Samuel Riley Pierce Jr. was an American attorney and politician who served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from January 23, 1981 until January 20, 1989, during the administration of Ronald Reagan.

The United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a member of the president's Cabinet, and thirteenth in the presidential line of succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development on September 9, 1965, by President Lyndon B. Johnson's signing of into law. The department's mission is "to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing free from discrimination."