Colin Powell

1937-04-05 - 2021-10-18 Contemporaries

Colin Powell (1937–2021) was an American general, diplomat, and statesman who served as the 65th U.S. secretary of state from 2001 to 2005, the first Black American to hold the office. He was the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993 and the 15th national security advisor from 1987 to 1989. He joined the Republican Party in 1995 and left it in 2021.