Obituaries
Husband Of U.S. Sen. Feinstein, Richard Blum, Dies At 86
The longtime member of the University of California Board of Regents and husband of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, died Sunday evening.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA —Richard Blum, a longtime member of the University of California Board of Regents and husband of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, died Sunday evening after a long battle with cancer. He was 86.
Blum died at the family home, Feinstein announced Monday morning.
"My heart is broken today. My husband was my partner and best friend for more than 40 years," Feinstein said. "He was by my side for the good times and for the challenges. I am going to miss him terribly."
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Blum, who was chairman of Blum Capital Partners, an equity investment management firm, was a longtime friend of the Dalai Lama.
For decades, he focused much of his time on the people of the Himalayas, and founded the American Himalayan Foundation. His work centered on ending human trafficking, improving health care, providing elder and child care and promoting the region's vibrant culture, according to a release from Feinstein.
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He also founded the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley, that supports students in learning how to combat global poverty. That center was a model for Blum Centers at other UC campuses.
Blum served for nearly two decades on the University of California Board of Regents and was chairman emeritus of the board.
He also served as co-chairman of the World Conference on Religion and Peace; was a founding member of National Geographic's International Council of Advisors; was a trustee of the executive committee of The Carter Center; and sat on several boards including the World Wildlife Fund, the Wilderness Society, the Brookings Institution, the California Academy of Sciences and the Glide Foundation.
Blum was "incredibly devoted" to his family, 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."
In addition to Feinstein, Richard Blum is survived by his brother Robert; daughters Annette, Heidi and Eileen; stepdaughter Katherine and her husband Rick Mariano; and grandchildren Mitchell and Spencer Riley, Lea, Tristan, Julien and Benjamin Bourgade, and Eileen Mariano.
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