Blake Timothy Franklin

He was being treated for multiple myeloma, and ultimately succumbed to complications from his chemo treatments. Blake was born September 28,1942 in San Mateo, California to parents Harvey James and Marie Agnes Franklin. He attended Menlo-Atherton High School. Blake graduated from the Dartmouth College, cum laude, in 1963, and from Harvard Law School in 1966.  Upon graduation, he taught law in Costa Rica through the U.S. Peace Corps. In 1969, Blake joined Coudert Brothers where he developed a transactional practice with an international focus.  Blake had an outstanding reputation in the business community, and was very much a citizen of the world.  He was gifted with languages and was fluent in Spanish and French.

 Blake joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher as a partner in the New York office in 1983.  He specialized in international transactions, including project finance, partnerships, joint ventures, and corporate transactions.  Blake had a national and global practice; he was admitted to the California Bar in 1966, the Washington, DC Bar in 1969, and the New York Bar in 1976.  He served as a Visiting Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Costa Rica and as an International Legal Advisor for the Government of Bolivia in 1993.

 Blake was a modern day renaissance man;  he was sophisticated, well-read, well-spoken, and impeccably dressed.  He was kind, generous, and compassionate, comfortable with different cultures and genuinely interested in people and the broader world.  He was an elegant man with a compassionate heart and a brilliant mind.  He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

 Blake retired January 1, 2008.  In retirement, he split his time between his homes in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Laguna Beach, California, and was active in both communities. 

Blake served on the Board of Columbia University and the National Law Center in Tucson. Blake was on the GLSEN Board and He was also very active as a Trustee of the Union Theological Seminary for nearly 25 years during which he chaired or participated in virtually every committee of the Board. Blake viewed the seminary as the spiritual and intellectual home that kept him grounded and joyfully engaged. Blake also served on the boards of Feeding Santa Fe and Andean Resources, SA.

Blake is survived by his long time husband, Tom Getgood, his sister, Barbara Quinton, his brother, Barry Franklin, and his nephews, Derek and Colin Franklin.

A memorial service has been scheduled for Saturday, January 20 at 1 p.m., at St. Mary’s Church (428 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA). A reception will follow the memorial service.

Shared Memories:

Blake could unite a divided room by his grace, voice, compassion, demeanor, respect, infinite knowledge, nuance and humor.

A singular, beautiful, brilliant individual, he lived his life with supreme goodness and grace.

One of the best humanity has to offer, patient caring and helpful, while highly discerning, a true friend.

I’ll miss having interactions with him; yet his memory remains fresh and immortal in my mind.

As our beloved Blake might say in one of his three languages, abrazos fuertes and yes, as with you, he will be forever in our hearts.

It was a great pleasure to know such a loving, intelligent, kind man and Blake will be deeply missed. Treasure the years of memories!

He was my mentor at Coudert Brothers and taught me how to navigate the indignities of being a new associate with a smile, a lesson I have tied never to forget.

He was a dear Friend, a collector of my artwork and always ready to listen with a smile.

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