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Colin Powell: George W Bush leads tributes as first Black US secretary of state dies from Covid complications

Former President George W Bush has led tributes to his former aide

Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state, has died from Covid complications.

His family announced the sad news on Facebook.

“We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American,” the family said.

Mr Powell died on Monday at Walter Reed National Medical Centre, despite being fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

He had a distinguished military career and later became a trusted military adviser to a number of leading US politicians, including for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W Bush and George Bush.

He was once touted as a credible presidential candidate.

Former President George W Bush, who selected General Powell to be his secretary of state after winning the 2000 presidential election, has led tributes to his former aide.

He said in a statement that he and former First Lady Laura Bush were both “deeply saddened” by his passing.

“He was a great public servant starting with his time as a soldier during Vietnam,” he said.

“Many presidents relied on General Powell’s counsel and expertise….he was such a favourite of presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom twice.”

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 1991, file photo, Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, at a House Armed Services subcommittee. Powell, former Joint Chiefs chairman and secretary of state, has died from COVID-19 complications, his family said Monday, Oct. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Marcy Nighswander, File)
General Colin Powell was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Ronald Reagan (Photo: AP)

Members of Congress and other political figures from both political parties rushed to pay tribute to General Powell, who greatly influenced US foreign policy in the late 20th and early 21st century.

Representative Vern Buchanan, Republican of Florida, wrote on Twitter that General Powell was “an incredible statesman and American hero” who “shaped US foreign policy for the last three decades”.

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said she was “saddened” to hear of Gen Powell’s passing.

She wrote: “America has lost a true leader and American patriot, but we will always remember his service to the United States of America!”

Democratic National Committee Chairman Jamie Harrison also took to Twitter to praise General Powell, who he described as “a statesman who put his country [and] family above all else”.

“As a young Black man, he inspired me [and] showed that there are no limits to what we can be or achieve,” he said.

General Powell became the first Black national security adviser during the Ronald Reagan’s presidency in 1987.

Two years later he was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H.W. Bush, the highest military position in the US Department of Defense.

At 52, he was the youngest officer ever to hold the post, and the first from an African-American background.

But he ended up leaving the army in 1993 and devoted much of his time to writing his autobiography, which topped the New York Times best-seller list, and engaging in charity work.

Towards the end of the decade he began involving himself in politics and in 2001 he was sworn in as President George W Bush’s secretary of state, becoming the highest-ranking Black public official to date in the country.

The role put him fourth in the presidential line of succession.

“I think it shows to the world what is possible in this country,” General Powell said of his nomination during his Senate confirmation hearing.

“It shows to the world that: Follow our model, and over a period of time from our beginning, if you believe in the values that espouse, you can see things as miraculous as me sitting before you to receive your approval.”

FILE - In this Dec. 16. 2000 file photo, President-elect Bush smiles as he introduces retired Gen. Colin Powell, left, as his nominee to be secretary of state during a ceremony in Crawford, Texas. Colin Powell, former Joint Chiefs chairman and secretary of state, has died from COVID-19 complications, his family said Monday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
President George W Bush appointed General Powell as his secretary of state (Photo: AP)

General Powell became hugely popular in the US in the aftermath of the US-led coalition victory during the Gulf War and led to speculation he would become the first Black President of the US.

But his reputation took a significant hit after he pushed faulty intelligence before the United Nations (UN) in 2003 to advocate for the Iraq War.

His standing as a man of integrity helped persuade the UN of the case for war.

But just 18 months later he admitted that intelligence suggesting the Iraqi dictator had possessed “weapons of mass destruction”, was almost certainly wrong.

After admitting he had given false information, General Powell resigned as Secretary of State.

He later described Iraq as “a painful blot” on his record as it cast a shadow over his previously successful career.

General Powell remained outspoken on political issues and criticised the Bush administration on many fronts, including the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. 

He also used his political capital and widespread popular appeal to help elect Democrats to the White House, most notably Barack Obama.

In the final weeks of the 2008 campaign, General Powell publicly endorsed Mr Obama – which was seen as a significant boost for his candidacy due to his stature as one of the most prominent and successful Black Americans in public life.

In the 2020 Presidential election he backed Joe Biden and said Donald Trump’s behaviour endangers democracy.

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