Historical Figure
Colin Powell
1937–2021
American general, diplomat and statesman (1937–2021)
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Key Dates
Birth
1937 April 5, 1937 →Biography
Colin Luther Powell was an American Army general, diplomat, and statesman who was the 65th United States secretary of state from 2001 to 2005 and was the highest-ranking Black American in the federal executive branch in American history until the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008. Originally a member of the Republican Party, he was the first Black American to hold the office. He was the 15th national security advisor from 1987 to 1989, and the 12th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993.
Timeline
World War II: The 11th Airborne Division, with Filipino guerrillas, free all 2,147 captives of the Los Baños internment camp, in what General Colin Powell later would refer to as "the textbook airborne operation for all ages and all armies."
February 23 →Colin Powell, American military leader and statesman, 65th Secretary of State (born 1937)
October 18 →More from the Interwar & WWII
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