Wikipedia:
Richard C. Blum |
Richard C. Blum is an investment banker and the husband of United States Senator from California Dianne Feinstein. He is the Chairman and President of Blum Capital Partners, L.P., an equity investment management firm that acts as general partner for various investment partnerships and provides investment advisory services. He founded the firm in 1975. He also owns 75% of the voting stock in Perini. Blum is also chair of the University of California Board of Regents and a Director of several companies, including CB Richard Ellis.
Education
He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his B.S. in business administration in 1958, and an MBA in 1959, both degrees coming from the Haas School of Business.
Conflict of Interest with Wife in Congress
Blum's wife, Senator Dianne Feinstein, has received scrutiny due to husband Richard Blum's government contracts and extensive business dealings with China and her past votes on trade issues with the country.[citation needed] Blum has denied any wrongdoing, however. [1] Critics have argued that business contracts with the US government awarded to a company (Perini) controlled by Blum may raise a potential conflict of issue with the voting and policy activities of his wife. [2] However, these charges have never been substantiated.
Boards
On March 12, 2002, Blum was appointed by California Governor Gray Davis to a 12-year term as one of the Regents of the University of California. Blum also serves on the boards of the following companies:
- CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. (Chairman)
- Newbridge Capital, LLC (co-Chairman)
- Glenborough Realty Trust
Blum has a strong interest in Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism. In 1981 he attempted to climb Mount Everest from the Tibetan side with Sir Edmund Hillary. He is the Chairman and founder of the American Himalayan Foundation, which has given millions of dollars to build hospitals and schools in Tibet and Nepal.
In addition to the AHF, Blum’s not-for-profit endeavors include service as Trustee of The Carter Center; member of the Board of Trustees of The Brookings Institution; Co-Chairman of the The World Conference of Religions for Peace; Director at the World Wildlife Fund; Member of Governing Council of the Wilderness Society; and Member of the Board of Trustees of the American Cancer Society Foundation.
References
- Biographical sketch in the San Francisco Chronicle
- Blum Capital Partners, L.P.
- Blum Biography at the University of California
- Richard Blum hones art of upping shareholder value. Loren Steffy; Bloomberg News; August 4, 2002.
External links
- Senator Feinstein's Iraq Conflict: Feinstein voted for appropriations worth billions to her husband's firms Peter Byrne, North Bay Bohemian, Jan. 24, 2007.
- Blum's Plums: Conflicts of interest benefitted Blum's firms during his term as a UC Regent Peter Byrne, North Bay Bohemian, Feb. 21, 2007.
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