On February 2, 2009, the United States Senate confirmed Eric Holder as the first African American Attorney General in the United States by a vote in the affirmative of 75-21.
U.S. Attorney General Eric HolderHolder had been nominated by President Barack Obama on December 1, 2008. He was formally installed on March 27, 2009. Eric Himpton Holder, Jr was born on January 21, 1951 in the Bronx, New York. After graduating from high school he attended and graduated in 1973 from Columbia University with a B.A. degree in American History. He later graduated with his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1976. After working in the Justice Department and serving as a Superior Court Judge in the District of Columbia, Holder was appointment by President Bill Clinton in 1993 as the first African American United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.
Eric Holder in a Cabinet meeting, seated to the right of President Obama.President Clinton later appointed him as Deputy Attorney General to Janet Reno in 1997. Holder's previous law and Justice Department experience had well prepared him for his selection by President Obama as Attorney General in 2008. After a strong and historic term as Attorney General, Holder announced he was resigning in September of 2014. He remained in office until the installation of the second and consecutive African American Attorney General, Loretta Lynch was installed on April 27, 2015.
Tribute To Black History Month
December 19, 1875 – April 3, 1950 – Carter Godwin WoodsonDr. Carter G. Woodson
Dr. Carter G. Woodson began “Negro History Week” the forerunner to Black History Month. Dr. Woodson was a noted, historian, journalist, author and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Words That Matter
Eric Holder
“You keep your eyes on the prize, you try to do what’s right, and eventually, you’ll reach your goal.”