Lawyer and Washington power broker Vernon
Jordan was born on August 15, 1935,
in Atlanta.
Graduating with honors from David T. Howard High School in 1953,
he went on to attend DePauw University in Greencastle,
Indiana,
where he was the only African American student in his class. At DePauw, Jordan
participated in the student senate, won statewide honors in speaking
competitions, played basketball and graduated in 1957.
He then entered Howard
University School of Law, receiving his J.D. in 1960.
Jordan returned to Atlanta starting his legal
career working with the civil rights
movement. In 1961,
he helped organize the integration of the University of Georgia
and personally escorted student Charlayne Hunter through a hostile white
crowd. Over the next ten years, Jordan held various positions as a
civil rights advocate. He served as the Georgia field secretary for the NAACP;
director of the Voter Education Project for the Southern Regional Council;
head of the United Negro
College Fund; and as a delegate to President Lyndon B.
Johnson's White House Conference on Civil Rights.
In 1971,
Jordan
was appointed president and CEO of the National
Urban League, where he spearheaded the organization's growth. On
May 29, 1980,
a white supremacist attempted to kill Jordan. After a successful
recuperation, in 1981
Jordan resigned from the
National Urban League to take a position as legal council with the Washington, D.C.
office of the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld. His active practice
includes corporate, legislative and international clients. Jordan's close friend is former President Bill Clinton
and during Clinton's presidency, Jordan became one of Washington's most influential power
brokers. Currently he is a partner in the investment firm of Lazard Frere
& Company in New York.
Jordan has received numerous
awards and honors for his work, including the Alexis de Tocqueville Award from
the United Way
of America
in 1977
for his dedication to volunteerism. In 2001,
Jordan published his
autobiography, Vernon
Can Read! to widespread praise. He has also authored a weekly newspaper
column syndicated to more than 300 newspapers and serves as a frequent
television guest and commentator. Jordan is an active on various
corporate boards and has had various presidential appointments.
Jordan and his wife, Ann, reside in Washington,
D.C. and have four children.
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