Richard Blum, the husband of California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer. He was 86.
Feinstein announced her husband’s death in a statement Monday morning that said her “heart is broken today.”
She said her husband, a wealthy San Francisco investor, “left things better than he found them” and was devoted to his family. She described his work for the people of the Himalayas and noted he was a longtime friend of the Dalai Lama.
“My husband was my partner and best friend for more than 40 years,” Feinstein said in the statement.
“He was by my side for the good times and for the challenges. I am going to miss him terribly.”
Other California fixtures also expressed their admiration for Blum.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represents San Francisco, said Blum was a “dear friend, a devoted philanthropist and a proud San Franciscan” who was a donor to arts and anti-hunger programs in the city.
As a philanthropist, Blum served on the boards of The Carter Center, the American Himalayan Foundation, The World Conference of Religions for Peace and the Richard C. Blum Center for developing economies at the University of California, Berkeley.
Like his wife, Blum also ventured into policymaking. He served on the board of the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan organization known for churning out policy proposals.
By profession, Blum was the chairman of Blum Capital Partners, an equity investment management firm. He is also the former chairman of the University of California Board of Regents and a former chairman of the advisory board for the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He served on former President Barack Obama’s Global Development Council.
Blum, rumored to be a billionaire, also became known for patronizing the arts in California. He made high-profile donations to the Asian Art Museum Creative Visions Foundation, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the famous Geffen Playhouse.
Feinstein has missed votes in recent weeks as her husband’s health declined, contributing to Democrats’ fragile 50-50 majority. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., is also absent after suffering a stroke in January. He is expected to return in the coming weeks, ahead of an expected April vote on Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Following her hand’s death, Feinstein has once again become the subject about rumors of early retirement. At 88, she currently ranks as the oldest sitting senator.
She’ll turn 91 by the end of her current term. Should she run for reelection, she would turn 97 before the end of that term.
Feinstein and her staff have refused to comment on her plans for re-election. Her staff has filed for reelection with the Federal Elections Commission, but a staff spokesperson attributed this filing to a legal technicality.
“all senators must maintain a campaign committee, whether they plan to run again or not,” Feinstein’s communications director told SFGate over email last year. “It doesn’t speak to the senator’s future plans at all.”
Read Feinstein’s full press release here —
Richard Blum was chairman of Blum Capital Partners, an equity investment management firm, but his true passion was outside the office.
For decades, Blum focused much of his time on the people of the Himalayas, founding the American Himalayan Foundation and deeply impacting the lives of thousands of people in the region. His work focused on ending human trafficking, improving health care, providing elder and child care and promoting the region’s vibrant culture. A longtime friend of the Dalai Lama, Blum is an honorary consul of Nepal.
Blum also founded the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley, that supports students in learning how to combat global poverty and served as a model for similar Blum Centers at other UC campuses.
For nearly two decades Blum served as a member of 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.
In addition to Senator 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.
The Horn News and The Associated Press contributed to this article.