Birth of the Boys
Eric Himpton Holder Jr. was born January 1, 1951
the firstborn child to Eric Himpton Holder Sr. a native
of Barbados who arrived in the United States
of eleven and Miriam Yearwood Holder whose parents
were born in Barbados
William Yearwood Holder would be born.
Sibling Rivalry
What happens between the first two siblings depends on
a number of issues. The spacing between them and their
genders are the most important issues. If the spacing is
four years or more there is little interaction between them
and little sibling rivalry. With less than four years spacing
an attempt by the second born to dethrone the first born is
always possible. The Holder boys were closely spaced at
eighteen months so the stage was set for a the battle to take
the throne. This is the classic Cain and Abel story told in
the bible of brother against brother. Usually the firstborn
is better in school and the second born becomes the athlete
with more social skills. What happens when the firstborn is
both the student and athlete? Then the firstborn is very secure
and instead of having a conflict with his younger brother he
is supportive.
The Firstborn
There are several types of firstborns that develop in response
to the gender of the sibling younger them themselves. Each
tries to hold their position as top dog in the family hierarchy.
They all try to be high achievers in school. The firstborn child
tends to relate to the parent with the most power and this was
his father who was 21 years older than his mother. They also
enforce the family rules and are the leaders or CEO’s of the
birth order sequence. They try not to upset the establishment
or the way things are done. Firstborns don’t like to make
mistakes and when they do they tend to find excuses why they
were right. Making a mistake goes to their very core for as
children they were always suppose to be perfect. Firstborns
will follow the rules but would rather be the one that makes them.
Ricky and Billy Holder
These were the names given to the boys by their friends and
neighbors as they were growing up. In fourth grade Ricky or
Eric was given a test to identify gifted students and he went on
to study at another school leaving the school he shared with
his brother. Basketball and even baseball were both interests
to Eric (Ricky) and by ninth grade he was 6ft 3inches and had
a smooth three point shot and an easy dunk shot. I don’t know
how his younger brother reacted to his brother the high
achiever but it must have put Eric at ease with his position in
the family. Eric did comment that his younger brother was
much “cooler” them himself in his taste in clothes and music
and he had to work to be cool too. Eric described himself
as an “egg head”.
Middle Class Environment
The boys grew up in a middle class neighborhood in
transition during the time the boys were growing up.
It had been a Jewish community that slowly changed
to a predominantly black neighborhood. Today the
family home has a market value of $417,000 dollars.
The family had a new Cadillac every year so things
must have been good for the Holder family.
Most of his parent’s friends were from the Caribbean
Islands and their children first generation Americans.
This gave Eric a different slant on being Black as his
parent’s friends came from Islands where the majority
were Black. Fitting into the American Black experience
was a learned one for Eric.
Finding His Identity
In the fourth grade in his local school he was selected
to participate in a program for gifted students. From here
he went on to Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan
was huge his younger brother said as its students were
primarily white and Jewish. He graduated 363 in a class
of 721 boys. There is no question his younger brother was
not going to dethrone him academically. He has said he lived
in two worlds, the White world and White friends in school and
his Black friends and his Black world at home When in Jr.
High he read the autobiography of Malcolm X which gave him
a clearer view of life as a Black man. While in college he
played “big brother” to less advantaged Black children and
took them to NY City to show them what was outside their
world. He then went on to Columbia
basketball and was co-captain of his team. Got an AB degree
in History and a Law degree from Columbia
identified with the American Black experience when he married
the sister of Vivian Malone Jones who led the effort to
integrate the University of Alabama
Work History the Boys go in Different Directions
Eric worked for the NAACP legal Defense fund during the
Summer of his college years . After graduation he joined the
US Justice Department Public Integrity Section. Appointed
by President Ronald Reagan to serve as judge of the Superior
Court of the District of Columbia in 1988. Was Deputy
Attorney General under Janet Reno in the Clinton
administration. He became US Attorney for the District of
adviser to Barack Obama during his presidential campaign
and severed as its co-chair. In December 2008 he was
nominee for Attorney General under President Obama.
He became the 82nd Attorney General and the first African
American. His younger brother William became a Port
Authority Police Officer and retired in 1999. He now owns
six McDonald franchises and plays a lot of golf.
Controversies in His Career
Eric Holder the very nice man who just wants to follow the
rules and do things right has been involved in a number of
controversial decisions in his legal career. He was the
gatekeeper of the pardons under Clinton
Rosenberg and Linda Evans both former Weather
Underground members were pardoned. He also was involved
with the Mark Rich pardon. The fact that the Rich family had
given at least 1.5 million to Clinton
influence on getting his pardon. Holder was very involved in
the pardon of the 16 members of the Armed Forces of
National Liberation whose mission was to secure Puerto Rico ’s
independence. He has condemned the Guantanamo Bay
detention Center. On April 23, 2010 the Arizona
law was passed. In a May 13th house hearing he admitted that
he had not read the statute. Holder also dropped the case
against the Black Panther Party for voter intimidation.
Currently he is being questioned about the ATF program
“Fast and Furious” where guns were sold to straw buyers
who in turn transported them across the Mexican border to
the drug lords.
against the Black Panther Party for voter intimidation.
Currently he is being questioned about the ATF program
“Fast and Furious” where guns were sold to straw buyers
who in turn transported them across the Mexican border to
the drug lords.
How will Eric Holder Address his Current Controversies?
Because of his birth order we have unmasked his real
personality. The firstborn that does not want to be
confrontational and carry out the requests of his superior.
Look for him to not take direct responsibility for anything.
He will have a lapse of memory or someone else was in
charge. His nice guy helpful nature landed him the top
spot in the justice department but it is Eric who will have
to take a stand or stand down.
charge. His nice guy helpful nature landed him the top
spot in the justice department but it is Eric who will have
to take a stand or stand down.
Dr. Robert V.V. Hurst is the author of Life’s Fingerprint: How
Birth Order Affects Your Path Throughout Life. Find out more
about birth order and how it will help you unmask your
