Claim: In 2001, Colin Powell became the first African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Colin Luther Powell -LRB- -LSB- ˈkoʊlᵻn -RSB- born April 5 , 1937 -RRB- is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army . Powell was born in Harlem as the son of Jamaican immigrants . During his military career , Powell also served as National Security Advisor -LRB- 1987 -- 1989 -RRB- , as Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command -LRB- 1989 -RRB- and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -LRB- 1989 -- 1993 -RRB- , holding the latter position during the Persian Gulf War . Powell was the first , and so far the only , African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff . He was the 65th United States Secretary of State , serving under U.S. President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005 , the first African American to serve in that position .   Powell was born in New York City in 1937 and was raised in the South Bronx . His parents , Luther and Maud Powell , immigrated to the United States from Jamaica . Powell was educated in the New York City public schools , graduating from the City College of New York -LRB- CCNY -RRB- , where he earned a bachelor 's degree in geology . He also participated in ROTC at CCNY and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958 . His further academic achievements include a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University .   Powell was a professional soldier for 35 years , during which time he held myriad command and staff positions and rose to the rank of 4-star General . His last assignment , from October 1 , 1989 to September 30 , 1993 , was as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , the highest military position in the Department of Defense . During this time , he oversaw 28 crises , including Operation Desert Storm in the 1991 Persian Gulf War . He also formulated the Powell Doctrine .   Following his military retirement , Powell wrote his best-selling autobiography , My American Journey . In addition , he pursued a career as a public speaker , addressing audiences across the country and abroad . Prior to his appointment as Secretary of State , Powell was the chairman of America 's Promise - The Alliance for Youth , a national nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilizing people from every sector of American life to build the character and competence of young people . He was nominated by President Bush on December 16 , 2000 as Secretary of State . After being unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate , he was sworn in as the 65th Secretary of State on January 20 , 2001 .   Powell is the recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign military awards and decorations . Powell 's civilian awards include two Presidential Medal of Freedom , the President 's Citizens Medal , the Congressional Gold Medal , the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal , and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal . Several schools and other institutions have been named in his honor and he holds honorary degrees from universities and colleges across the country . Powell is married to the former Alma Vivian Johnson of Birmingham , Alabama . The Powell family includes son Michael -LRB- ex-chairman of the Federal Communications Commission -RRB- ; daughters Linda and Anne ; daughter-in-law Jane ; and grandsons Jeffrey and Bryan .   In 2016 , while not a candidate for that year 's election , Powell received three electoral votes for the office of President of the United States .