Maurice Tempelsman

Last updated
Maurice Tempelsman
Maurice Tempelsman Photo.jpg
Maurice Tempelsman in December 2012
Born (1929-08-26) August 26, 1929 (age 95)
Antwerp, Kingdom of Belgium
NationalityBelgian-American
Alma mater New York University
Occupation(s)Businessman, diamond merchant
Known for
Spouse
Lilly Bucholz
​
​
(m. 1949;sep. 1984)​
Partner Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1980–1994; her death)
Children3

Maurice Tempelsman (born August 26, 1929) is a Belgian-American businessman, a diamond magnate and merchant. [2] [3] He was the longtime companion of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, former First Lady of the United States.

Contents

Early life

Tempelsman was born on August 26, 1929, in Antwerp, Belgium, the son of Leon and Helene Tempelsman, both Orthodox Jews, [4] in a Yiddish-speaking family in Antwerp's Jewish community. [3] In 1940, Tempelsman and his family emigrated to the United States to escape persecution by Nazi Germany during World War II. When he was 16, Tempelsman began working for his father, a diamond broker. [3] He attended New York City's public schools and New York University. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Business interests

In 1950, Tempelsman created a new marketing niche by persuading the US government to stockpile African diamonds for industrial and military purposes, with him as middleman. In 1957, at the age of 27, he and his lawyer, Adlai Stevenson, traveled to Africa, where Tempelsman had begun forging ties with leaders. His contacts eventually ranged from South African anti-apartheid politician Oliver Tambo to Zaire's kleptocratic dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko and the influential Oppenheimer diamond family. Declassified memos and cables between former U.S. presidents and State Department officials from the 50's to the 90's have named Tempelsman with direct input in the destabilization of Congo, Sierra Leone, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Rwanda and Ghana. [10] He was involved in the overthrow of Ghana's first elected president, Kwame Nkrumah, the CIA-backed assassination of Congo's first-elected president, Patrice Lumumba and cover-up of CIA covert support of the former president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mobuto Sese Seko. [10]

Tempelsman is chairman of the board of directors of Lazare Kaplan International Inc. (LKI), the largest diamond company in the United States, noted for its "ideal cut" diamonds sold worldwide under the brand name, Lazare Diamonds. [11] [12] [13] Tempelsman is one of fewer than 90 "sightholders" in the world, which means that 10 times a year he is permitted to buy diamonds directly from the powerful De Beers cartel in the City of London. Because DeBeers was a virtual monopoly, for many years it could not operate legally in the United States.

Maurice Tempelsman sitting at a table with Nicolae Ceausescu (not in this detail of the photo) in Romania July 1974. Maurice Tempelsman.jpg
Maurice Tempelsman sitting at a table with Nicolae Ceausescu (not in this detail of the photo) in Romania July 1974.

He is also a general partner of Leon Tempelsman & Son, an investment company specializing in real estate and venture capital. [15]

Philanthropic and political activities

Tempelsman maintains relations with political and business leaders, in particular government leaders in Africa and Russia, and leading figures in the U.S. Democratic Party. [2] [11] His extensive political contacts and monetary contributions often provide him with access and prestige in those markets, as was the case during the presidency of Bill Clinton. [2] [16] From 1993 to 1997, Tempelsman visited the White House at least ten times, met privately with Hillary Clinton on two occasions, vacationed with the Clintons and the Kennedy family in Martha's Vineyard, and flew to Moscow and back with President Clinton on Air Force One. [2] [7]

In Southern Africa, Tempelsman has played a key role in negotiations between hostile governments and companies engaging in diamond exploration. He met with Mobutu Sese Seko, to assist the regime's business dealings with De Beers. In the 1960s Tempelsman hired as his business agent the CIA station chief in Kinshasa, Larry Devlin, who helped put Mobutu in power and afterward served as his personal adviser. [17] [18] From March 3, 1977, Tempelsman briefly held the title of honorary consul general for Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), at the DRC's consular offices in New York City. [19] In addition to the DRC, Tempelsman has played a key role in the diamond industries of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and Sierra Leone. [20] [21] [22] [23]

Tempelsman served as chairman of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) from 1999 to 2002 and again from 2007 to 2008, after which he was named chairman emeritus. [24] An example of his work with the CCA involved assisting government leaders with establishing the New Partnership for Africa's Development. [25] Tempelsman was a board member of the Southern African Enterprise Development Fund, and past chairman and long-serving board member of the Africa-America Institute. [26]

Tempelsman is a trustee of the Eurasia Foundation, [27] and a director of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, [28] the Center for National Policy, the Business Council for International Understanding, and the U.S.-Russia Business Council. [9]

He is chairman of the International Advisory Council of the Harvard School of Public Health's AIDS Initiative, [29] and is an honorary trustee and an honorary member of the corporation of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Tempelsman is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was named a visitor to the Department of Classical Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. A director of the Academy of American Poets, Tempelsman also serves as a trustee of the New York University Institute of Fine Arts, and on Lenox Hill Hospital's advisory board. He has served on several Presidential Commissions including the President's Commission for the Observance of Human Rights, the Citizen's advisory board of Youth Opportunities and the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee, and was appointed to the New York Council on International Business. [9]

Looted Morgantina acroliths

In 1980, Tempelsman bought, for $1 million, two 500 BC acroliths representing Demeter and Persephone; the pieces consisted of two marble heads, three feet, and three hands. Tempelsman purchased them from the later-infamous art dealer Robin Symes. The Italian government first claimed the items when they were displayed in a 1988 exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu; the museum had listed them as belonging to a private collector. [30] The Italian authorities determined that they were looted from Morgantina, and smuggled into Switzerland, where they were acquired by Symes. They were finally repatriated to the archeological museum of Aidone in 2007, after being on exhibit for five years at the Fralin Museum of Art, part of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. [31] Putatively, in 2005, Tempelsman donated the pieces to the university museum, and the restitution to Italy was mediated by the university's archeology professor Malcolm Bell III. [32] [33]

Personal life

Marriage and children

Tempelsman has adult children by his wife Lilly Bucholz, who had also fled Antwerp with her family. They were married in 1949. [3] Their daughter, Rena, is the widow of Robert Speisman, an executive vice president of Lazare Kaplan International Inc. who died on board American Airlines Flight 77, when the aircraft crashed into The Pentagon during the September 11 attacks. [34]

Tempelsman and Bucholz formally separated in 1984. According to People , Bucholz and Tempelsman never legally divorced. [4]

Relationship with Jacqueline Onassis

Tempelsman was the longtime companion of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. [2] [35] Maurice and Lilly Tempelsman were guests at the State Dinner given at Mount Vernon, Virginia in honor of the President Ayub Khan of Pakistan in 1961. The two began their lengthy relationship in 1980, five years after the death of Jacqueline Onassis' second husband Aristotle Onassis. [11] [36] In 1988, Tempelsman moved into Onassis's Fifth Avenue penthouse apartment in New York City. [4]

During their relationship, he handled Onassis's finances, quadrupling the $26 million that was secured from her late husband's estate. [37] The couple frequently took walks through Central Park and were photographed doing so in the days preceding her death from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma at age 64 on May 19, 1994. [38] At Onassis's funeral Mass, Tempelsman read Constantine P. Cavafy's poem Ithaca , one of her favorites, and concluded by saying: "And now the journey is over, too short, alas, too short. It was filled with adventure and wisdom, laughter and love, gallantry and grace. So farewell, farewell." [3] [39]

Tempelsman was one of two executors of the will that she had drawn up with her long-time attorney, Alexander D. Forger. [37] She left him a "Greek alabaster head of a woman" and named Tempelsman to be a co‑chair of a charitable organization, the C & J Foundation. [37] [40] However, there was no residuary left to fund the foundation after estate taxes were paid. [41]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis</span> First Lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963

Jacqueline Lee "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of president John F. Kennedy. A popular first lady, she endeared herself to the American public with her devotion to her family, dedication to the historic preservation of the White House, the campaigns she led to preserve and restore historic landmarks and architecture along with her interest in American history, culture, and arts. During her lifetime, she was regarded as an international icon for her unique fashion choices, and her work as a cultural ambassador of the United States made her very popular globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aristotle Onassis</span> Greek and Argentine business magnate (1906–1975)

Aristotle Socrates Onassis was a Greek and Argentine business magnate. He amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and was one of the world's richest and most famous men. He was married to Athina Mary Livanos, had a long-standing affair with opera singer Maria Callas, and was married to American former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John F. Kennedy Jr.</span> American publisher and son of President John F. Kennedy (1960–1999)

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr., often referred to as John-John or JFK Jr., was an American attorney, journalist, socialite, and magazine publisher. He was a son of President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Kennedy</span> American author and diplomat (born 1957)

Caroline Bouvier Kennedy is an American author, attorney, and diplomat serving as the United States ambassador to Australia since 2022. Kennedy previously served in the Obama administration as the United States ambassador to Japan from 2013 to 2017. She is a member of the Kennedy family and the only surviving child of US president John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

<i>Lumumba</i> (film) 2000 French film

Lumumba is a 2000 biographical film directed by Raoul Peck. A co-production of France, Germany, Belgium, and Haiti filmed in French, the film depicts the rise and fall of Patrice Lumumba, and is set in the months before and after Congo-Léopoldville achieved independence from Belgium in June 1960. Political unrest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the time of filming caused the film to be shot in Zimbabwe and Beira, Mozambique. The film received positive reviews from critics, and won awards from the American Black Film Festival, the Political Film Society, and the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AFDL</span> Anti-Mobutu military coalition (1996–1997)

The Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire, also known by the French acronym AFDL, was a coalition of Rwandan, Ugandan, Burundian, and Congolese dissidents, disgruntled minority groups, and nations that toppled Mobutu Sese Seko and brought Laurent-Désiré Kabila to power in the First Congo War. Although the group was successful in overthrowing Mobutu, the alliance fell apart after Kabila did not agree to be dictated by his foreign backers, Rwanda and Uganda, which marked the beginning of the Second Congo War in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Congo War</span> 1996–1997 war in central Africa

The First Congo War, also nicknamed Africa's First World War, was a civil war and international military conflict which lasted from 24 October 1996 to 16 May 1997 and took place mostly in Zaire, with major spillovers into Sudan and Uganda. The conflict culminated in a foreign invasion that replaced Zairean president Mobutu Sese Seko with the rebel leader Laurent-Désiré Kabila. Kabila's unstable government subsequently came into conflict with his allies, setting the stage for the Second Congo War in 1998–2003.

Lawrence Raymond Devlin, known as Larry Devlin, was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) field officer. Stationed for many years in Africa, he was CIA station chief in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the Congo Crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular Movement of the Revolution</span> Ruling party of Zaire from 1967 to 1997

The Popular Movement of the Revolution was the ruling political party in Zaire. For most of its existence, it was the only legally permitted party in the country. It was founded by Joseph-Désiré Mobutu on 20 May 1967.

Lazare Kaplan International Inc. (LKI) is a diamond manufacturing and distribution company based in New York City. The Chairman of the Board of Directors is Maurice Tempelsman. The first LKI was located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, at el Barrio de los Diamantes, a community named after the factory was located there. LKI was founded in 1903 where it operated until it was moved to Caguas, Puerto Rico in the 1970s.

Societé minière de Bakwanga is a diamond mining company based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Historically, the company was the largest diamond producer in the world by volume. However, following decades of decline, the company currently produces only a small minority of the DRC's diamonds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernardin Mungul Diaka</span>

Bernardin Mungul Diaka was a Congolese/Zairean diplomat and politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Republic of the Congo–Russia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Democratic Republic of the Congo–Russia relations are the bilateral foreign relations between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Russia. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has an embassy in Moscow and an honorary consulate in Yekaterinburg. Russia has an embassy in Kinshasa. The relations between the two countries were established on July 7, 1960, and restored since November 30, 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeannot Bemba Saolona</span>

Jeannot Bemba Saolona was a Congolese businessman, Minister of the Economy and Industry, and Senator for Équateur. He was regarded as the most renowned businessman of the Zaire era. He was a close confidant of Mobutu Sese Seko and is the father of Jean-Pierre Bemba.

<i>Americas Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story</i> American TV series or program

America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story is a 2003 20th Century Fox television film. It is a biographical film about John F. Kennedy Jr. and based on Christopher Andersen's 2000 bestseller, The Day John Died. It was directed by Eric Laneuville from a screenplay by Jon Maas, and stars Kristoffer Polaha, Portia de Rossi and Jacqueline Bisset in principal roles. It premiered on TBS on 12 January 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonas Mukamba Kadiata Nzemba</span>

Jonas Mukamba Kadiata Nzemba is a politician from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and former CEO of the state-run diamond company. Between August 1965 and October 1968 he was governor in turn of South Kasai, Kasaï-Oriental, Équateur and Orientale Province. He was again governor of Équateur Province between 27 August 1980 and 19 March 1983.

Louis Alphonse Daniel Koyagialo Ngbase te Gerengbo was a Congolese politician. He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with responsibility for the Ministry of Postal Services, Telephones, and Telecommunications in the second cabinet of Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito. Following the resignation of Prime Minister Muzito, Koyagialo was Acting Prime Minister from 6 March to 18 April 2012, prior to the appointment of Augustin Matata Ponyo.

Erez Daleyot is a Belgian-Israeli diamond dealer, who may have once controlled one-third of all trade in diamonds worldwide. In April 2022 he was arrested in Zimbabwe for suspected tax evasion in South Africa.

The following lists events that happened during 1981 in Zaire.

The following lists events that happened during 1975 in Zaire.

References

  1. ↑ "Maurice Tempelsman". Bloomberg . Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Schmidt, Susan (August 2, 1997). "DNC Donor With an Eye On Diamonds". The Washington Post . washingtonpost.com. pp. A01. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 McFadden, Robert D. (May 24, 1994). "Death of a First Lady: The Companion; Quietly at Her Side, Public at the End". New York Times . pp. A17. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 Gleick, Elizabeth (July 11, 1994). "The Man Who Loved Jackie". People . 42 (2): 75–81. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
  5. ↑ Heymann, Clemens David (2007). American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy . New York: Simon & Schuster. pp.  261–262. ISBN   978-0-7434-9738-1.
  6. ↑ Povoledo, Elisabetta (February 26, 2008). "Tempelsman Sculptures Return to Italy". New York Times . Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Ifill, Gwen (August 25, 1993). "Clinton and Kennedys: In 30 Years, a Full Circle". New York Times . pp. A10. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  8. ↑ Povoledo, Elisabetta (September 1, 2007). "Two Marble Sculptures to Return to Sicily". New York Times . Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 "Bio: Maurice Tempelsman". Eurasia Foundation. eurasia.org. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  10. 1 2 "Africa: U.S. Covert Action Exposed | corpwatch". www.corpwatch.org. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  11. 1 2 3 Melman, Yossi; Carmel, Asaf (March 25, 2005). "Diamond in the rough". Haaretz . haaretz.com. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
  12. ↑ Dougherty, Philip H. "Lazare Kaplan International Inc". New York Times .
  13. ↑ "Lazare Kaplan sales down as worried buyers reassess strategy". Mmegi . mmegi.bw. January 16, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2009.
  14. ↑ Arhivele Nationale ale Romaniei si Institutul de Investigare a Crimelor Comunismului in Romania. "Fototeca online a comunismului românesc". iiccr.ro.
  15. ↑ "Maurice Tempelsman Profile". Forbes . people.forbes.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
  16. ↑ "Official Delegation Accompanying the President to Africa". Office of the Press Secretary . clinton2.nara.gov. March 20, 1998. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  17. ↑ Silverstein, Ken (April 23, 2001). "Diamonds of Death". The Nation . Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  18. ↑ Smillie, Ian (2010). Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corruption and War in the Global Diamond Trade. Anthem Press. pp. 163–166. ISBN   978-0857289636.
  19. ↑ "Colombia – Czech Republic". United States Department of State . state.gov. Fall–Winter 2003. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  20. ↑ "OPIC Board Approves $250 Million to Develop Diamond Cutting and Polishing in Botswana" (Press release). Overseas Private Investment Corporation. October 10, 2008. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  21. ↑ "OPIC & U.S. Company Partner to Improve Diamond Production and Sales in Emerging Markets" (Press release). Overseas Private Investment Corporation. October 18, 2004. Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  22. ↑ "USAID Signs a $1.5 Million Partnership to Improve Economic Opportunities in Angola" (Press release). Overseas Private Investment Corporation. June 17, 2005. Archived from the original on September 7, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  23. ↑ Kennedy, Charles Stuart (April 6, 1993). "Interview with Ambassador John A. Linehan, Jr". The Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. lcweb2.loc.gov . Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  24. ↑ "Maurice Tempelsman Bio". Eurasia Foundation. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  25. ↑ "Congress Holds Hearing on New Partnership for African Development". Bureau of International Information Programs . america.gov. September 20, 2002. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  26. ↑ "AAI Recognizes Tempelsman as Distinguished Trustee". Rapaport. diamonds.net. 27 September 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  27. ↑ Erlendsson, Elina; Taylor, Carolina. "2001 Annual Report" (PDF). Eurasia Foundation. usaid.gov. p. 5. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  28. ↑ "NDI Board of Directors: Maurice Tempelsman". National Democratic Institute for International Affairs . ndi.org. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  29. ↑ "People: International Advisory Council". Harvard School of Public Health . aids.harvard.edu. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
  30. ↑ Anatomy of plunder: Maurice Tempelsman finds himself at the centre of a scandal over illegally excavated antiquities, by David D'Arcy, The Art Newspaper, 30 April 1998.
  31. ↑ Two Marble Sculptures to Return to Sicily, by Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 01 September, 2007.
  32. ↑ Pro Loco Aidone, entry on Morgantina collections.
  33. ↑ "Malcolm Bell". Interdisciplinary Archaeology Program. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  34. ↑ "Robert Speisman -- Executive, 48". The New York Times . September 15, 2001. pp. A21. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  35. ↑ Clayson, Jane (July 25, 2000). "Reading Celebs Through Their Wills". CBS News .
  36. ↑ Pottker, Jan (2002). Janet and Jackie: The Story of a Mother and Her Daughter, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 310. ISBN   978-0-312-30281-8.
  37. 1 2 3 "Onassis Leaves Estate to Charity and Her Children". New York Times . June 2, 1994. pp. A16. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  38. ↑ Gates, Anita (November 5, 2000). "A Lady Who Never Stopped Being First". New York Times . pp. A4. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
  39. ↑ "First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: Memorial Tributes in the One Hundred Third Congress of the United States". United States Government Printing Office . access.gpo.gov. 1995. p. 62. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  40. ↑ "Last Will & Testament – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis". New York Surrogate's Court .
  41. ↑ David Cay Johnston (December 21, 1996). "Mrs. Onassis's Estate Worth Less Than Estimated". The New York Times.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.