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 Robert Russa Moton (August 26, 1867 – May 31, 1940) was an American educator and author. He served as an administrator at Hampton Institute. In 1915 he was named principal of Tuskegee Institute, after the death of founder Booker T. Washington, ...

and Jennie Dee Booth Moton – both educators and community leaders – on November 27, 1911, in

Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...

. She had two sisters: Catherine and Jennie. Charlotte Moton married Maceo W. Hubbard, an attorney with the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

and civil rights activist, on December 29, 1949. They were married until his death in 1991.

Education

Hubbard graduated in 1931 with a certificate in

Home Economics Home economics, also called domestic science or family and consumer sciences, is a subject concerning human development, personal and family finances, consumer issues, housing and interior design, nutrition and food preparation, as well as texti ...

from the

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...

, where her father was the principal, and later graduated from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

’s Sargent College of Physical Education in 1934 with a bachelor's of science degree in Education and Physical Education. While a student at Boston University, Hubbard refused to live in a segregated dormitory, raising the issue with university officials. Her early activism against

racial discrimination Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...

continued throughout her life.

Career

Hubbard began her career in 1934 as an associate professor of Health and Physical Education at the

Hampton Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association aft ...

in Hampton, Virginia. She served as co-director of the Hampton Institute Creative Dance Group and helped increase the number of female dancers in the dance company. She worked there until 1942 when she joined the Office of Community War Services, part of the

Federal Security Agency The Federal Security Agency (FSA) was an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government established in 1939 pursuant to the Reorganization Act of 1939. For a time, the agency oversaw food a ...

, in Washington, D.C. Following the end of World War II, Moton worked and consulted in

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

with a variety of organizations, including the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Tuskegee Institute, and the United Givers Funds. She joined the State Department in 1963 as a coordinator of women's activities. President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

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 The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. Hubbard retired in 1970 after the onset of

Cushing's disease Cushing's disease is one cause of Cushing's syndrome characterised by increased secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the anterior pituitary (secondary hypercortisolism). This is most often as a result of a pituitary adenoma (spe ...

Death

Hubbard died of congestive heart failure at the age of 82 on December 18, 1994, in

Chevy Chase, Maryland Chevy Chase () is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place (Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland) that straddle the northwest border of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Several settlements in th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moton Hubbard, Charlotte 1911 births 1994 deaths 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 20th-century American people African-American women in politics Boston University alumni People from Hampton, Virginia Tuskegee Institute alumni