Alan John Blinken (born December 24, 1937) is an American businessman, political candidate, and former diplomat who served as the
United States Ambassador to Belgium from 1993 to 1997. Blinken was also the
Democratic
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
nominee in the
2002 United States Senate election in Idaho
The 2002 United States Senate election in Idaho took place on November 4, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Larry Craig won re-election to a third term.
Democratic primary Candidates
* Alan Blinken, former United States Ambassador to B ...
, losing to incumbent
Larry Craig.
Early life and education
Blinken was born on December 24, 1937, in New York City, the son of Ethel (Horowitz) and Maurice Blinken. His father was a Jewish immigrant from
Kyiv. His older brother
Donald M. Blinken
Donald Mayer Blinken (November 11, 1925 – September 22, 2022) was an American businessman and diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Hungary from 1994 to 1997. His son, Antony Blinken, is the current Secretary of State to Uni ...
, was also a diplomat. Blinken was raised in
Manhattan and
Yonkers, New York, and graduated from the
Horace Mann School. Blinken earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Harvard University. Blinken studied business and economics. His thesis advisor was
John Kenneth Galbraith.
Career
After graduating from Harvard, Blinken worked in the
financial services
Financial services are the Service (economics), economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, acco ...
industry, serving as
president of Model Roland & Co. and as
managing director of
Wertheim Schroder & Co. He was a
director of the Belgium-based
biopharmaceutical manufacturer
UCB. Blinken ran for the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
in Manhattan, but lost to Republican
John Ravitz
John Ravitz is a former member of the New York State Assembly. A liberal Republican, he represented a district in Manhattan from 1991 to 2002. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the New York State Senate in a special election on February 13, 200 ...
.
Blinken served as United States ambassador to Belgium from 1993 to 1997.
A longtime resident of the
Upper East Side, Blinken later relocated to
Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley is a resort city in the western United States, in Blaine County, Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in the Wood River valley. The population was 1406 at the 2010 census, down from 1427 in 2000.[Democratic
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...]
nominee for
United States Senate in
Idaho. He was defeated by incumbent
Republican Larry Craig.
Personal life
Blinken was married to Melinda Blinken (née Koch), the daughter of Hollywood producer
Howard W. Koch
Howard Winchel Koch (April 11, 1916 – February 16, 2001) was an American producer and director of film and television.
Life and career
Koch was born in New York City, the son of Beatrice (Winchel) and William Jacob Koch. His family was Jewish. ...
.
Blinken is the grandson of the Ukrainian-born writer
Meir Blinken, brother of
Donald M. Blinken
Donald Mayer Blinken (November 11, 1925 – September 22, 2022) was an American businessman and diplomat. He served as the United States Ambassador to Hungary from 1994 to 1997. His son, Antony Blinken, is the current Secretary of State to Uni ...
and uncle of the
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Blinken Auditorium at the Residential Academic Facility of
The Washington Center is named after him.
Blinken and his wife reside in
Ketchum, Idaho. In 2019, they hosted a fundraiser for then-candidate
Joe Biden.
See also
*
United States Ambassador to Belgium
*
Foreign relations of Belgium
Belgium is a country in Europe and member of major international organizations like the European Union and NATO which are both headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.
As a federal state, the Communities and Regions have their own foreign relations ...
References
External links
Bio on UCB's web site*
1937 births
Living people
Ambassadors of the United States to Belgium
Harvard University alumni
Idaho Democrats
American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Jewish American people in Ohio politics
Blinken family
Horace Mann School alumni
People from Sun Valley, Idaho
People from Ketchum, Idaho
21st-century American Jews
People from the Upper East Side
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