What is Eric Holder's net worth and salary?
Eric Holder is an American lawyer who has a net worth of $8 million. Eric Holder served as the United States attorney general under President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2015. Prior to that, he served under President Bill Clinton as US attorney for the District of Columbia and then as US deputy attorney general. After his time as attorney general, Holder returned to the law firm Covington & Burling to continue practicing corporate litigation.
Real Estate
In April 2014, Eric and Sharon paid $1.47 million for a condo in the newly constructed CityCenterDC development.
US Attorney General Salary
When he was serving as US Attorney General, Eric Holder's salary was $220,000 per year.
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Early Life and Education
Eric Holder Jr. was born on January 21, 1951 in New York City to Miriam, who was American-born and of Barbadian descent, and Eric Sr., who was born in Barbados. He grew up in Queens and went to public school until the age of 10. As an adolescent, Holder attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, graduating in 1969. He went on to attend Columbia University, where he played basketball and football as a freshman. Holder earned his BA in American history from Columbia in 1973. He subsequently enrolled at Columbia Law School, and obtained his JD in 1976.
Career in Government, 1976-2000
Following his graduation from Columbia Law, Holder joined the newly formed Public Integrity Section of the US Department of Justice. He worked there for 12 years, from 1976 to 1988. Holder was then appointed by President Ronald Reagan as a judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He served on the bench until 1993, when he was appointed by President Bill Clinton as US attorney for the District of Columbia. In 1997, Holder became US deputy attorney general. His duties in that role largely involved budgetary and personnel issues.
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Private Practice, 2001-2009
After his time in the Clinton administration, Holder turned to private practice and worked as an attorney at Covington & Burling in Washington, DC. There, he represented such corporate clients as Merck, Chiquita, and the NFL, as well as the Swiss private bank UBS.
United States Attorney General
In late 2007, Holder joined Barack Obama's presidential campaign as a senior legal advisor. One year later, after Obama was elected president, Holder was announced as the nominee for US attorney general. He went on to be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in early 2009. In his role as US attorney general, Holder defended such US counter-terrorism measures as drone strikes and raids, and was successful in bringing terrorism cases to civilian federal courts, where major known terrorists were convicted and sentenced. He also prosecuted numerous cases involving government corruption, including the case of congressman Dan Rostenkowski. However, Holder was widely criticized for failing to prosecute banks that played a role in the 2007-08 financial crisis.
Contempt of Congress
In 2012, Holder became the first sitting US attorney general to be held in contempt of Congress. This was due to his alleged refusal to release requested documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious, a failed federal firearms sting operation that resulted in hundreds of weapons reaching Mexican cartels. Holder's office argued that the tactic was politically motivated and was intended to distract from bigger matters during that election year. Ultimately, President Obama asserted executive privilege over the requested documents and the inspector general of the Department of Justice refused to prosecute Holder. He was eventually cleared of all charges.
Return to Private Practice
Holder resigned as attorney general in late 2014 and left his office in 2015. He went on to return to private practice, re-joining the law firm Covington & Burling. In early 2016, Holder was hired by the South African-based telecommunications company MTN Group to help in the company's efforts to fight a $3.9 billion fine from the Nigerian government. The next year, he was hired by Uber to help lead an investigation into allegations of sexual assault and discrimination by company employees. The investigation resulted in the termination of over 20 employees and the resignation of Uber's CEO Travis Kalanick. Later, in 2023, Holder was among the lawyers to represent Tennessee congressmen Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson, who had been expelled from the Tennessee House of Representatives for leading a protest against guns on the floor of the House.
Honors and Awards
Holder has received a number of accolades for his storied career, including honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Boston University and his alma mater Columbia University. In 2012, he received the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award and the National Urban League's Living Legend Award.
Personal Life
In 1990, Holder married obstetrician and author Sharon Malone. Together, they have three children.
