US civil rights activist Vernon Jordan dies at 85

Vernon Jordan, a civil rights leader and close adviser to former US President Bill Clinton, has passed away at age of 85 on Monday (local time), CNN reported citing sources.

Jordan, born on August 15, 1935, studied law at Howard University and started his career fighting segregation, beginning with a lawsuit against University of Georgia's integration policy in 1961.

He worked as a field director for the NAACP and as a director of the Southern Regional Council for the Voter Education Project before he became president of the president of the National Urban League, CNN reported.

It further reported that Jordan's closest political friendship was with former US President Bill Clinton and his spouse Hillary Clinton, advising the former President during his 1992 Presidential campaign and acting as an outside adviser to his friend. He remained close to the Clintons for the next decades, endorsing both of Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaigns.

( With inputs from ANI )