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Alan Blinken

Alan Blinken
United States Ambassador to Belgium
In office
July 25, 1993 – December 27, 1997
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byBruce Gelb
Succeeded byPaul L. Cejas
Personal details
Born
Alan John Blinken

(1937-12-24) December 24, 1937 (age 87)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMelinda Koch
Children4
RelativesMeir Blinken (grandfather)
Donald M. Blinken (brother)
Antony Blinken (nephew)
Residence(s)Ketchum, Idaho, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (BA)

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 nominee in the 2002 United States Senate election in Idaho, losing to incumbent Larry Craig.[1]

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, 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.[1]

Career

After graduating from Harvard, Blinken worked in the financial services 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 in Manhattan, but lost to Republican John Ravitz.[2]

Blinken served as United States ambassador to Belgium from 1993 to 1997.[3]

A longtime resident of the Upper East Side, Blinken later relocated to Sun Valley, Idaho. In 2002, he was the Democratic nominee for United States Senate in Idaho. He was defeated by incumbent Republican Larry Craig.[4]

Personal life

Blinken was married to Melinda Blinken (née Koch), the daughter of Hollywood producer Howard W. Koch.[5]

His father, Maurice Blinken, was an early backer of Israel and founded the American Palestine Institute which helped persuade the United States to back the creation of Israel. [6][7][8]

Blinken is the grandson of the Ukrainian-born writer Meir Blinken, brother of Donald M. Blinken 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.[9]

Blinken and his wife resided in Ketchum, Idaho. In 2019, they hosted a fundraiser for then-candidate Joe Biden.[10]

Election history

1990 New York State Assembly election, 66th district[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican John Ravitz 12,841 54.15
Democratic Alan Blinken 10,873 45.85
Majority 1,968 8.3
Turnout 23,714
Republican gain from Democratic
2002 U.S. Senate election in Idaho[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Larry Craig (incumbent) 266,215 65.16% +8.14%
Democratic Alan Blinken 132,975 32.55% −7.36%
Libertarian Donovan Bramwell 9,354 2.29%
Majority 133,240 32.61% +15.50%
Turnout 408,544
Republican hold Swing

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR ALAN J. BLINKEN" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-11-23. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Our Campaigns - NY Assembly 66 Race - Nov 06, 1990".
  3. ^ Preusch, Matthew (2002-03-13). "National Briefing | Northwest: Idaho: Senate Hopeful Cites Jobs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  4. ^ Egan, Timothy (2002-08-11). "Ex-New Yorker Takes Senate Hopes to Idaho (Published 2002)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  5. ^ "Howard Koch, 84, Producer and Director (Published 2001)". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2001-02-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  6. ^ "Appointments". State. 375 (March 1994): 10.
  7. ^ "Donald M. Blinken Papers, 1969–2003". Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  8. ^ "Maurice Blinken, 86; Early Backer of Israel". The New York Times. July 15, 1986.
  9. ^ Klein, David Ian (November 23, 2020). "Tony Blinken: advocate for Israel's Iron Dome, formed by a story of Holocaust rescue". The Forward. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  10. ^ Russell, Betsy Z. (31 July 2019). "Joe Biden visiting Idaho next week". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  11. ^ "2002 ELECTION STATISTICS". Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic Party nominee, U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Idaho
2002 (lost) 		Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United States Ambassador to Belgium
1993-1997 		Succeeded by


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