Colin Powell

Colin Luther Powell (April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American Army general, diplomat, and statesman. He served as the 65th U.S. secretary of state from 2001 to 2005, becoming the first Black American to hold that position. Along with his successor Condoleezza Rice, he was the highest-ranking Black American in the federal executive branch until Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. Powell was politically independent early on but joined the Republican Party in 1995; he left the party in 2021 after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He also served as the 15th national security advisor from 1987 to 1989 and the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993.

Born in New York City to Jamaican immigrants, Powell grew up in the South Bronx and attended public schools. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from the City College of New York. While there, he joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and was commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduating in 1958. He spent 35 years as a professional soldier, holding various command and staff roles and reaching the rank of four-star general. In 1989, he served as commander of U.S. Army Forces Command.

Powell’s final military role was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1989 to September 1993, the highest military post in the Department of Defense. During that time, he managed 28 crises, including the 1989 invasion of Panama and Operation Desert Storm in the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. He developed the Powell Doctrine, which restricts U.S. military action unless it meets criteria involving national security interests, overwhelming force, and broad public support. As secretary of state under President George W. Bush, Powell presented a case for the Iraq War to the United Nations Security Council, but later acknowledged that the speech contained major inaccuracies. He resigned after Bush won reelection in 2004.

In 1995, Powell published his autobiography *My American Journey*, and later a second book, *It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership* (2012). He became a public speaker, addressing audiences across the U.S. and abroad. Before becoming secretary of state, he chaired America’s Promise. During the 2016 presidential election, though not a candidate, Powell received three electoral votes from faithless electors in Washington state for president. He earned numerous U.S. and foreign military awards, including the Purple Heart, and civilian honors such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom (twice), the Congressional Gold Medal, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Award. Powell died in 2021 from complications of COVID-19 while being treated for a blood cancer that had weakened his immune system.

Powell was born on April 5, 1937, in Harlem, Manhattan, to Jamaican immigrants Maud Ariel (née McKoy) and Luther Theophilus Powell. His parents were mostly of African descent, with distant Irish and Scottish ancestry. His father worked as a shipping clerk, and his mother as a seamstress. Raised in the South Bronx, he attended Morris High School, graduating in 1954. While in school, he worked at a baby furniture store, where he learned Yiddish from Eastern European Jewish shopkeepers and customers, and also served as a Shabbos goy, helping Orthodox families on the Sabbath. He earned a bachelor of science in geology from City College in 1958, describing himself as a “C average” student. At City College, he joined the ROTC and became a “straight A student” in it, calling it one of the happiest experiences of his life. He later said that finding something he liked and was good at—ROTC—set him on the right track. As a cadet, he joined the Pershing Rifles, the ROTC fraternal organization and drill team. Powell was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs to have earned his commission through ROTC. He also earned an MBA from George Washington University in 1971 and received an honorary doctor of public service in 1990.

Powell served as a professional soldier for 35 years. After graduating, he was commissioned as an Army second lieutenant at a time when the military had recently been desegregated. During training in Georgia, he was refused service in bars and restaurants due to his race. After completing the Infantry Officers Basic Course at Fort Benning, he was assigned to the 48th Infantry in West Germany as a platoon leader. From 1960 to 1962, he served as group liaison officer, company executive officer, and commander of Company A, 1st Battle Group, 4th Infantry, 2nd Infantry Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Captain Powell also served a tour in the Vietnam War.