Eric Himpton Holder Jr. served as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States, from 2009 to 2015. Holder, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama, was the first African American to hold the position of U.S. Attorney General.
Background
Holder was born on January 21, 1951, in New York City to Barbadian immigrants Eric "Sonny" Holder Sr. and Miriam Holder. He was raised in a working-class section of Queens, New York, where his father, after a series of jobs, went into real estate, and his mother worked as a church secretary in order to keep a close eye on her two sons, Eric and William. In the fourth grade, Holder was identified as a gifted student and was transferred from his mostly black elementary school to a mostly white one. Describing his first day at that school he has said: "Everybody knew everybody, and nobody was a Negro. I was feeling awkward when this kid, Frank Sardelis, walked to me and put out his hand".
Education
Holder graduated from Stuyvesant High School, an academically elite and competitive public school in Manhattan, where his high scores earned a Regents Scholarship, allowing him to attend first-rate institutions of higher education.
He received his undergraduate degree from Columbia College in 1973 and completed his legal education at Columbia University School of Law. His active involvement in the African American community began at Columbia, where he majored in American history and earned top grades. During that time he began mentoring young blacks at a Harlem youth center and joined the Concerned Black Men, a national organization that focuses on improving the lives of minority youngsters. Later, in law school he clerked at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and at the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division.
Career
After completing his law degree in 1976 he began working with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., as part of the attorney general's Honors Program. Holder was assigned to its newest division, the Public Integrity Unit, where he was charged with prosecuting high-level corruption cases, at times involving well-known political figures. His participation in local, state, and federal corruption cases included prosecutions of top officials such as the treasurer of the state of Florida, the ambassador to the Dominican Republic, a Philadelphia judge, agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a high-level member, or "capo," of an organized crime family.
In October 1988, President Ronald Reagan nominated him to become associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, a nomination that was approved by the legislature and one that involved him in a wide range of cases that included homicides and crimes of violence. Saundra Torry of the Washington Post summarized his tenure as a superior court judge: "Holder has spent more than five years on the Superior Court bench, where he has gained the respect of prosecutors and defense attorneys as a bright, capable judge who never allowed his prosecution roots to affect his decisions on the bench.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Holder U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, the first African American to hold a position presiding over the only U.S. attorney's office in the nation that prosecutes both federal and local crimes. Although a Democrat, Holder's integrity and commitment to the law above par-tisan politics was proven six months after his appointment, when, in a very publicized case, he sought and secured a 17-count indictment against House Ways and Means Committee chairman Democrat Dan Rostenkowski in June 1994. With the goal of more effectively handling family violence cases, he created a new Domestic Violence Unit, implementing a community prosecution program that worked hand-in-hand with members of the community and municipal government. His efforts helped community and local governments focus on improving neighboihood safety and developed strategies to improve the way child abuse cases were handled. He launched a new community outreach program that better connected the people of the community with the U.S. attorney's office; his program has been used as a model for other cities in the country.
In 1997, Holder's place in American history was sealed when he was appointed the first African American deputy attorney general of the United States. He was confirmed by a 100 to 0 vote in the Senate and was sworn in by Attorney General Janet Reno on July 18. In his position as deputy attorney general, Holder was responsible for the supervision and day-to-day operation of the Department of Justice. One of his first projects was the establishment of the department's Children Exposed to Violence Initiative. He also emphasized enforcement efforts in health care fraud and computer crimes. As was the case in his earlier roles in the department, Holder continued to advocate for the concept of community prosecution, allowing prosecutors to connect more directly with the citizenry.
Achievements
In May 2008, while still in private practice, Legal Times magazine named Holder as one of the "Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Past 30 Years," describing him as one of the "Visionaries." Also in that year, Holder was named by The National Law Journal as one of “the 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America.” The National Law Journal commended Holder's practice in the areas of civil litigation and white-collar defense, as well as his work as a national co-chair for Obama's campaign.
In June 2009, the Government of Barbados announced that it would begin a project to determine the first 100 Great Barbadians, who would be selected by the public of Barbados. At the announcement of the project it was announced that Holder was the first candidate nominated for the final list.
Politics
Holder has also been active in community groups, particularly Concerned Black Men, the organization he had come to know well while a law student in New York. He is concerned with youth issues, including teenage pregnancy and low educational achievement. As a historian, Holder advocates studying history in order to grasp the present and understands the importance he plays as a role model to minority youth. "History can be used as a tool to understand a present that at times seems frightening and illogical," he remarked in a keynote speech for African American Month Celebration in 1997, where he also cited the names of Frederick Douglas, Marian Anderson, and Rosa Parks as other African Americans who have achieved notable and significant accomplishments.
Membership
Member of Concerned Black Men National Organization.
Connections
Holder is married to Sharon Malone, an obstetrician. The couple have three children. Malone's sister was Vivian Malone Jones, famous for her part in the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door which led to integration at the University of Alabama. Holder has been involved with various mentoring programs for innercity youth. He is also an avid basketball fan and the uncle of former NBA All-Star Jeff Malone.
Named one of The Most 50 Influential Minority Lawyers in America, The National Law Journal, 2008, 50 Most Powerful People in District of Columbia, Gentlemen’s Quarterly magazine, 2009. Recipient Joel A. Toubin Memorial award, Whitman Walker Clinic, 2009.
Named one of The Most 50 Influential Minority Lawyers in America, The National Law Journal, 2008, 50 Most Powerful People in District of Columbia, Gentlemen’s Quarterly magazine, 2009. Recipient Joel A. Toubin Memorial award, Whitman Walker Clinic, 2009.
