Holder, Eric Himpton, Jr. (1951-…), served as attorney general of the United States under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2015. Holder was the first African American to hold the office. Prior to his appointment as attorney general, he had served as deputy attorney general under President Bill Clinton and worked as a lawyer in private practice.
Holder was born on Jan. 21, 1951, in the Bronx section of New York City. He graduated from Columbia University in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He received a law degree from the university in 1976.
Following graduation, Holder worked as a prosecutor in the Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice. In that role, he investigated and prosecuted corruption among public officials. From 1988 to 1993, Holder was an associate judge for the District of Columbia Superior Court. He then took a position as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. In 1997, President Clinton named Holder deputy attorney general. During the final days of the Clinton administration, Holder became involved in controversy after recommending a presidential pardon for financier Marc Rich, who fled the United States after being indicted on dozens of counts of tax evasion. Rich’s ex-wife had been a major contributor to Clinton’s presidential library foundation and to the Democratic Party.
In 2001, Holder became a partner in a private Washington, D.C., law firm. He was a senior legal adviser for Obama’s presidential campaign in 2007 and 2008.
As U.S. attorney general, Holder focused on such issues as voting rights, organized crime, illegal immigration, and criminal justice reform. He directed the Justice Department to stop defending a federal law against same-sex marriage, saying that the law was unconstitutional. He also faced the question of whether to try accused terrorists in federal or military courts.
In 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to cite Holder for contempt of Congress. Republican House leaders accused Holder of withholding documents related to “Operation Fast and Furious”—an operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that targeted gun traffickers. A September report by the Justice Department’s inspector general cleared Holder of wrongdoing in the case.
In September 2014, Holder announced that he would resign his position as attorney general once the U.S. Senate confirmed his successor. In April 2015, the Senate confirmed Loretta E. Lynch to succeed Holder.
