Who is Vernon Jordan’s wife Ann and daughter Vickee? Civil rights leader and Bill Clinton advisor dies at 85
Civil rights leader Vernon Jordan, who was also a close advisor to former President Bill Clinton, passed away on Monday evening at the age of 85. Jordan’s daughter, Vickee Jordan, confirmed the death of her father and said he “passed away peacefully last evening surrounded by loved ones.” In a statement released to the public, she added, “We appreciate all of the outpouring of love and affection.” Jordan is survived by his second wife, Ann Dibble, five children, and nine grandchildren.
Jordan was born on August 15, 1935, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from DePauw University in Indiana in 1957. He studied law at Howard University and began his career fighting discrimination. His first lawsuit was against the University of Georgia’s integration policy in 1961. He also worked as a field director for the NAACP and as a director of the Southern Regional Council for the Voter Education Project.
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"Today, the world lost an influential figure in the fight for civil rights and American politics, Vernon Jordan. An icon to the world and a lifelong friend to the NAACP, his contribution to moving our society toward justice is unparalleled," NAACP President Derrick Johnson said on Tuesday. "In 2001, Jordan received the NAACP's Spingarn Medal for a lifetime of social justice activism. His exemplary life will shine as a guiding light for all that seek truth and justice for all people."
Sending my condolences and prayers to the family of the great Vernon Jordan. From civil rights to business, Mr. Jordan demonstrated the highest quality of leadership and created a path forward for African-Americans where there were none. He will be missed. #RestInPower https://t.co/toI7H3J1Aa
— Jaime Harrison, DNC Chair (@harrisonjaime) March 2, 2021
Who is Ann Dibble Jordan?
Ann was born in 1935 in Tuskegee, Alabama. In 1955, she graduated from Vassar College with her BA degree and later received her master’s from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. From the early 1970s to late 1987, she worked as an associate professor at the School of Social Service Administration of the University of Chicago. From 1970 to 1985, she also served as the Director of Social Services of Chicago Lying-in Hospital.
Ann also served as a director of Johnson & Johnson from 1981 to 2007. In 1990, she was appointed as the director of National Health Laboratories, and one year later, she became a member of the Board of Trustees of the Brookings Institution.
Along with her husband, Ann also organized a Democratic fundraiser in 1994 and raised $3 million. In 1996, she also co-chaired President Bill Clinton’s inauguration committee.
Ann married Jordan in 1986 in a private ceremony at their Northwest DC home. In January 1997, Jordan adoringly spoke about his wife and called her "smart, independent, caring, loyal." "She is my best friend in the world," Jordan added. "She's not shy at all. She just keeps her own counsel. And she is in many ways a very private person, which is one of her more admirable qualities."
Who are Vernon Jordan's children and grandchildren?
Vernon has one daughter, Vickee Jordan Adams — with his first wife Shirley (née Yarbrough) — who died in 1985. If reports are to be believed, she works in media relations for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.
Back in 1988, New York Times reported she is a communications training specialist at the Burson-Marsteller public relations firm in New York. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. That year, she got hitched to Barry Monroe Adams, the son of Earl L Adams Jr of Maplewood, NJ and Oak Bluffs, Mass. After his graduation from Northwestern University and an MBA degree from Columbia University, he was reportedly a marketing consultant in global securities and foreign exchange at Chemical Bank in New York.
Ann has four children, Antoinette Bush, Mercer Cook, Janice Roberts, and Jacqueline Cook. The couple also has nine grandchildren, seven from his second wife's children, Janice, Mercer, and Toni.
