Anne Mason Roberts (1910 – October 17, 1971) was an American government official. She was the highest-ranking woman at the

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Ur ...

(HUD), when she served as deputy regional administrator from 1962 to 1964, and from 1966 to 1971. From 1964 to 1966, she was appointed director of New York City's Anti-Poverty Operations Board, under mayor Robert F. Wagner.

Early life

Anne Mason was born in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

. Her father was a postal carrier; her mother was disabled by severe arthritis. She earned a bachelor's degree from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

in 1928, and a master's degree in psychology in 1936.

Career

Mason taught school in Cincinnati as a young woman. She credited her teaching experience with providing her insights into urban poverty. In 1945, Roberts left teaching for a consumer relations job in the

Office of Price Administration The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money (price contr ...

. She also wrote articles for the ''

Pittsburgh Courier The ''Pittsburgh Courier'' was an African-American weekly newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1907 until October 22, 1966. By the 1930s, the ''Courier'' was one of the leading black newspapers in the United States. It was acqu ...

'', where her husband was a reporter and editor. She was the highest-ranking woman at the

(HUD), when she served as deputy regional administrator from 1962 to 1964, and from 1966 to 1971 covering the New York and New England regions. From 1964 to 1966, she was appointed director of New York City's Anti-Poverty Operations Board, under mayor Robert F. Wagner. In 1967, Roberts was one of the six recipients of the Federal Woman's Award. In 1968, she was named the Seagram Vanguard Society Award winner, and Woman of the Year by the

National Urban League The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...

. Roberts was a member of the National Urban League and the

National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, the f ...

Personal life

Anne Mason married twice; her second husband was journalist Stanley Roberts. She was stepmother to Roberts' three daughters, Alma, Stanlyn, and Judith. Anne Mason Roberts died in 1971, aged 61 years, at her home in New York City.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Anne Mason 1910 births 1971 deaths United States Department of Housing and Urban Development officials People from Cincinnati University of Cincinnati alumni Women government officials