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Jim Hormel
2006 Icon



Diplomat/Philanthropist

b. January 1, 1933
d. August 13, 2021
 
"I learned in the civil rights era that nobody gives you anything - you have to fight for it. The same is true of our effort today to bring equality to all Americans."
 
Jim Hormel was a philanthropist, a community leader, and the first openly gay United States ambassador.
 
When Hormel sought to become an American ambassador, he had no idea it would take years and a bruising political battle to achieve his goal. Ironically, he had enough votes from both Democrats and Republicans to win confirmation, but three anti-gay Senators repeatedly blocked his nomination from coming to a vote.
 
At the same time, special interests launched a slanderous public campaign against him. The Senate never voted, but President Clinton made Hormel U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg in a 1999 recess appointment.
 
Following Hormel's appointment, the State Department made major revisions to its regulations, including measures that for the first time allowed gay Foreign Service officers to bring their partners on overseas assignments.
 
Jim Hormel was born in Austin, Minnesota on January 1, 1933. He graduated from Swarthmore College and served on its Board of Managers. He earned a JD degree from the University of Chicago Law School and later served as its Assistant Dean and Dean of Students.
 
Hormel served as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1995 and to the United Nations General Assembly in 1996. He was also active in Democratic politics and served several times as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Hormel sat on the boards of several national and Bay Area (California) political and cultural institutions. He was chairman of Equidex, Inc., a family-run investment firm.
 
Hormel's philanthropy and activism centered on promoting human rights and equality. In 1995, he established the James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center at the new San Francisco Main Public Library, which houses one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of LGBTQ literature. 
 
Hormel died in August 2021 after a two-week hospital stay. The New York Times published his obiturary.