Richard Blumenthal

Richard Blumenthal
Blumenthal in 2018
United States Senator from Connecticut
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2011 Serving with Chris Murphy
Preceded by	Chris Dodd
23rd Attorney General of Connecticut
In office January 9, 1991 – January 5, 2011
Governor	Lowell Weicker John Rowland Jodi Rell
Preceded by	Clarine Nardi Riddle
Succeeded by	George Jepsen
Member of the Connecticut Senate from the 27th district
In office November 4, 1987[1] – January 3, 1991
Preceded by	Anthony Truglia
Succeeded by	George Jepsen
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from the 145th district
In office April 11, 1984 – November 4, 1987
Preceded by	Anthony Truglia
Succeeded by	Nicholas Pavia
United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut
In office July 1977 – November 1, 1981
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Peter Dorsey
Succeeded by	Alan Nevas
Personal details
Born	(1946-02-13) February 13, 1946 (age 78) New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Cynthia Malkin ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	4, including Matt
Education	Harvard University (AB) Trinity College, Cambridge Yale University (JD)
Signature
Website	Senate website
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1970–1976
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
Richard Blumenthal's voice Richard Blumenthal on his support for the Inflation Reduction Act Recorded August 6, 2022

Richard Blumenthal^[a] (/ˈbluːmənθɑːl/ BLOO-mən-thahl; born February 13, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician who is the senior United States senator from Connecticut, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he is one of the wealthiest members of the Senate,^[4] with a net worth over $100 million.^[5] He was Attorney General of Connecticut from 1991 to 2011.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Blumenthal attended Riverdale Country School, a private school in the Bronx. He graduated from Harvard College, where he was chair of the editorial board of The Harvard Crimson. He studied for a year at Trinity College, Cambridge, in England before attending Yale Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal. From 1970 to 1976, Blumenthal served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, attaining the rank of sergeant. After law school, Blumenthal passed the bar and served as administrative assistant and law clerk for several Washington, D.C. figures. From 1977 to 1981, he was United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. In the early 1980s he worked in private law practice, including as volunteer counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Blumenthal served one term in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1985 to 1987; in 1986 he was elected to the Connecticut Senate and began service in 1987. He was elected Attorney General of Connecticut in 1990 and served for 20 years. During this period political observers speculated about him as a contender for governor of Connecticut, but he never pursued the office. Blumenthal announced his 2010 run for the U.S. Senate after incumbent Senator Chris Dodd announced his retirement. He faced Linda McMahon, a professional wrestling magnate, in the 2010 election, winning with 55% of the vote. He was sworn in on January 5, 2011. After Joe Lieberman retired in 2013, Blumenthal became Connecticut's senior senator. He was reelected in 2016 with 63.2% of the vote, becoming the first person to receive more than a million votes in a statewide election in Connecticut, and reelected again in 2022.

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