Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Eric H. Holder, Jr. ’73CC, ’76LAW, is Senior Counsel at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C. He rejoined the firm after serving for six years as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States. Before his service as Attorney General, Holder maintained a wide-ranging investigations and litigation practice at Covington. Among numerous significant engagements, he led the firm’s representation of a major multi-national agricultural company in related civil, criminal, and investigative matters; acted as counsel to a special investigative committee of the board of directors of a Fortune 50 technology company; successfully tried a complex discrimination lawsuit on behalf of a leading financial services company; and represented several life sciences companies in litigation and investigations.
Holder served as Attorney General from February 2009 to April 2015. As the third longest-serving Attorney General in U.S. history and the first African American to hold that office, Holder is an internationally recognized leader across a broad range of regulatory enforcement, criminal justice, and national security issues. While he was Attorney General, Time magazine named Holder to its list of 100 Most Influential People, noting that he had “worked tirelessly to ensure equal justice.” Including his tenure as Attorney General, Holder has served in government for more than thirty years, having been appointed to various positions requiring U.S. Senate confirmation by Presidents Obama, Clinton, and Reagan.
Amidst all this, Holder served Columbia University in many areas, including serving as a University Trustee (2007–2009), he was a 1996 recipient of Columbia College’s John Jay Award for distinguished professional achievement and a 2015 recipient of the Hamilton Alumni Medal, the College’s highest honor. Mr. Holder was a featured speaker at many events including the Columbia College Class Day keynote speaker in 2009, a Dean’s Day speaker in 2013, and the Law School’s graduation speaker in 2010 and 2016. A member of the College’s Board of Visitors, and Columbia Law School’s Board of Visitors, he received the Law School’s Medal for Excellence in 2010. He has served in leadership positions for decades, including his active involvement in the Holder Initiative since its founding in 2015. The Holder Initiative builds upon Holder’s legacy of social justice by hosting an array of public programs, including seminars, conferences, and symposia that bring together experts in academia, business, law, and public policy.