Carla Anderson Hills

Carla Anderson Hills, born January 3, 1934, is an American attorney who served in two senior positions within the United States federal government: as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and later as United States Trade Representative from 1989 to 1993 during President George H. W. Bush’s administration. Her career has spanned public service, private legal practice, academic teaching, and advisory roles in both the corporate sector and international policy circles.

Early life and career

Hills entered the world in Los Angeles on January 3, 1934. She pursued higher education at Stanford University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree after completing studies at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. In 1958 she graduated from Yale Law School with an LL.B., and that same year married Roderick M. Hills; the couple would go on to have four children.

Following her admission to the California bar in 1959, Hills served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles from 1959 until 1961. In 1962 she joined forces with her husband to establish Munger, Tolles & Hills (now known as Munger, Tolles & Olson) in Los Angeles, where they remained founding name partners through 1974. During this period, Hills also contributed to legal education, acting as an adjunct professor at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1972.

Her expertise lay primarily in federal practice and antitrust law; she authored works on these subjects, including a publication titled *Federal Civil Practice and Antitrust Advisor*. Hills held leadership positions within professional organizations, notably serving as president of the National Association of Women Lawyers. In the early 1970s she was appointed United States Assistant Attorney General, heading the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.

In 1973, Elliot L. Richardson had considered her for the role of assistant U.S. Attorney General; after his resignation during the Watergate era, William B. Saxbe renewed the offer in 1974. Although her nomination to lead the Civil Division was met with some debate over her experience, she ultimately received Senate confirmation as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

After completing her term at HUD, Hills returned to private practice. In 1978 she co‑founded the Washington, D.C., branch of Latham & Watkins under the name Latham, Watkins & Hills. She also served on the board of trustees for the Urban Institute, chairing it from 1983 until 1988.

Cabinet tenure

Hills’s appointment as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development placed her at the helm of a federal department responsible for national housing policy and urban development initiatives. During her tenure, she oversaw significant decisions regarding public housing projects, including the demolition of the Pruitt‑Igoe complex in Northwest St. Louis, a large-scale public housing development that had fallen into disrepair. Her leadership was noted by President Ford as effective advocacy for HUD’s budgetary needs and policy goals.

In 1989 Hills transitioned to the role of United States Trade Representative, a cabinet‑rank position within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. In this capacity she managed the country’s trade negotiations and enforcement actions under the Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. Her responsibilities included applying Section 301 measures against nations deemed to engage in unfair trade practices; these measures allowed for tariffs up to 100 percent on certain imports.

Hills was a principal negotiator in the establishment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), working with counterparts from Canada and Mexico to shape the agreement’s framework. Her contributions were recognized by the Mexican government, which awarded her the Order of the Aztec Eagle in 2000—the highest honor conferred upon non‑citizens. She also played a key role in the Uruguay Round of negotiations for the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), engaging with delegations from 97 countries to advance trade liberalization efforts.

Legacy

Following her departure from government service in 1993, Hills continued to influence public policy and business through consulting and speaking engagements. She founded Hills & Company International Consultants, which later merged with Dentons Global Advisors ASG in 2022. Her corporate advisory work includes positions on international boards for companies such as American International Group, The Coca‑Cola Company, Gilead Sciences, J.P. Morgan Chase, Rolls‑Royce, and the U.S.-China Business Council.

Academic recognition followed her public service; Yale University conferred an honorary degree upon her in 2008, and she has received similar honors from other institutions. Hills was also a founding trustee of the Forum for International Policy, contributing to its mission of fostering informed discussion on global affairs.

In the political sphere, Hills joined a collective of former officials in 2020 to express concerns about presidential leadership; the group emphasized the importance of national interest and democratic processes. In July 2022 she helped establish an organization of U.S. business and policy leaders aimed at constructive engagement with China to improve bilateral relations.

Her participation in the Task Force on the Future of North America in 2005 produced a report titled *Building a North American Community*, sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, which examined regional cooperation prospects.

Carla Anderson Hills’s career reflects sustained involvement across legal practice, public administration, trade negotiation, and policy advisory roles. Her service as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and as United States Trade Representative places her among the earliest living former members of a U.S. Cabinet, marking a significant chapter in the history of federal leadership.