Former Secretary of State – Colin Powell dies at 84 of COVID complications.

This morning the family of former Secretary of State Colin Powell announced on Facebook that “General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from COVID 19.” Powell was fully vaccinated, but battling cancer.

Powell passed at 84 years of age.  He was a military man, serving from 1958 to 1993 rising to the rank of General in the US Army and eventually becoming the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

Colin Powell was born in the South Bronx, raised by Jamaican-immigrant parents, as well as a product of the New York City Public School System. Back in 2001, as a Republican operative under George Bush, Powell was the first African-American Secretary of State and the highest-ranking African American in the history of the federal government.

Powell was an instrumental part of both the Bush and Reagan administrations, but towards the end of his life – he endorsed Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden. He told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria “I can no longer call myself a fellow Republican. I’m not a fellow of anything right now.” 

Colin Powell was a model military man with clear political instincts. Though his record is spotted from decades within the National Security Apparatus, Powell was widely admired by his peers in government on both the left and right. As Secretary of State Powell was instrumental in the continuation of the Iraq War and would go on to express regret towards his missteps in the Middle East.