Clara Juanita Morris Kreps (January 11, 1921July 5, 2010) was an American economist, educator and businesswoman who served as the 24th United States secretary of commerce under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1979. A member of the Democratic Party, Kreps was the first woman to hold that post and the fourth female ever to serve in a presidential cabinet (alongside simultaneously appointed HUD Secretary Patricia Roberts Harris). Early life and career Kreps was born Clara Juanita Morris on January 11, 1921, in Lynch, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Cenia (née Blair) and Elmer M. Morris. She graduated from Berea College in 1942, and earned her master's and Ph.D. in economics at Duke University in 1944 and 1948, respectively. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. A specialist in labor demographics, Kreps taught at Denison University, Hofstra College, Queens College, and Duke. She rose through the ranks there to become the university's first female vice president. In 1972 she was the first woman director of the New York Stock Exchange. On August 11, 1944, she married Clifton Holland Kreps, Jr., a former professor at the University of North Carolina. They had two daughters and one son. Kreps was awarded the 1976 North Carolina Award for public service and 20 honorary degrees. She sat on the board of 10 major corporations. A collection of Kreps' papers is housed at the Rubenstein Library at the Duke University. Political advisor Anne Wexler, who was serving on the President Jimmy Carter's transition team after his victory in the 1976 presidential election, recommended Kreps for a post in the Carter administration. Kreps was appointed to serve as the Secretary of Commerce. She resigned on October 31, 1979. She was replaced by Philip M. Klutznick. Kreps died on July 5, 2010 in Durham, North Carolina from complications of Alzheimer's disease at the age of 89. She was buried at the Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Churchyard in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Family background Living in Harlan County, Kreps was raised in a part of Kentucky known for its coal mining industry. Coming from a family of mostly farmers on her mother's side which continued through her mother's adulthood, Kreps' father was initially an accountant for the coal mining business, later he moved up to be the manager of a small, independent coal mine. When Kreps was young her parents divorced. Her father lived close by