Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Esq.
Iconic Graduates
Civil Rights Activist
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Field of Study
Juris Doctorate
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Year Graduated
1960
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Affiliation
Alumni
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Hometown
Atlanta, Georgia
Quote
“I’m here because I stand on many, many shoulders, and that’s true of every black person I know who has achieved.”Biography
Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. Esq. is a leader of advocacy and change in law and civil rights. He earned his J.D. degree from the Howard University School of Law and ignited his ambition to serve through many executive leadership positions and presidential appointments, including chairman of the Clinton Presidential Transition Team, president of the National Urban League, and executive director of the United Negro College Fund. He is a member of the Bars of Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Georgia, and the U.S. Supreme Court, and is the senior managing director of Lazard Frères & Co. LLC in New York. He has been a director of American Express and Xerox Corporation and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Jordan, a Howard University trustee emeritus, holds honorary degrees from more than 60 colleges and universities, and is the author of “Vernon Can Read! A Memoir” (Public Affairs, 2001) and “Make It Plain, Standing Up and Speaking Out” (Public Affairs, 2008). In 2007, his portrait was unveiled in the Great Hall of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.