often in violation of HUD regulations governing grants.
    During investigation of the scandal, he conceded, 'My own conduct failed to set the proper standard.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was married to Barbara Wright for 52 years.
    He served in the US Army's Criminal Investigation Division during World War II.
    He was the first African American partner in a major New York law firm.
    He argued on behalf of Martin Luther King, Jr.<1968> and other black civil rights leaders before the Supreme Court in the <32737>New York Times v. Sullivan case (1964).
    He was the only black member of Reagan's cabinet and the only cabinet member to hold his post through Reagan's entire term of office.
    His detachment from his job was probably the main factor that kept him from being indicted over the HUD scandal.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 9 Votes: 66.67% Annoying