Background
Block was born in Galesburg, Illinois, on February 15, 1935. Of German descent, Block was the son of Julius Judd Block and Madeline (née Maddy) Block.
United States Secretary of Agriculture
Block was born in Galesburg, Illinois, on February 15, 1935. Of German descent, Block was the son of Julius Judd Block and Madeline (née Maddy) Block.
He graduated from West Point in 1957 and served in 101st Airborne.
He later became a lobbyist. He came from a strongly rural background where the home had no electricity. After that, he became successful in agribusiness.
Block was a Republican whose agriculture successes formed the basis for his position as the Illinois Director of Agriculture.
This led to him becoming the Secretary of Agriculture in President Ronald Reagan"s administration. He was involved in the 1985 Farm Bill Acting.
Block was an Secretary of Agriculture, when more farmers lost their farms than at any time since the Great Depression of the 1930s. During his term as Secretary, a Federal court judge ruled in a due process decision, Coleman versus
Block, 663 FSupp 1315, 1332 (DND 1987), that the Department of Agriculture ("United States Department of Agriculture") and Farmers Home Administration ("FmHA") were not giving farmers enough notice of alternative debt restructuring options.
The Court ordered the United States Department of Agriculture and FmHA to amend the forms issued to farmers. The decision eventually led to restructuring and reorganization of many farm debts. During the United States. government"s appeal of the decision, Congress passed the Agricultural Cr Acting of 1987, Public.
L. Number.
100-233, 101 Statistics 1568 (1988). Title VI of the Acting made extensive changes in the statutory provisions which had formed the background for the Coleman litigation, the changes being designed to carry out the intent of the Coleman decisions. Since then he has been an executive at John Deere and is President of Food Distributors International.
He has been the active in global food programs as well.
In 2004, he joined the Board of Directors of "Digital Angel", which is more of an Internet company. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Friends of the World Food Program, a non-profit dedicated to supporting the United Nations World Food Program and its efforts to end global hunger.
He is a Senior Policy Adviser at Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz, a Washington law and lobbying firm that specializes in representing interests before the United States Department of Agriculture and related federal agencies. Since 2008, he has served on the Board of Directors for Aemetis.
Served to Second lieutenant United States Army, 1958-1960. Member Illinois Farm Bureau, Knox County Farm Bureau.
Illinois Farm Bureau
Knox County Farm Bureau
Children: Hans, Cynthia, Christine, Savannah.