Colin Powell was the first black man to hold the post of US Secretary of State, the most senior job in the US cabinet.

He was born to Jamaican parents in New York City on April 5, 1937. He received a commission as an Army second lieutenant on graduation from City College of New York in 1958, with a BSc in geology.

Later he studied for a master's in business administration at George Washington University, graduating in 1971.

As a soldier he served two tours of duty in Vietnam. His military decorations include a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal.

After serving as national security adviser from 1987-89, he was named as the first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the most senior job in the US armed forces, serving under both the first President Bush and later under Bill Clinton.

He retired from the military in 1993, after overseeing American operations in the 1991 Gulf War.

He resisted pressure from some to stand for president in the late 1990s and was named secretary of state by President Bush, taking over in early 2001 after unanimous confirmation by the Senate.

He was seen around the world as a moderate whose ideas were sometimes out of tune with a unilateralist Bush administration, but was loyal to the president. He made a dramatic presentation at the United Nations of evidence backing Bush’s hard-line policy against Iraq that paved the way for the US invasion in 2003.

He is also the founder and chairman of America’s Promise, a youth charity.

He and his wife, Alma, have three children, Michael, Linda and Anne.

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