Henry L. Kimelman
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Henry Lee Kimelman | |
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Ernest Henry Preeg | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 21, 1921 West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | Donald Kimelman |
| Alma mater | New York University |
| Occupation | Businessman, diplomat |
Henry L. Kimelman (January 21, 1921 – November 9, 2009) was an American businessman, political adviser and diplomat.
The Kimelman family were Eastern European immigrants who settled in Brooklyn. His father, Sigmund, was a textile manufacturer. His mother's name was Caroline. They had three children: Benedict, Henry and Claire. The family were middle class until declaring bankruptcy during the Great Depression. Kimelman joined the Naval Reserves under the V7 Program as an officer. He was later attached with the Seabees in the Aleutian Islands. He attained the rank of Lieutenant (junior grade). He both married and graduated in 1943.
In 1948, Kimelman began ties with the U.S. Virgin Islands where through his father-in-law Sidney Kessler. Kessler was a businessman who owned a rum distillery and later expanded the hotel industry on St. Thomas. This was the beginning of Kimelman's lucrative career. He was president of the Virgin Isle Hotel, the largest resort in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, from 1950 to 1960. He was also chairman of the board and CEO of Island Block Corp. from 1955 to 1980, and chairman and CEO of the West Indies Corp. from 1969 to 1980.
His involvement in politics began with his appointment as a delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands to the
His political work for the Democratic Party landed him on the
He was the first US Ambassador to be awarded Haiti's highest civilian decoration, the Grand Cross of Honor and Merit. The Governor of the Virgin Islands proclaimed February 4, 1998, "Henry L. Kimelman Day." Ambassador Kimelman also has been honored by the government of Israel. In 2004, Dakota Wesleyan University awarded him an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters. He was co-chair of the Council of American Ambassadors, and chairman of its endowment fund.
References
- Henry L. Kimelman via Council of American Ambassadors
- Henry L. Kimelman via Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
- State Department information
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