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W. Michael Blumenthal

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Werner Michael Blumenthal
Born (1926-01-03) January 3, 1926 (age 100)
Oranienburg, Weimar Republic
Occupation(s)Economist, business executive, political advisor
Years active1950s–present
Known forUnited States Secretary of the Treasury (1977–1979)

Werner Michael Blumenthal (born January 3, 1926) is a German-American economist, business executive, and political advisor who held the position of United States Secretary of the Treasury during President Jimmy Carter's administration from 1977 to 1979.

At the age of thirteen, Blumenthal and his Jewish family fled Nazi Germany in 1939. Throughout World War II, they resided in the Shanghai Ghetto under Japanese control until 1947. Subsequently, he relocated to San Francisco, where he took on various jobs to finance his education, ultimately earning degrees in international economics from both University of California, Berkeley and Princeton University. His professional journey encompasses prominent roles in business as well as public service.

Prior to his cabinet appointment under Carter, Blumenthal had established himself as a successful business figure and served in administrative capacities under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. During his tenure in the Carter administration, he played a key role in shaping economic policy and contributed to the renewal of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China. After stepping down, he became chairman and CEO of both Burroughs Corporation and Unisys, later leading the revitalized Jewish Museum in Berlin for seventeen years. He authored The Invisible Wall (1998) and From Exile to Washington: A Memoir of Leadership in the Twentieth Century (2013). Blumenthal holds the distinction of being the oldest surviving former member of the U.S. Cabinet.

Early life and education

Born in Oranienburg, Weimar Republic (modern-day Germany), Blumenthal was the son of Rose Valerie (née Markt) and Ewald Blumenthal, proprietors of a small dress shop.[1] His family had resided in Oranienburg since the 16th century.[2] The implementation of the Nazi Nuremberg Laws in 1935 endangered their safety.[3] At twelve years old, he witnessed Kristallnacht in 1938:

His father was detained by the Gestapo and incarcerated at Buchenwald concentration camp, where countless Jews lost their lives. To secure his father's release, his mother sold their dress store for a fraction of its value.[4]

With scarce resources, his mother purchased tickets for Shanghai, China—one of the few ports open without visa requirements. They escaped Germany shortly before the outbreak of World War II in 1939,[5] bringing only essential belongings and no money.[6] Blumenthal later described their journey through British-controlled ports that denied entry to Jewish refugees.[7]

Anticipating a short stay, they instead found themselves confined within the Shanghai Ghetto alongside approximately 20,000 other Jewish refugees during Japanese occupation for eight years.[8]

During this time, Blumenthal observed extreme hardship and widespread hunger.[9] To help support his family, he earned one dollar per week by working as a cleaner at a chemical plant.[10]

His education was sporadic amid these challenges; his parents divorced due to mounting pressures.[11] He acquired English at a British-run school and also learned some Chinese, French, and Portuguese.[12]

Following the end of World War II in 1945 and the arrival of American forces in Shanghai, Blumenthal utilized his language abilities working as a warehouse assistant for the U.S. Air Force.[13] By 1947, he and his sister secured U.S. visas after being denied entry elsewhere.[14]

They arrived in San Francisco with just $200 and no acquaintances.[15] Despite limited formal schooling and refugee status, he was determined to progress:

Education

Blumenthal began his career working full-time as a billing clerk at the National Biscuit Company, earning $40 weekly. While attending San Francisco City College, he supported himself through part-time employment. He later graduated with a B.S. in international economics from the University of California, Berkeley in 1951, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and met his future wife, Margaret Eileen Polley. In 1952, he obtained U.S. citizenship through naturalization.

Awarded a scholarship to the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, he completed a Master of Arts, a Master of Public Affairs (both in 1953), and earned his Ph.D. in economics by 1956. His doctoral research examined labor-management relations within the German steel sector. During this period, he also served as an economics instructor at Princeton and acted as a labor arbitrator in New Jersey.

Career

In 1957, Blumenthal began his tenure at Crown Cork, advancing to vice president and director by 1961. That same year, after registering as a Democrat, he relocated to Washington, D.C., to serve as deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs under President John F. Kennedy. He continued in an advisory role during President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration, which appointed him U.S. Ambassador and lead negotiator for the Kennedy Round of GATT discussions—significant multilateral trade negotiations where he earned a reputation as a formidable negotiator.

Blumenthal shifted to the private sector in 1967 when he became chairman and CEO of Bendix Corporation. Under his leadership, sales nearly doubled to approximately $3 billion by 1976, with Bendix gaining recognition as one of the top five best-managed companies in the United States.

Appointed by President Jimmy Carter, Blumenthal served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1977 to 1979, receiving unanimous Senate confirmation. Although Carter respected his business expertise, Blumenthal was not part of the president’s core advisory group and shared economic policymaking duties with others closer to Carter, which limited his overall impact. His tenure focused on addressing inflation—which escalated significantly during this period—and managing currency pressures amid international speculation targeting the U.S. dollar.

In 1979, Blumenthal became the first American Cabinet member to visit China following U.S. recognition of its Communist government. Drawing on his background in Shanghai, he effectively promoted diplomatic engagement and communicated U.S. objections concerning China's military actions in Vietnam.

After facing economic challenges and changes within the cabinet, Blumenthal resigned in July 1979. He joined Burroughs Corporation as vice chairman in 1980 and was named chairman following its merger with Sperry Corporation, which formed Unisys Corporation in 1986. He remained CEO of Unisys until 1990 before moving on to become a limited partner at investment bank Lazard Freres & Company and returning to teach economics at Princeton.

In 2016, Blumenthal joined six other former Treasury secretaries in advocating for the United Kingdom to remain within the European Union ahead of its membership referendum.

Jewish Museum of Berlin

In 1997, Blumenthal was appointed as the inaugural director of the Jewish Museum Berlin located in Germany's capital city. He took on the positions of president and CEO, spearheading the revival of the institution, which was initially established in 1933 but was shut down by the Nazi government in 1938. The museum chronicles two millennia of German-Jewish heritage, including The Holocaust, and stands as Europe's largest Jewish museum. Blumenthal guided the initiative until 2014, managing its development and official opening in 2001. His stewardship garnered considerable recognition both within Germany and internationally. In acknowledgment of his efforts, he received Germany's Senior Medals of Merit in 1999 and again in 2006.

Personal life

Blumenthal wed Margaret Eileen Polley during their college years; together they had three daughters: Ann, Jill, and Jane.

He presently lives in Princeton, New Jersey with his second wife, Barbara (née Bennett), with whom he shares a son named Michael.

In 2008, Blumenthal served as a delegate at the Democratic National Convention, endorsing then-Senator Barack Obama.

He appears in the 2020 film documentary Harbor from the Holocaust.

Awards and honors

  • Honored with The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.
  • Received the Horatio Alger Award from the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans in 1980.
  • Awarded the Leo Baeck Medal for humanitarian achievements and the Grand Cross of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany in 1999.
  • Earned the Goethe Medal, Culture Prize of Berlin, and Berlin's Medal of Merit in 2002.
  • Granted the Lucius D. Clay Medal and Roland Berger Prize for Human Dignity in 2013.
  • Received the Nachama Prize recognizing Tolerance and Civil Courage in 2014.
  • Awarded the Jewish Museum Berlin's Prize for Tolerance and Understanding in 2015.
  • Named honorary citizen of both Berlin (2015) and Oranienburg.
  • Holds multiple honorary doctorates from prominent universities across the United States.
  • Recipient of Princeton University's Madison Medal for Outstanding Public Service in 1979.

See also

External links

  1. ↑ Current Biography Yearbook
  2. ↑ People
  3. ↑ Princeton
  4. ↑ Chesnoff, Richard Z., Pack of Thieves, Anchor Books (1999) p. 20
  5. ↑ Princeton
  6. ↑ Princeton
  7. ↑ Princeton
  8. ↑ People
  9. ↑ People
  10. ↑ Princeton
  11. ↑ People
  12. ↑ Katz & Vencill
  13. ↑ Princeton
  14. ↑ Kaufman & Kaufman
  15. ↑ Kaufman & Kaufman
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