Colin Powell

Born in Harlem to parents who immigrated from Jamaica, Powell was an American success story. He grew up in the Bronx and graduated from City College of New York in 1958. He joined the U.S. Army through ROTC, starting as the youngest second lieutenant commissioned in the dawn of a newly desegregated Army.

Powell served two combat tours in Vietnam; he was injured during both. Injuries sustained in a helicopter crash from which he pulled two fellow soldiers earned him medals for bravery during the second tour.

While serving in the military, Powell met Alma Vivian Johnson on a blind date. The couple married in August 1962.

After receiving his Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University, Powell began a White House Fellowship under President Richard Nixon in 1972.

Almost two decades later, in 1987, President Ronald Reagan named Powell national security advisor. The president later named him chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense. The appointment made Powell the youngest chairman ever and the first of Afro-Caribbean American heritage. He was also the first former ROTC member to hold the position.

After 35 years of service and with the rank of general, Powell retired from the military.

In 2001, Powell was appointed, confirmed and sworn in as the first Black secretary of state. He resigned in 2004, following a prostate cancer diagnosis.

Although Powell was a longtime Republican and served under three Republican presidents—Reagan, George H. Bush and George W. Bush—he endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections “because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America.”

After retiring from public service, Powell wrote the second of his two books, It Worked for Me, Lessons in Life and Leadership, while continuing his relationship with the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at City College of New York. He spent his later years as a senior statesman to the world, addressing audiences across the globe.

According to his family, Powell died from complications related to COVID-19.

He is survived by his wife; two daughters, Linda Powell and Anne Powell Lyons; a son, Michael Powell, who served as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission; and four grandchildren.