One prominent figure in U.S. history who served as an ambassador and made a significant impact is Patricia Roberts Harris. In 1965, Patricia Harris became the first African American woman to serve as a U.S. ambassador when President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed her as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. Harris was a trailblazer in many respects, also becoming the first African American woman to serve as a U.S. cabinet secretary when she was appointed as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Jimmy Carter. Throughout her career, she broke barriers and championed civil rights and gender equality, leaving a lasting legacy in American history.