Colin Powell

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Colin Powell
BornColin Luther Powell
5 4, 1937
BirthplaceNew York City, New York, U.S.
DiedTemplate:Death date and age
Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationTemplate:Plainlist
Known for65th United States Secretary of State; 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Powell Doctrine
EducationCity College of New York (B.S.); George Washington University (M.B.A.)
Spouse(s)Alma Johnson (m. 1962)
Children3
AwardsTemplate:Plainlist

Colin Luther Powell (April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American military officer, diplomat, and statesman who served as the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 under President George W. Bush, the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993, and the 15th United States National Security Advisor from 1987 to 1989. Born in Harlem and raised in the South Bronx by Jamaican immigrant parents, Powell rose through the ranks of the United States Army over a 35-year career, eventually attaining the rank of four-star general. He was the first Black American to serve as Secretary of State and, together with his successor Condoleezza Rice, held the distinction of being the highest-ranking Black American in the history of the federal executive branch until Barack Obama's election as president in 2008.[1] Powell's military and political career spanned some of the most consequential events in late-twentieth and early-twenty-first century American history, from the Vietnam War to the Gulf War to the Iraq War. He formulated what became known as the Powell Doctrine, which articulated conditions under which the United States should commit military force. After leaving government, Powell became a prominent public speaker and author, and his alma mater, the City College of New York, named its school for civic and global leadership in his honor.[2] He died on October 18, 2021, from complications of COVID-19, while being treated for a form of blood cancer that had compromised his immune system.

Early Life

Colin Luther Powell was born on April 5, 1937, in Harlem, New York City, to Luther Theophilus Powell and Maud Ariel McKoy, both of whom had emigrated from Jamaica.[1] The family was of mixed African, Scottish, and other ancestry; genealogical research later traced part of Powell's lineage to Scottish roots through his Jamaican heritage.[3] Powell grew up in the South Bronx, a working-class neighborhood in New York City, where his parents instilled in him the values of hard work, education, and service to community.[1]

Powell attended public schools in New York City throughout his childhood and adolescence. As a young man growing up in the South Bronx, he was surrounded by a diverse, immigrant-rich community. His parents both worked in the garment industry — Luther as a shipping clerk and Maud as a seamstress — and the family maintained close ties to the Jamaican immigrant community and to their local Episcopal Church.[1]

Powell's upbringing in the Bronx shaped his identity in important ways. He later spoke and wrote frequently about his childhood in the borough, describing how the experience of growing up as the son of immigrants in a multiethnic urban neighborhood informed his worldview and his understanding of the American experience. His autobiography, My American Journey (1995), recounted in detail the formative influences of his early years in New York City.[4]

Education

Powell attended Morris High School in the Bronx and graduated in 1954. He then enrolled at the City College of New York (CCNY), where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology in 1958.[1] While at CCNY, Powell joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), an experience he later described as transformative. The structured environment and sense of purpose he found in ROTC gave him direction, and he excelled in the program, graduating at the top of his ROTC class as a cadet colonel.[4] Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army.

Later in his career, Powell pursued graduate education, earning a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University.[1] He also attended the National War College and various military training programs as part of his professional development as an Army officer. The City College of New York later honored Powell by naming its Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership after him, a school that continues to serve students in fields related to public service, civic engagement, and global affairs.[5]

Career

Military Career

Powell was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army upon his graduation from CCNY in 1958 and embarked on a professional military career that would span 35 years.[1] He held a wide range of command and staff positions throughout his service, rising steadily through the officer ranks.

Powell served two tours of duty in Vietnam. During his first tour from 1962 to 1963, he served as a military adviser to the South Vietnamese Army and was wounded during a patrol near the Laotian border, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart.[4] He returned to Vietnam for a second tour in 1968–1969, during which he was involved in investigating reports of the My Lai massacre. Over the course of his Vietnam service, Powell received several military decorations for his performance and bravery in the field.

Following his tours in Vietnam, Powell held a series of increasingly important positions within the Army and the broader defense establishment. He served in a variety of staff roles in the Pentagon and in field commands, gaining experience in both operational and policy dimensions of military affairs. In 1972, he was selected as a White House Fellow, which provided him with exposure to the workings of the executive branch at the highest levels.[4]

During the administration of President Ronald Reagan, Powell served in several senior positions. He became the military assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and later served as the 15th National Security Advisor from 1987 to 1989, advising the president on matters of national security and foreign policy.[1]

In 1989, Powell was promoted to the rank of four-star general and briefly served as commander of the United States Army Forces Command.[6]

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

In October 1989, President George H. W. Bush appointed Powell as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the United States Department of Defense. At the age of 52, Powell was the youngest officer ever to hold the post, and he was the first Black American to serve in the role.[1] He served as Chairman from October 1989 to September 1993, a period that encompassed some of the most significant military operations since the Vietnam War.

During his tenure as Chairman, Powell oversaw twenty-eight crises.[4] The most notable of these included the invasion of Panama in December 1989 (Operation Just Cause), which resulted in the removal of Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega, and Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War of 1990–1991, in which a U.S.-led coalition expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Powell's management of the Gulf War, in particular, brought him to national prominence and made him one of the most recognized military figures in the country.

It was during this period that Powell articulated what became known as the Powell Doctrine, a set of criteria for determining when the United States should commit military force. The doctrine held that military action should be undertaken only when a clear national security interest is at stake, when the objective is clear and attainable, when the risks and costs have been fully analyzed, when all non-violent policy means have been exhausted, when there is a reasonable exit strategy, when the action is supported by the American people, and when overwhelming force is deployed to ensure decisive victory.[4] The Powell Doctrine drew on the lessons of the Vietnam War and was influenced by the earlier Weinberger Doctrine articulated by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.

Powell retired from the United States Army in September 1993 after 35 years of military service. His military decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, and numerous other U.S. and foreign military awards.[6]

Post-Military Public Life and America's Promise

After his retirement from the military, Powell became a prominent public figure in American civic life. In 1995, he published his autobiography, My American Journey, which became a bestseller and further raised his national profile.[4] During this period, there was considerable public speculation about whether Powell would seek the presidency. His popularity, bipartisan appeal, and moderate political views made him a potential candidate in the 1996 presidential election, but he ultimately decided not to run, citing personal and family considerations.[4]

Powell served as chairman of America's Promise Alliance, a nonprofit organization focused on mobilizing resources and support for the well-being and development of young people in the United States.[1] In this role, he worked to bring together leaders from government, business, and the nonprofit sector to address issues affecting American youth, including education, mentoring, and community service.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Powell maintained a visible public presence through speaking engagements, board memberships, and advisory roles. He served on the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations.[7] He also participated in public discussions and media appearances on issues of foreign policy, national security, and civic engagement.

Secretary of State

On January 20, 2001, Powell was sworn in as the 65th United States Secretary of State, becoming the first Black American to hold the office. He was appointed by President George W. Bush and served with Richard Armitage as his Deputy Secretary of State.[8] Powell succeeded Madeleine Albright and was himself succeeded by Condoleezza Rice.

As Secretary of State, Powell was the senior foreign policy adviser to the president and the head of the United States Department of State. He played a central role in the diplomatic response to the September 11 attacks in 2001, working to assemble an international coalition in support of the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Iraq War and United Nations Presentation

The most consequential and controversial episode of Powell's tenure as Secretary of State was his presentation to the United Nations Security Council on February 5, 2003, in which he laid out the case for military action against Iraq.[9] In his address, Powell presented intelligence purporting to show that the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and was in material breach of UN resolutions. The presentation included satellite imagery, intercepted communications, and testimony from defectors and intelligence sources.

Powell's UN presentation was initially influential in shaping international opinion and in building the political case for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which began in March 2003. However, following the invasion and occupation, the central claims of the presentation — particularly regarding Iraq's possession of active weapons of mass destruction programs — were not substantiated. Subsequent investigations revealed that much of the intelligence on which the presentation was based was flawed or had been misrepresented.[10]

Powell himself later acknowledged that the speech contained substantial inaccuracies. In interviews and public remarks after leaving office, he described the UN presentation as a "blot" on his record and expressed regret over the role it played in the lead-up to the war.[10] The episode became a defining aspect of the public assessment of Powell's legacy and prompted extensive debate about the relationship between intelligence, policy-making, and public accountability.

The role of intelligence sources in the UN presentation was the subject of particular scrutiny. Reporting indicated that some of the information Powell presented had come from unreliable sources, including defectors and exile groups whose claims had not been adequately verified.[11]

Other Diplomatic Initiatives

Beyond the Iraq issue, Powell's tenure as Secretary of State involved engagement with a broad range of foreign policy matters. He worked on Middle East diplomacy, including efforts related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and was involved in U.S. responses to humanitarian crises in Africa, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Powell was also engaged in managing U.S. relations with major powers, including Russia, China, and European allies, during a period of significant geopolitical change following the September 11 attacks.

Powell resigned as Secretary of State on January 26, 2005, after George W. Bush was reelected in the 2004 presidential election.[10] He was succeeded by Condoleezza Rice.

Later Career and Public Activities

After leaving the State Department, Powell returned to private life but remained a prominent figure in American public discourse. He pursued a career as a public speaker, delivering addresses to audiences across the United States and internationally. In 2012, he published a second book, It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership, which offered reflections on leadership and lessons drawn from his career in military and public service.

Powell participated in public events and discussions on topics including foreign policy, leadership, and civic responsibility. He appeared at the Aspen Ideas Festival and other public forums, engaging in conversations about the challenges facing the United States and the world.[12][13]

Though originally a member of the Republican Party, Powell demonstrated a degree of political independence in his later years. He donated to the presidential campaign of Senator John McCain in 2007.[14] However, in 2008, he publicly endorsed Barack Obama for president, a decision that attracted significant attention given Powell's long affiliation with the Republican Party and his service in Republican administrations.[15]

In the 2016 presidential election, Powell, who was not a candidate, received three electoral votes for the office of President of the United States from faithless electors in the state of Washington.[16]

Personal Life

Colin Powell married Alma Vivian Johnson in 1962. The couple had three children: Michael, Linda, and Annemarie.[1] Michael Powell later served as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. The Powell family resided in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area for much of Colin Powell's career.

Powell was known for his interest in repairing old Volvo automobiles, a hobby he spoke about publicly on multiple occasions. He maintained a relatively private personal life despite his high public profile.

Powell was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, which compromised his immune system. On October 18, 2021, he died at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, from complications of COVID-19 at the age of 84.[1] His death prompted widespread tributes from political figures across the political spectrum, and he was remembered for his decades of military and public service.

Recognition

Powell received numerous awards and honors over the course of his military and civilian career. His military decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with three Oak Leaf Clusters), the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Soldier's Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Purple Heart.[6]

His civilian honors were equally substantial. Powell was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice — the nation's highest civilian honor — and also received the Congressional Gold Medal, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and the Secretary's Distinguished Service Award.[1]

Powell received honorary degrees from numerous universities and was the subject of extensive media coverage throughout his career. He was named one of the "World's Most Influential People" by various media organizations and was recognized by health and civic organizations for his public service and leadership.[17]

The City College of New York named its school for civic and global leadership the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership in his honor. The school continues to operate as a center for education and research related to public service, civic engagement, and social mobility. In December 2025, the school appointed former U.S. Ambassador Marc Ostfield as its new dean, continuing the school's mission of preparing students for careers in public service and global affairs.[18]

In 2025, reports indicated that references to Powell and other Black military figures were removed from certain military websites as part of broader federal policy changes related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, prompting public debate about the recognition of minority contributions to American military history.[19]

Legacy

Colin Powell's career represented a series of historic firsts for Black Americans in the upper echelons of the U.S. government and military. As the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first Black Secretary of State, he broke barriers in institutions where Black Americans had long been underrepresented in senior leadership positions.[1]

The Powell Doctrine, which he articulated during and after his service as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, became a significant framework in debates about American military intervention. Its emphasis on clear objectives, overwhelming force, broad public support, and a defined exit strategy influenced military and foreign policy thinking for decades, and it remained a touchstone in discussions about the use of American military power.[4]

Powell's legacy is also shaped by the Iraq War and his role in presenting the case for the invasion to the United Nations. The subsequent revelation that the intelligence underlying his presentation was deeply flawed became a cautionary episode in the study of the intersection of intelligence, policy-making, and public trust. Powell himself acknowledged this aspect of his record, and it figured prominently in assessments of his career by historians, journalists, and policy analysts.[10]

Beyond his government service, Powell's influence continued through institutions and initiatives bearing his name. The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at CCNY has educated generations of students in fields related to public service and civic engagement, and in 2025 the school announced new research initiatives through its Social Mobility Lab aimed at advancing understanding of social mobility in the United States.[20]

Powell's "13 Rules of Leadership," a set of principles he developed over his career, continued to be cited in discussions of leadership and management after his death. In 2025, a public media executive cited the rules as a source of inspiration for navigating institutional challenges.[21]

His former chief of staff, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, continued to speak publicly about policy challenges in the years following Powell's death, carrying forward aspects of the intellectual and policy tradition associated with Powell's approach to governance and diplomacy.[22]

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 "Colin Powell Biography".Biography.com.http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9445708&page=print.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  2. ↑ "Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership".The City College of New York.http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/ci/powell/about/index.cfm.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  3. ↑ "Colin Powell's Scottish Ancestry".Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter.http://www.eogn.com/archives/news0420.htm#ColinPowellsScottishAncestry.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 "Colin Powell Biography".CNN.http://cgi.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/conventions/san.diego/players/powell.bio/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  5. ↑ "Former Ambassador Marc Ostfield is the new Colin Powell School Dean".The City College of New York.December 16, 2025.https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/former-ambassador-marc-ostfield-new-colin-powell-school-dean.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  6. ↑ "Board of Directors".Council on Foreign Relations.http://www.cfr.org/about/people/board_of_directors.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  7. ↑ "Secretary Colin L. Powell".U.S. Department of State.http://2001-2009.state.gov/secretary/former/powell/remarks/39513.htm.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  8. ↑ "Powell says Iraq utilised terror dossier".CNN.February 7, 2003.http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/02/07/sprj.irq.uk.dossier/index.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  9. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Powell regrets Iraq intelligence".BBC News.2005.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4229238.stm.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  10. ↑ "Exile Sources and the Iraq Intelligence Case".Nuclear Control Institute.http://www.nci.org/04nci/11/pbs/ExilesAdd.htm.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  11. ↑ "Aspen Ideas Festival".Aspen Ideas Festival.http://www.aifestival.org/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  12. ↑ "Powell-Lehrer Transcript".Aspen Ideas Festival.http://www.aifestival.org/library/transcript/Powell-Lehrer_transcript.pdf.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  13. ↑ "Powell donates to McCain".CNN Political Ticker.August 9, 2007.http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/08/09/powell-donates-to-mccain/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  14. ↑ "McCain now has to pick a vice presidential nominee".The Boston Globe.March 5, 2008.http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/03/05/mccain_now_has_to_pick_a_vice_presidential_nominee/.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  15. ↑ "2016 Presidential Race - Washington".Our Campaigns.http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=330851.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  16. ↑ "Colin Powell - Celebrities".Harvard School of Public Health.http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/wmy2008/Celebrities/colin_powell.html.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  17. ↑ "Former Ambassador Marc Ostfield is the new Colin Powell School Dean".The City College of New York.December 16, 2025.https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/former-ambassador-marc-ostfield-new-colin-powell-school-dean.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  18. ↑ "Pentagon DEI purge erases Colin Powell but spares a set of Texas war heroes".San Antonio Express-News.March 19, 2025.https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/pentagon-dei-purge-cavazos-tuskegee-hegseth-trump-20226423.php.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  19. ↑ "CCNY's Colin Powell School announces 2025 Social Mobility Lab research grantees".The City College of New York.May 20, 2025.https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/news/ccnys-colin-powell-school-announces-2025-social-mobility-lab-research-grantees.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  20. ↑ "After public media funding cuts, inspiration from Gen. Colin Powell".Ideastream.July 24, 2025.https://www.ideastream.org/reporters-notebook/2025-07-24/after-public-media-funding-cuts-inspiration-from-gen-colin-powell.Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  21. ↑ "Former chief of staff to Colin Powell to speak on Jan. 28".Penn State University.January 2026.https://www.psu.edu/news/dickinson-law/story/former-chief-staff-colin-powell-speak-jan-28.Retrieved 2026-02-23.

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