Holder, Eric H., 1951-

<p>Eric Himpton Holder, Jr., was born on January 21, 1951, in New York City. He attended public schools in New York City, including from Stuyvesant High School. After graduating from Columbia University with a degree in American History in 1973, he went on to earn a law degree from Columbia Law School in 1976. While studying law, Holder clerked at the N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense Fund and at the Justice Department's Criminal Division. Holder began his career in the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice, where he investigated alleged instances of government corruption. In 1988, he was appointed an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, a post he held for five years. In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Holder for the position of U.S. Attorney of the District of Columbia, which he held until 1997, when he became President Clinton's Deputy Attorney General. He briefly served as acting Attorney General during the pending confirmation of John Ashcroft who served as the first Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration.</p>

<p>After leaving the Clinton administration, Holder became a partner at Covington &amp; Burling law firm. During Barack Obama's president campaign, he served on the vice presidential selection team. He is the first African American to become Attorney General.</p>

Holder, Eric H., 1951-

<p>Eric Himpton Holder Jr. (born January 21, 1951) is an American lawyer who served as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States from 2009 to 2015. Holder, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama, was the first African American to hold the position of U.S. Attorney General (in both a confirmed and acting position).</p>

<p>Born in New York City to a middle class family of Barbadian origins, he graduated from Stuyvesant High School, Columbia College, and Columbia Law School. Following law school, he left New York to work for the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice for 12 years. He next served as a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before being appointed by President Bill Clinton as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and subsequently Deputy Attorney General. While U.S. Attorney, he prosecuted Congressman Dan Rostenkowski for corruption charges related to his role in the Congressional Post Office scandal.</p>

<p>Following the Clinton administration, he worked at the law firm of Covington &amp; Burling in Washington, D.C. He was senior legal advisor to Barack Obama during Obama's presidential campaign and one of three members of Obama's vice-presidential selection committee. Holder was a close ally and confidant of Obama's and was selected as President Obama's first Attorney General, and he became the first sitting Attorney General to be held in contempt of Congress during an investigation of the Operation Fast and Furious ATF gunwalking scandal; however the Justice Department's Inspector General later cleared Holder of any wrongdoing. Holder was succeeded as Attorney General by Loretta Lynch in April 2015. He returned to Covington &amp; Burling, where he continues to practice, and is also involved with efforts at gerrymandering reform through the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. He is a member of the Democratic Party. </p>