(b. April 5, 1937) Four-star general, secretary of state under President George W. Bush.

Colin Luther Powell, born in New York City on April 5, 1937, has served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as secretary of state (2001–). The younger of two children born to Luther and Maude Powell, Jamaican immigrants, Powell attended City College of New York and excelled in the ROTC program. After receiving his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army in 1958, Powell embarked on an impressive military career. With President Harry S. Truman's Executive Order 9981 to desegregate the United States Military, issued in 1948, and the ensuing Cold War he discovered that more opportunities existed in the military for African Americans than in civilian society. Equally important was Powell's love of soldiering. He embraced the structure, camaraderie, and sense of family in the army infantry.

Powell progressed through the military ranks...