Donald M. Blinken

Donald Blinken
Born	(1925-11-11) November 11, 1925 Yonkers, New York, U.S.
Died	September 22, 2022(2022-09-22) (aged 96) East Hampton, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, diplomat
Years active	1956–1997
Known for	Founding partner of Warburg Pincus; United States Ambassador to Hungary (1994–1997)

Donald Mayer Blinken (November 11, 1925 – September 22, 2022) was a prominent American entrepreneur and diplomat. He was a founding partner of the private equity firm Warburg Pincus and led the board of the State University of New York from 1978 until 1990. Blinken also held the post of United States Ambassador to Hungary between 1994 and 1997. His son, Antony Blinken, served as the seventy-first United States Secretary of State during President Joe Biden’s administration.

Early life and education

Blinken was born in Yonkers, New York, the son of Maurice Blinken, an early advocate for Israel who established the American Palestine Institute to promote U.S. support for the founding of Israel. Coming from a Jewish heritage, his father escaped the pogroms in the Russian Empire. His grandfather was the writer Meir Blinken. He had two siblings, Alan and Robert.

He grew up between New York City and Yonkers and attended the Horace Mann School. After serving in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II, he earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard University in 1948, graduating magna cum laude.

Career, Philanthropy, and Public Service

In 1966, Blinken co-established E. M. Warburg Pincus & Company, a private equity firm based in New York, where he held roles as director and chairman of the board.

His interest in art collecting began after meeting Mark Rothko in 1956. Blinken served as president of the Mark Rothko Foundation from 1976 to 1989. In 1984, under his leadership, the foundation donated approximately 1,000 artworks to various museums, including the National Gallery of Art, where he was also a member of the trustee council.

Blinken’s philanthropic engagements included serving as president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (1970–1976), membership on the executive committee of the New York Public Library, chairmanship of the Commentary Publication Committee within the American Jewish Committee, and vice-chairmanship of the New York Philharmonic Symphony Society.

Governor Hugh Carey appointed him to the State University of New York board of trustees in 1976; he became chairman two years later. He stepped down in 1989 following disagreements over budget matters with Governor Mario Cuomo.

During President Jimmy Carter’s administration, Blinken participated on a special nomination panel for appointments to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Later, President Bill Clinton named him U.S. Ambassador to Hungary in 1994, a role he fulfilled until 1997. Between 2000 and 2004, he was secretary-general of the World Federation of United Nations Associations.

Personal life

Blinken resided at the River House and in East Hampton, New York.

He married Judith Frehm in 1958; they divorced in 1971. In 1975, he wed Vera Evans, a Holocaust survivor from Hungary who co-wrote a memoir published in 2009 recounting her escape from Communist Hungary and their return during his diplomatic tenure. In recognition of their substantial donation, Hungary’s Open Society Archives was renamed the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives in 2015.

His son from his first marriage, Antony Blinken, held office as United States Secretary of State under President Joe Biden.

Donald Blinken passed away at age 96 on September 22, 2022, in East Hampton.

External links

• Collection of Donald M. Blinken Papers, 1969–2003. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York.