Vernon Jordan, Civil Rights Activist Who Advised Former President Clinton, Dead at 85 Author: CBS News Updated: 5:22 PM PST March 2, 2021 Vernon Jordan, who rose from humble beginnings in the segregated South to become a champion of civil rights before reinventing himself as a Washington insider and corporate influencer, has died, according to a statement from his daughter. He was 85. "My father passed away last night around 10p surrounded by loved ones his wife and daughter by his side," his daughter, Vickee Jordan Adams, said in a statement to CBS News. "We appreciate everyone's thoughtfulness and prayers." After stints as field secretary for the Georgia NAACP and executive director of the United Negro College Fund, he became head of the National Urban League, becoming the face of Black America's modern struggle for jobs and justice for more than a decade. He was nearly killed by a racist's bullet in 1980 before transitioning to business and politics.