John Rusling Block

John R. Block
21st United States Secretary of Agriculture
In office January 23, 1981 – February 14, 1986
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Robert Bergland
Succeeded by	Richard E. Lyng
Personal details
Born	February 15, 1935 Galesburg, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Susan Rathjo "Sue" Block
Children	Hans Block Chynthia Block Christine Block
Alma mater	U.S. Military Academy
Religion	Protestant

John Rusling Block (born February 15, 1935) is a former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, during the President Reagan's administration. He later became a lobbyist.

Early life

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 came from a strongly rural background where the home had no electricity. He graduated from West Point in 1957 and served in 101st Airborne. After that, he became successful in agribusiness.

Government services

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 Act.

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 vs. Block, 663 FSupp 1315, 1332 (D.N.D. 1987), that the Department of Agriculture ("USDA") and Farmers Home Administration ("FmHA") were not giving farmers enough notice of alternative debt restructuring options. The Court ordered the USDA and FmHA to amend the forms issued to farmers. The decision eventually led to restructuring and reorganization of many farm debts. During the U.S. government's appeal of the decision, Congress passed the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987, Pub. L. No. 100-233, 101 Stat. 1568 (1988). Title VI of the Act 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.

Post-government career

Since then he has been an executive at John Deere and is President of Food Distributors International. In 1992, he won the Horatio Alger Award. 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 UN 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 USDA and related federal agencies. Since 2008, he has served on the Board of Directors for Aemetis.

Private life

He married Susan Rathjo "Sue" Block, and they had one son and two daughters: Hans, Cynthia and Christine. He was a very large farmer outside of Knoxville, Illinois and his children attended public school in Knoxville, Illinois.

External links

• John Block profile from a site on Presidents
• Essays on John Block from 1977
• Block's Resignation letter to Reagan
• Horatio Alger Award site
• Essay by him
• Friends of the World Food Program United States agency helping raise funds and awareness about global hunger
• John Block Reports Archived radio commentary from John Block's weekly radio spot about agriculture and government