Vernon Eulion Jordan Jr. (August 15, 1935 – March 1, 2021). Vernon Jordan an American business executive and civil rights activist in the United States passed last night at 85 years old. After working for several Civil Rights Movement organizations, he was chosen by President Bill Clinton as a close adviser and remained close to the Clintons until his death on Monday night. Jordan was revered as an influential figure in American politics throughout his stellar career.
Jordan’s remarkable journey from modest origins in Atlanta to national renown as a distinguished, pioneering attorney, businessman and civil rights leader; and as an influential powerbroker and counselor to American presidents spanning the era from LBJ to Barack Obama.
Jordan, 85, a partner at corporate law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and a principal at financial behemoth Lazard, achieved extraordinary success throughout his career endeavors, paving the way for people of color in the realms of business, law and politics.
Tracking his meteoric rise to power and fortune, and the sacrifices he made along the way, the PBS documentary Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain follows one man’s attainment of the American dream as he achieved success on his own terms.
Jordan’s cause of death has not yet been disclosed, although he is believed to have died from natural causes.