Colin Luther Powell
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1,855
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Published
53
Film credits
6
Books
38
Awards
Colin Powell served as the first African-American U.S. Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. He also served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993 and as National Security Advisor. A decorated Army veteran, he earned the Purple Heart and Bronze Star during two tours in Vietnam.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Colin Powell — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Colin Powell by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Colin Powell — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Jamaican immigrants Maud and Luther Powell raised their son Colin in the South Bronx after his birth in Harlem on April 5, 1937. He graduated from Morris High School in 1954, then attended City College of New York. There he joined the ROTC and earned a B.S. in geology in 1958. His parents’ work ethic and his own discipline drove him toward a military career.
Powell served two tours in Vietnam, earning the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He moved up in the Army, serving as senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in the Reagan administration. In 1987, Reagan appointed him National Security Advisor, and in 1989 he became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the Department of Defense. He oversaw the U.S. military during the Gulf War. In 2001, President George W. Bush named him Secretary of State, making him the first African-American to hold the post. He served until 2005, but his reputation suffered after his 2003 UN speech on Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction, which later proved false.
Powell married Alma Johnson on August 25, 1962. They had three children: Michael, Linda, and Anne. He enjoyed restoring old cars. He was related to musician Pete Wentz and actress Kerry Washington through his mother’s side. He never ran for elected office despite pressure from Republicans, though he received three electoral votes in the 2016 presidential election from faithless electors.
Powell broke racial barriers as the first African-American Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, but the Iraq WMD claims damaged his credibility. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Gold Medal, and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. City College of New York named the Colin L. Powell Center for Leadership and Service after him. His Gulf War military leadership and the Powell Doctrine remain central to his legacy.
The complete filmography of Colin Powell — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Colin Powell — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Colin Powell's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from Colin Powell — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
Avoid Having Your Ego so Close to Your Position That When Your Position Falls, Your Ego Goes with It.
We Need People Who Know How the System Runs, but It Really Is Not Necessary to Stay There for an Entire Career. When I Was Made a Three-star General, I Was Congratulated and Told, Two Years from Now to the Day, If We Haven’t Given You Another Job or Promotion We Expect Your Resignation on Our Desk. That’s Not Bad.
There Are No Secrets to Success. It Is the Result of Preparation, Hard Work, and Learning from Failure.
Little-known facts about Colin Powell — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Powell became the first Black U.S. Secretary of State.
He completed two tours in Vietnam and earned the Purple Heart.
From 1989 to 1993, he served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He served as National Security Adviser to President Ronald Reagan from 1987 to 1989.
In 1971, he earned an MBA from George Washington University.
He and his wife Alma Powell had three children: Michael, Linda, and Anne.
In his autobiography, he claimed his mother was a descendant of General Sir Eyre Coote, Governor of Jamaica, but did not provide specific details.
His military decorations include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.
During the Jimmy Carter administration, he worked as an executive assistant in the Energy Department and later in the Defense Department.
He is a distant cousin of musician Pete Wentz through Pete’s maternal grandfather, Arthur Winston Lewis, a former U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone.
He enjoyed restoring old cars in his spare time.
His death from COVID-19 despite vaccination drew attention, and it was later revealed he had Parkinson’s disease and multiple myeloma, which weakened his immune system.
He died less than four months after former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld; both men suffered from multiple myeloma.
Republican leaders encouraged him to run for president in 1996, but he declined. In the 2016 election, he received three electoral votes from faithless electors.
He served as senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in the Reagan administration.
In college, he joined the ROTC and became a second lieutenant after graduation.
He graduated from Morris High School in the South Bronx in 1954.
In 1958, he earned a B.S. in geology from City College of New York.
He served as U.S. Secretary of State under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005.
His parents Maud and Luther Powell were Jamaican immigrants.
He was a cousin of singers Marcia Hines and Deni Hines.
His first name is pronounced with a long O, like CO-lin, not COLL-in.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Colin Powell.
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