Alan Blinken facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alan Blinken
United States Ambassador to Belgium
In office July 25, 1993 – December 27, 1997
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Bruce Gelb
Succeeded by	Paul L. Cejas
Personal details
Born	Alan John Blinken (1937-12-24) December 24, 1937 (age 87) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Melinda Koch
Children	4
Relatives	Meir Blinken (grandfather) Donald M. Blinken (brother) Antony Blinken (nephew)
Residences	Ketchum, Idaho, U.S.
Education	Harvard University (BA)

Alan John Blinken was born on December 24, 1937. He is an American businessman and a former diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in another country. Blinken served as the United States Ambassador to Belgium from 1993 to 1997. He was also a candidate for the United States Senate in Idaho in 2002.

Early Life and Education

Alan Blinken was born in New York City on December 24, 1937. His parents were Ethel (Horowitz) and Maurice Blinken. His father was a Jewish immigrant from Kyiv, Ukraine. Alan's older brother, Donald M. Blinken, also became a diplomat.

Alan grew up in Manhattan and Yonkers, New York. He went to the Horace Mann School. After high school, he studied at Harvard University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard. Blinken focused his studies on business and economics.

Career Highlights

After finishing college, Blinken worked in the financial world. He was the president of a company called Model Roland & Co. He also worked as a managing director at Wertheim Schroder & Co. A managing director is a senior leader in a company.

Blinken was also a director for UCB, a biopharmaceutical company based in Belgium. He once ran for a political office in New York, but he did not win.

From 1993 to 1997, Alan Blinken served as the United States Ambassador to Belgium. This means he was the top representative for the U.S. in Belgium.

Later, Blinken moved to Sun Valley, Idaho. In 2002, he ran for the United States Senate in Idaho. He was the candidate for the Democratic Party. However, he lost the election to the person who was already in office, Larry Craig.

Family and Personal Life

Alan Blinken was married to Melinda Blinken, whose maiden name was Koch. Her father, Howard W. Koch, was a Hollywood producer.

His father, Maurice Blinken, was an early supporter of the creation of Israel. He founded an organization called the American Palestine Institute.

Alan Blinken is the grandson of a writer named Meir Blinken. He is also the brother of Donald M. Blinken. His nephew is Antony Blinken, who later became the United States Secretary of State.

An auditorium at The Washington Center is named after Alan Blinken. It is called Blinken Auditorium. Alan and Melinda Blinken lived in Ketchum, Idaho. In 2019, they hosted an event to help raise money for Joe Biden when he was running for president.

Election Results

Here are the results from some of the elections Alan Blinken participated in:

See Also

• United States Ambassador to Belgium
• Foreign relations of Belgium

External Links

• Bio on UCB's web site