Colin Powell
April 5, 1937 — October 18, 2021
Colin Powell was an American statesman and retired four-star general who served in the administrations of five presidents and broke racial barriers at the very highest levels of American government — as the first Black National Security Advisor, the first Black Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the first Black Secretary of State.
From the South Bronx to Four Stars
Born on April 5, 1937, in Harlem, New York City, to Jamaican immigrant parents, Colin Luther Powell grew up in the South Bronx. He attended City College of New York where he joined the ROTC, graduated with a geology degree, and was commissioned as an Army second lieutenant in 1958. A steady, methodical officer who worked harder than nearly anyone around him, Powell rose through the ranks across multiple combat tours and staff assignments, including two tours in Vietnam. He attended the National War College, earned an MBA from George Washington University, and was spotted by the Washington power structure in the 1970s as an extraordinarily capable officer with formidable political instincts.
National Security and the Gulf War
Powell served as National Security Advisor to President Reagan (1987–1989) and was then appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President George H.W. Bush — the youngest and the first Black officer to hold the position. In that role he oversaw the planning and execution of the Gulf War (1990–91), the U.S. military's most successful large-scale operation since World War II. His "Powell Doctrine" — which held that the United States should commit to military action only when it has a clear objective, sufficient force, and a defined exit strategy — became a staple of military and foreign policy debate. His memoir My American Journey (1995) became a bestseller and he was widely discussed as a potential presidential candidate.
Did You Know?
In February 2003, Colin Powell delivered a presentation to the United Nations Security Council making the case for military action in Iraq, arguing that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. The intelligence underpinning his presentation proved to be false. Powell later called the speech "a blot" on his record and said it would always be part of his legacy. It remains one of the most studied cases in American history of how political pressure and flawed intelligence led to a catastrophic decision, and Powell's candor about his own role was widely respected.
Secretary of State and Final Years
Powell served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was often at odds with Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld over the conduct of the Iraq War, ultimately resigning in 2004. He endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 and repeatedly criticized Donald Trump's presidency. He died of COVID-19 complications on October 18, 2021, at age 84, though his immune system had been weakened by multiple myeloma. His life embodied a particular version of the American immigrant dream: the child of Caribbean immigrants who came to hold some of the most powerful offices in the world.