The
Honorable Ambassador Theodore R. Birtton Jr. is distinguished among his
fellow Montford Point Marines by his presidential appoint as U.S.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. The former Chief of
Mission to Barbados and to the State of Grenada, hails from Augusta,
South Carolina, where his early upbringing in good manners prepared him
for global achievement as "Ambassador For Peace."
From
1974 to 1977 Britton served as Ambassador, (Chief of Mission) to
Barbados and the State of Grenada, while simultaneously serving as the
U.S.
Special Representative to the States of Antigua, Dominica, St.
Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, St. Lucia and St. Vincent.
Ambassador
Britton has maintained a life-long interest in diplomatic affairs and
international activities from 1971 as shown by his extensive
participation in US Information Agency programs and the Paris based
Group on Urban Affairs. He has served as Co-chair of the US-China
Agreement on Housing and Planning and Executive Secretary to similar
agreements with Mexico, Canada, Japan, and the former Soviet Union
(USSR) Longtime Vice-Chair.
His degrees in banking and finance enabled him to serve as an officer and director in the savings and commercial banking arenas. He earned a B.S. degree and graduate diploma from New York University and from the American Savings and Loan Institute, respectively. And as a specialist in housing and finance, his civilian service also includes a career at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
After
a career in banking, Ambassador Britton was elected president of the American Baptist Management Corporation. Then later, entering
into Government Service, his housing expertise was put to use as Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology. His mission was to
improve the production of housing and the delivery of housing services.
A
veteran of World War II and Korea, The Ambassador offers a historically
unique perspective on health, housing, education and veteran's affairs.
He is a Life Member of the Second Marine Division Association, the
Association of former Intelligence Officers (AFIO), and the Montford
Point Marines. He is an advisor to the Hampton University Minority Men's
Health Initiative and the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic
Development, in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the ranking recipient of the
Congressional Gold Medal, which honors 20,000 African American Marines
who trained at the segregated Montford Point boot camp in North
Carolina from 1942-1949.
Ambassador Britton will speak at the Nashville Rotary Club on October 31, 2016 for the club's annual Veterans Day Program beginning at noon. Rotarians are welcome to attend. Members of the public luncheon fee is 35.00.
