Colin Powell's Three Children Have Impressive Careers of Their Own

As a four-star general who would become national security adviser and the first Black secretary of state, statesman and politician Colin Powell had a long, impressive career.

In his personal life, Powell had a long marriage to wife Alma Powell, with whom he welcomed three children: a son and two daughters.

Colin Powell and his audiologist wife Alma Powell married on Aug. 25, 1962. They remained married until Colin's passing in 2021. Alma died a few years later in 2024.

Their first child, a son named Michael Kevin Powell, was born on March 23, 1963. Michael went on to graduate in 1985 with a degree in government from the College of William and Mary, which he attended on an ROTC scholarship. After undergrad, he was a commissioned as an officer in the Army. However, his military career was cut short after seriously injuring his spine and pelvis in a training mission, which necessitated a year of rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Michael then turned his focus to to civilian work, becoming an adviser to the secretary of defense. He also decided to go to law school and got his JD from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1993. He clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., then spent some time working as a private attorney before becoming chief of staff for Department of Justice's Antitrust Division in 1996, under President Clinton. He was appointed commissioner for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1997, and later as chairman of the FCC under George W. Bush in 2001.

"From campaigning for the right to keep your phone number when switching wireless carriers to fighting to allow the choice of avoiding telemarketing calls with a Do-Not-Call list, Mr. Powell put consumers on the forefront in this exciting and dynamic marketplace," his FCC bio reads.

Michael retired from the position in 2005 and, among other ventures, would go on to serve on the board of visitors for both of his alma maters. He became president of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association in 2011.

Colin and Alma's second child, a daughter named Linda Margaret Powell, was born on April 16, 1965. Like her older brother, she graduated from the College of William in Mary, earning her BA in English literature in 1987. She also went on to study theater at the Circle in the Square Theatre School.

In addition to her long and impressive theater resume — which includes roles on Broadway in On Golden Pond; Wilder, Wilder, Wilder; and The Trip to Bountiful — she has appeared in numerous high-profile film and television projects, from Sex and the City and The Good Wife to Law & Order: SVU, Chicago Fire, and House of Cards.

Colin and Alma's third child, a daughter named Annemarie Powell, was born on Aug. 7, 1971. Like her big sister, she also opted to pursue the entertainment industry, though she chose to go behind the camera instead, working as a producer on various television projects. Among her producing credits, she's worked on David Blaine: Frozen in Time and Seasons of Change: The African American Athlete.