American lawyer who in 2009 became the first African American to serve as U.S. attorney general.

Holder grew up in Queens, and he attended the prestigious Stuyvesant High School before enrolling at Columbia University. After graduating with a degree in American history (1973), he remained at Columbia to complete a law degree (1976). In 1976 Holder joined the U.S. Justice Department's public integrity office, where he prosecuted cases involving government corruption. Pres. Ronald Reagan (Reagan, Ronald W.) nominated him to be a superior court judge for the District of Columbia in 1988, and during his tenure he presided over civil and criminal cases in one of the country's busiest court systems.

In 1993 Pres. Bill Clinton (Clinton, Bill) nominated Holder to serve as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Confirmed by the Senate later that year, he became the first African American to head the country's largest U.S. attorney's office. Holder made community outreach a priority, establishing a domestic violence task force and forging partnerships with local law enforcement and civic groups. He also worked to reduce gun crime. In 1997 Holder was named deputy attorney general, the second highest official at the Justice Department. The post gave him the opportunity to expand on the initiatives that he had launched as U.S. attorney. He stressed the importance of citizen involvement in the legal process, and his Lawyers for One America project encouraged diversity within the legal profession. After leaving office in 2001, he joined a law firm in Washington, D.C. In November 2008 President-elect Barack Obama (Obama, Barack) selected Holder to serve as attorney general, and he was confirmed (75–21) by the Senate in February 2009.