Who was the first Republican African American appointed to a presidential Cabinet level position?

In 1975, Secretary of Transportation William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr. became the first Republican African American appointed to a Cabinet level position. Coleman was born on July 7, 1920. He is an American attorney and politician who was the fourth United States Secretary of Transportation, from March 7, 1975 to January 20, 1977. Coleman was only the second African American to serve in the Cabinet of a U.S. president. President Gerald Ford appointed him to this position.

During Coleman's tenure at the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's automobile test facility at East Liberty, Ohio commenced operations. The department also established the Materials Transportation Bureau to address pipeline safety and the safe shipment of hazardous materials.

In April 2008 as a guest speaker at his alma mater, Harvard Law School, Coleman shared stories about working for over 60 years in public and private jobs.