Colin Powell

Colin Powell
Official portrait, January 2001
65th United States Secretary of State
In office January 20, 2001 – January 26, 2005
President	George W. Bush
Deputy	Richard Armitage
Preceded by	Madeleine Albright
Succeeded by	Condoleezza Rice
12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
In office October 1, 1989 – September 30, 1993
President	George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton
Deputy	Robert T. Herres David E. Jeremiah
Preceded by	William J. Crowe
Succeeded by	John Shalikashvili
16th United States National Security Advisor
In office November 23, 1987 – January 20, 1989
President	Ronald Reagan
Deputy	John Negroponte
Preceded by	Frank Carlucci
Succeeded by	Brent Scowcroft
United States Deputy National Security Advisor
In office December 1986 – November 23, 1987
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Peter Rodman
Succeeded by	John Negroponte
Personal details
Born	Colin Luther Powell (1937-04-05)April 5, 1937 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 18, 2021(2021-10-18) (aged 84) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Cause of death	Problems caused by COVID-19
Political party	Independent (before 1995, 2021)
Other political affiliations	Republican (1995–2021)
Spouse(s)	Alma Johnson ​ (m. 1962)​
Children	Michael, Linda, Annemarie
Education	City College of New York (BS) George Washington University (MBA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1958–1993
Rank	General
Unit	3rd Armored Division 23rd Infantry Division
Commands	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff United States Army Forces Command V Corps 2nd Brigade 101st Airborne Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Invasion of Panama Gulf War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (4) Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Soldier's Medal Bronze Star Medal Full list

Colin Luther Powell,^[1] KCB (Honorary), MSC, (April 5, 1937 – October 18, 2021) was an American General in the United States Army and politician. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State (2001-2005), serving under President George W. Bush. He was the first African American appointed to that position.^[2][3][4][5] As a General in the United States Army, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989) and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position during the Gulf War. He was the first and, so far, the only African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

1. ↑ "Colin Powell Biography". Bio/A&E Television Networks, LLC. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
2. ↑ The first African American secretary of state, Colin Powell Archived 2008-06-04 at the Wayback Machine, The AfroAmerican Registry
3. ↑ Biographies - Colin Powell: United States Secretary of State, African American History Month, US Department of Defense
4. ↑ Colin Powell, Britannica Online Encyclopedia
5. ↑ Profile: Colin Powell, BBC News