Eric Holder (Finding Aid)

Eric Holder

1951 -

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Salmon

Favorite Time of Year: Spring

Favorite Vacation Spot: Barbados

Interview Length: 110 minutes

Interview Date(s): December 17, 2004

Interview Location(s): Washington, D.C., Washington D.C.

Abstract

Former Deputy Attorney General for the United States, Eric Holder, describes his family background and his childhood in Queens New York. His parents, both from Barbados, met in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Holder and his younger brother William Yearwood Holder, grew up in a racially changing neighborhood in Queens. Holder describes challenges faced after he was sent to a school for the gifted. Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder describes his secondary and post secondary school years in great detail. He reveals that he was an "egghead" in high school with a limited social life. He grew socially and intellectually while at Columbia University and later Columbia University Law School. Landing an internship at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and later a presitigious program at the Justice Department, Holder shares stories of his tenures there. Former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder details his career on the bench and in the Justice Department during the Clinton Administration. He discusses his first cases where he was humbled in losing. Holder also shares stories of courtroom triumphs. After an appointment to the DC Circuit court, Holder recalls his frustration at sentencing legions of young black males affected by the 'drug war' to prison. He worked to institute programs to alleviate some of the disparities in sentencing , despite a move to limit judicial oversight over that area. With the 1992 win by Bill CLinton, Holder joined the Justice Department where his activist and advocacy skills could be put to full use. Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General during the Clinton administration, Eric Holder shares his thoughts, life philosophy and the legacy he wants to leave.

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