17 Facts About Mel Sembler

Melvin Floyd Sembler was an American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to Italy, and Ambassador to Australia and Nauru.

Mel Sembler has served as chairman of the board of the Sembler Company, which develops and manages shopping centers, and co-founder of Straight, Inc.

Mel Sembler was born on May 10,1930, in St Joseph, Missouri, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University in 1952.

Mel Sembler was a Republican fundraiser from 1979, raising a record $21.3 million at a single dinner in April 2000.

Mel Sembler served on President Reagan's White House Conference for a Drug-Free America and was an advisor on drug policy to President Bush and to Florida's former governor Bob Martinez.

Mel Sembler served as co-chairman of the Republican National Committee's Team 100 and finance co-chairman of the American Bicentennial Presidential Inaugural, and from 1993 to 1995 he was finance chairman of the Republican Party of Florida.

Mel Sembler served as finance chairman for the Republican National Committee from 1997 to 2000, as Florida's National Committeeman to the Republican National Committee from 1994 to 2000, as honorary chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, as chairman of the Drug Free America Foundation, served on the boards of the Florida Governor's Mansion Foundation, and the Florida Holocaust Museum.

Mel Sembler was a resident member of the Florida Council of 100, a business advisory council to the governor of Florida.

Mel Sembler served on the boards of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Freedom's Watch, the American Enterprise Institute, American-Australian Education Leadership Foundation, George Bush Presidential Library Foundation, American Momentum Bank and the Moffitt Cancer Center.

Mel Sembler was a supporter of the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney and was one of the more prominent Jewish donors to the Republican party.

Mel Sembler served on the Board of Directors of several banks, including the First Bank of Treasure Island, the National Bank, First Union Bank, and on the Board of Directors of American Momentum Bank.

The Mel Sembler Company came to the attention of federal investigators in 2008 after a planned shopping center in Boynton Beach, Florida, that had previously been denied a zoning variance, was suddenly approved after a payment of $100,000 had been made to lobbyist Hugo Unruh.

Bush appointed Mel Sembler United States Ambassador to Australia and Nauru, where he served for three and a half years.

At the recommendation of the Governor-General of Australia and with the approval of Queen Elizabeth II, Mel Sembler was named an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia at an investiture ceremony in October 2000, recognising achievement or meritorious service to Australia or humanity at large.

In February 2005 Sembler had an annex to the US Embassy in Rome named after him, an honour never before bestowed on a sitting diplomat, and made possible due to an amendment by Congressman Bill Young to an appropriations bill.

President George W Bush appointed Sembler to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.

Mel Sembler received the America Award from the Italy-USA Foundation in 2014.