Colin Powell

Colin Luther Powell was the first Black Secretary of State, the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the first Black National Security Advisor — the highest-ranking Black official in the history of the United States government at each appointment. His career spanned four decades of public service, from Vietnam combat officer to the most powerful diplomatic position in the world.

Born in Harlem on April 5, 1937, to Jamaican immigrant parents, Powell grew up in the South Bronx and attended the City College of New York, where he discovered ROTC and found his calling. He served two tours in Vietnam, earning a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, and rose through the military ranks with a combination of strategic brilliance, personal charm, and political acumen that made him one of the most respected figures in Washington.

Powell served as National Security Advisor under Reagan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs under George H.W. Bush — overseeing the Gulf War — and Secretary of State under George W. Bush. His 2003 presentation to the United Nations making the case for the Iraq War remains the most controversial moment of his career; the intelligence was later proven false, and Powell called it a "blot" on his record. He was widely discussed as a potential first Black president before Barack Obama. He joined the ancestors on October 18, 2021, at 84.