Hazel R. O'Leary, American lawyer and politician, 7th United States Secretary of Energy
Hazel Reid O'Leary (born May 17, 1937) is an American lawyer, politican and university administrator who served as the 7th United States secretary of energy under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, O'Leary was the first woman and first African American to hold the post. She also served as the 14th president of Fisk University from 2004 to 2013, a historically black college and her alma mater. O'Leary's tenure at Fisk came amid financial difficulty for the school, during which time she increased enrollment and contentiously used the school's art collection to raise funds.
O'Leary received her bachelor's degree from Fisk before earning her Bachelor of Laws degree from Rutgers School of Law. O'Leary worked as a prosecutor in New Jersey and then in a private consulting/accounting firm before joining the Carter Administration. O'Leary returned to the private sector and rejoined the government as the first Secretary of Energy of the Clinton administration. As Secretary of Energy, O'Leary declassified documents detailing how the United States had previously conducted secret testing on the effects of radiation on unsuspecting American citizens. O'Leary received criticism for her excessive spending as secretary.