Blumenthal, Richard, 1946-

Richard Blumenthal (born February 13, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as a U.S. Senator from Connecticut since 2011.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Blumenthal attended Riverdale Country School before earning an A.B. from Harvard College, where he was editor-in-chief of The Harvard Crimson, studying for a year at Trinity College, Cambridge, and earning a J.D. from 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 including Senator Abraham Ribicoff and Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun. 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 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.