Clifford Alexander, Jr.
Clifford Leopold Alexander Jr. ( born September 21, 1933, New York City ) is an American lawyer, businessman and civil servant. He was the first African American who served as United States Secretary of the Army.
Career
Clifford Leopold Alexander, Jr. was born on September 21, 1933 in New York City and attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston Schools and. In 1955 he earned his doctorate at Harvard University and in 1958 at Yale University Law School. In the same year he enlisted in the New York National Guard and served in the volatile 369th Field Artillery Battalion at Fort Dix, New Jersey. In 1959 he married Adele Logan.
After he was admitted to the bar, he worked as a Deputy District Attorney in New York County 1959-1961. Thereafter, he became director of Manhattanville Hamilton Grange Neighborhood Conservation Project, as well as program and CEO of the Harlem Youth Opportunities. Furthermore, practiced law in New York City.
In 1963 he went to Washington, DC to work as an official of the Foreign Office (Foreign Affairs Officer ) of the National Security Council staff Staff and was successive Deputy Special Assistant to the President, national Special Counsel and Deputy Special Counsel of the White House Staff 1964-1967. Afterwards, he was chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 1967-1969 and a special confidant of the President and headed the U.S. delegation to the independence celebrations of the Kingdom of Swaziland in 1968.
After he left the governor service, he practiced law in Washington with the law firm Arnold and Porter 1969-1975. During the years 1972-1976 he was a television news commentator in Washington DC, as well as 1973-1974 Professor of law at Howard University. In 1974, Alexander presented as a candidate for mayor in the District of Columbia, but he failed. He then became a partner in the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Alexander 1975.
Clifford Leopold Alexander, Jr. was Defense Minister of the United States in the Carter administration, 14 February 1977 to 20 January 1981. During this time, he focused on making the whole volunteer army work, emphasized programs to enhance professional capacities and again the awards the minority companies.
In 1981 he founded the consulting firm Alexander and Associates and worked for a number of supervisory boards of national corporations. In addition, he was a member of the Executive Board of the American Stock Exchange.
He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.