Photo: Jeff Chiu/AP/Shutterstock
The husband of Sen.Dianne Feinstein, Richard Blum, died Sunday “after a long battle with cancer,“she said in a statement. He was 86.
Feinstein, 88, and Blum were married in 1980.
“Jill and I were saddened to learn of the passing of Dick Blum, a successful businessman, humanitarian, and proud son of California who dedicated much of his public life to fighting poverty around the globe,” PresidentJoe Bidensaid in his own statement, referring to Blum as a “friend” and a “man of personal decency and generosity.”
Blum was the chairman of anequity investment management firm and and founded theAmerican Himalayan Foundation(AHF) in 1981.
“AHF’s mission was to help the Sherpas and people across the Himalaya who had nowhere else to turn,” the organization said in astatement about Blum’s death. “Through his committed leadership, 40 years later, AHF continues that work in health, education, and environmental and cultural preservation.”
Feinstein called the creation of AHF “one of his proudest achievements.”
“His compassion and devotion to the people of the Himalayan region may prove to be his most enduring legacy,” she said. “His friendship with the Dalai Lama helped shape us.”
Blum also servedas a member of the University of California Board of Regents for nearly two decades — a role which clouded him in controversy late in his life.
In 2020, state auditors said he played a “particularly problematic” role in the college admissions scandal that resulted in charges against celebrities, business leaders, college coaches and parents of students. But Blum seemed unconcerned about helping students get accepted into the University of California school system, calling his involvement “much ado about nothing.”
“I did it a bunch of times,“Blum said at the time. “Usually [for] friends. My cousin’s brother wanted to get into Davis. They’d send me a letter and tell me why it’s a good kid, and I’ll send it on to the chancellor. Been doing it forever.”
Richard Blum and Sen. Dianne Feinstein.Sal Veder/AP/Shutterstock
“Dick was incredibly devoted to his family, particularly his daughters and his grandchildren, and my heart is with them and everyone who Dick encountered,” Feinstein said. “He was the type of man who really replaced his divot in life, who left things better than he found them. His enormous generosity is an inspiration for so many of us.”
Vice PresidentKamala Harris, who served as a California senator alongside Feinstein, also released a statement about Blum’s death.
“Over the years, I always appreciated Dick’s compassion and boundless energy,” Harris said. “Today, the Second Gentleman and I are holding Senator Feinstein and her family in our hearts and prayers.”
Feinstein is the oldest sitting U.S. senator. She filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission in 2021, which seemed to indicate she would run for a sixth term in 2024, though a spokesperson said then that the filing was merelyan administrative movethat “doesn’t speak to the senator’s future plans at all.” (Some members of her party haveincreasingly suggestedshe retire, given her age — a controversial subject of its own.)
Blum was Feinstein’s third husband.
“We have a hole in our hearts that will never be filled,” she said in her statement. “Dick, we love you, we’ll miss you and we’ll continue to celebrate everything you accomplished during an amazing life.”
source: people.com
