Vernon Jordan stands at a perfect height above 5 feet and 5 inches. Just an incredible public presence.. 2001 his memoir won the Best Nonfiction Book for 2001 from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. I like being a private citizen. Morial says the news of Jordan's death makes it is a "tough" day. His smile, his voice, his size, his looks, his capacity to pay attention to you, all of it in combination could just get you to do anything without realizing it was really him that was pushing it. Jordan grew up in Georgia and studied political science at DePauw University (B.A., 1957), where he distinguished himself as a compelling public speaker. [11], She married Vernon Jordan in 1986,[2] and has five children and nine grandchildren. [29][30], Jordan married Shirley (ne Yarbrough), who died in 1985. I think keeping [the] last name is bothering a lot of older Black people and we need them all. And Hillary thought: if Vernon believed she could do it and maintain her integrity and be who she was, it made her think she could do it. Hillary agreed: It was important to have his voice in that decision. In January 1997, Jordan adoringly spoke about his wife and called her "smart, independent, caring, loyal." Expand 1 of 101 Betty. He also worked as a field director for the NAACP and as a director of the Southern Regional Council for the Voter Education Project. In 1955, she graduated from Vassar College with her BA degree and later received her masters from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Bilderberg presented a perfect opportunity. FIRST FRIENDS: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents, Jeffrey Epsteins Decades-Long Relationship. But there was so much more. He was never prosecuted in Jordans case; he was put to death in 2013 for another slaying in Missouri. Greeting each other stiffly in suits and ties, they started talking at nine in the evening. Vernon Jordan is an American lawyer and civil rights activist who has sadly passed away today, March 2nd, at the age of 85. hitType: 'event', Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. While serving as president of the National Urban League (197281), Jordan joined corporate boards such as American Express and Dow Jones, thereby using business connections to press the case for minority hiring and advancement. And a close Clinton aide, Betsey Wright, had warned her boss about his history of what she termed Bimbo eruptions.) The governor, nonetheless, was raring to ascend the national political ladder and had emerged as one of the leading voices of moderation in a party that seemed to be tacking leftward. [23] A close friend of Jordan's was the Xerox tycoon Charles Peter McColough, who persuaded Jordan to join the board of trustees at Xerox. [14] Then-president Jimmy Carter visited Jordan while he was recovering, an event that became the first story covered by the new network CNN. He studied law at Howard University and began his career fighting discrimination. But on that night, he was by himself in the upstairs residence. Vernon was so much more authoritative and seasoned than anybody else there. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. window.googletag.cmd.push(function() { He could see GOP forces gathering to oppose him; he was especially aware of the ascendance of a young Georgia congressman named Newt Gingrich, who would become Speaker of the House. document.querySelector("#ads").addEventListener('click',function(){ ", Sending my condolences and prayers to the family of the great Vernon Jordan. CNN reported that Jordan, who worked as an adviser to former President Bill Clinton and as the. Vernon Jordan is married to Ann Dibble Jordan since 1986. His memoir called Vernon Can Read! Smoother of ruffled feathers (he put the president back in touch with Zo Baird after the withdrawal of her nomination to be attorney general). He met Clinton as a young politician in Arkansas, and the two connected over their Southern roots and poor upbringings. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), By 1991, as the nations focus started to turn to the next years presidential election, Jordan was as well-regarded as anyone in America who worked at the intersection of politics and business. As director of the United Negro College Fund in 1970, he raised $10 million in contributions that benefited African American institutions. Vernon Jordan passed away on March 1 st. Much has (and will be written) about this great man. . eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Interestinglyand never disclosed beforethe man Clinton ultimately picked, Senator Al Gore of Tennessee, was not on that short list. He loved to reminisce abt [sic] Benjamin Mays, Albert Dent & great HBCU presidents he knew.". After resigning from the National Urban League, he started working as legal counsel with Washington, D.C. A person who often witnessed their banter described it as highly exaggerated, highly sexualized, mostly playful; it had a 19th-hole quality to it. He added: You have to remember, they were very similar in their personalities, very attractive and sensual people, and also enormously attractive to women. Each was fully aware of his own appeal, and the stories that naturally flowed from it. "In 2001, Jordan received the NAACP's Spingarn Medal for a lifetime of social justice activism. Until Jordan was 13, the family lived in public housing. Until Jordan was 13, the family lived in public housing. Jordan, a graduate of DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., went on to become president of the National Urban League from 1971 to 1981. All products featured on Vanity Fair are independently selected by our editors. He was attempted to be murdered by Joseph Paul Franklin on May 29, 1980, where he was shot and seriously wounded. You have too much commitment to the causes you care about, too much support to step off the stage. 2021 Gary Ginsberg and reprinted by permission from Twelve Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, New York, N.Y. All rights reserved. Lyndon B. Johnsons civil rights conference. He was also invited for an interview by CBS news show 60 Minutes. [5] He earned a Juris Doctor at Howard University School of Law in 1960. Feeling the sting of Clintons defeat, Jordan decided to pick up the phone, knowing the governor could use a sympathetic ear. Vernon Jordan, a civil rights icon and adviser to former President Bill Clinton, died Monday, according to his family. It was what Clinton always said to Jordan when they parted. He was flailing, in utter shock, remembered Democratic mandarin (and current nominee for the Virginia governorship) Terry McAuliffe. It is possible that until that night, the two friends werent ready yet to have a conversation that would resolve whatever lingering tensions existed over the whole debacle following Clintons affair. Jordan personally escorted Hunter past a group of angry white protesters to the university admissions office. He and his late wife had a child together, a daughter named Vickee Jordan Adams. Clinton and Jordan in Wyoming, August 25, 1995. [17], In 1998 Jordan helped Monica Lewinsky, a former White House intern, find a job after she left the White House, and recommended an attorney. The committee operated off two lists: the official roster of 40 or so candidates that would be considered by the committee (chaired by future secretary of state Warren Christopher)and a private list, known only to a handful of Clinton intimates. Several weeks before, the voters of Arkansas had rejected Clintons second gubernatorial run, making him the youngest ex-governor in American history. After his graduation from Northwestern University and an MBA degree from Columbia University, he was reportedly a marketing consultant in global securities and foreign exchange at Chemical Bank in New York. He was a member of the Omega Psi Phi and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities. She was field work director of Citigroup from 1989 to 2007. Ann has four children, Antoinette Bush, Mercer Cook, Janice Roberts, and Jacqueline Cook. With his first wife, he is a father to a daughter named Vickee Jordan Adams, who is best known for contributing media relations for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { (I know because I served on the vetting staff, later joining Clintons White House Counsel office and the Department of Justice, before heading on to a career as a lawyer and communications strategist.). At DePauw, Jordan participated in the student senate . (2001) was able to the Best Nonfiction Book for 2001 and an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in the following year. [9], With her husband she organized a Democratic fundraiser in 1994 that raised $3 million. Vernon Jordan was an American attorney and well-known for being the biggest icon of politics and justice of American has passed away at the age of 85. . Ive already got a dinner, but I can come by after, say around nine, Jordan told him, as independent and honest with the president as always. National Urban League President Marc Morial remembered him as one of the "top transformative leaders" in civil rights, politics and business. She is the secretary of the board for Sasha Bruce Youthwork. You didnt have to explain the history of the world.. And he wanted to share the moment with the man who had done so much for him over the decades. He married Ann Dibble Cook in 1986. It was one of the most wonderful times of my life, Clinton said, because I realized that he realized that I did not intentionally get him in the middle of all that impeachment stuff. The golf course, without any prying eyes and ears, was their private venue to share those stories. It was clear that he had a deep, caring concern about race, and so there was an immediate affinity. And Clinton saw in Jordan those same beliefs, along with the political acumen and infectious personality to advance Black interests across all aspects of American life. Meanwhile, lawyers rushed to compile any public information available to informally pre-clear Jordans name for consideration. Required fields are marked *. He wasnt interested. He died peacefully at his home surrounded by his wife and family, Jordan's niece Ann Walker told CNN. Police thought initially that it might have been a domestic incident related to Coleman's life. Joseph Paul Franklin, the avowed white supremacist who targeted Blacks and Jews in a cross-country killing spree from 1977 to 1980, later admitted to shooting Jordan. Jordan grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated in 1957 from DePauw University. She wore a beautiful dress that was high collared but had no back. The emcee for the evening was this woman who was one of our best TV anchors. },false) Ad Choices, Most presidents have a bestie. He was a cousin of James Shaw, a musician who was professionally billed as The Mighty Hannibal. Jordan, one of the countrys most prominent civil rights figures at the time, was concerned what that rightward shift would mean for the future of a movement to which hed dedicated much of his life. In 1990, she was appointed as the director of National Health Laboratories, and one year later, she became a member of the Board of Trustees of the Brookings Institution. His first wife died in 1985. He was only 34. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ For his higher education, he attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana from where he obtained his graduation in 1957. [21], From January 2000 on, Jordan was a senior managing director with Lazard Freres & Co. LLC, an investment banking firm. In April 1992just a dozen years after that kitchen visit from JordanBill Clinton fought off his Democratic opponents to become his partys presumptive presidential nominee. Each time an aide reminded the governor of the time, he would be shooed away. But he. Is Vernon Jordan married? [12]:105. He did it with such grace that no one on the receiving end ever felt suspicious or resentfula rare commodity in a city full of transient relationships. [20], In the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, Jordan was one of three individuals (with Lewinsky and Sidney Blumenthal) of whom House impeachment managers recorded a deposition. Adapted from FIRST FRIENDS: The Powerful, Unsung (And Unelected) People Who Shaped Our Presidents. And then, in January 2001, the presidents storiesat least while he was serving as commander in chiefwould come to an end. Jordan shakes Clintons hand during the inaugural parade, January 20, 1993. Initially, Franklin was acquitted as the police thought that the incident might have occurred in a domestic incident related to Colemans life. She was 48 . Jordan previously worked as an associate professor at the School of Social Service Administration of the University of Chicago from 1970 to 1987. The men would enjoy a productive and healthy partnershipuntil 1999, when they had a bitter falling-out after Clintons impeachment for lying about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky and Gores seething assessment of it. Im just not going to do it., I like my life now. He received more than 55 honorary degrees, including ones from both of his alma maters, and sat on several boards of directors. Yes, he is. In the '80s, Vernon Jordan was the target of a white supremacist shooter in 1980 inside of a hotel in Wayne, Indiana. In 1970, Jordan became executive director of the United Negro College Fund. ga('ads.send', { It meant the world to me that he knew that I had no earthly idea that he could be drawn into all that.. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Jordan had five operations and was visited by President Jimmy Carter during his three-month recovery in the hospital. Jordan was born in 1934 in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), His actions briefly drew the attention of federal prosecutors investigating Clintons actions, but he was not mentioned in a final report issued by special prosecutor Ken Starr.
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