Rockwell A. Schnabel (born December 30, 1936) is a Dutch-American businessman who served as the United States Ambassador to the European Union from 2001 to 2005. He previously served as the United States Ambassador to Finland from 1986 to 1989, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Travel and Tourism from 1989 to 1992 and as the United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce from 1991 to 1993.
Rockwell Schnabel was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on December 30, 1936. He attended Trinity College in the Netherlands, but did not graduate. In 1957, he moved to the United States to live with relatives in California. Although he initially planned to stay in the country for only a few years, he later decided to make the move permanent.[1][2][3] Following his decision to stay in America, Schnabel joined the California Air National Guard, where he served for six years, and became a United States citizen in the early 1960s.[3][4]
While serving in the Air National Guard, Schnabel began working in the finance industry as a research analyst. In 1965, he joined the Los Angeles-based brokerage firm Bateman Eichler, Hill Richards Inc., where he spent nearly two decades, eventually becoming the chairman of its executive committee. After selling his share of Bateman Eichler in 1983, he briefly worked with another firm, Morgan, Olmstead, Kennedy & Gardner. He left Morgan, Olmstead and resigned his positions on the boards of several other organizations when he was named ambassador to Finland three years later.[4]
In 1984, Schnabel was a member of the organizing committee for the 1984 Summer Olympics, which were held in Los Angeles. During the games themselves, he was the Olympics' attaché to the Netherlands.[3][4]
Schnabel began supporting the Republican Party shortly after his career in finance began. He initially supported candidates in the California State Senate, before organizing support among the local financial community for Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential election.[3]
In November 1985, President Ronald Reagan nominated Schnabel to be the United States Ambassador to Finland;[5] he would serve in the role from 1986 to 1989.[2] In an interview with the Library of Congress, Schnabel explained that he had approached the Reagan administration looking for a position in the United States Foreign Service, believing that he would be successful due to his experience in international business and his background growing up in Europe.[3] During his tenure, he worked on an export control agreement between the two countries.[6]