Atlanta Chapter Info

Marines for Life

The Honorable Theodore R. Britton, Jr.
Original Montford Point Marine

Ambassador Theodore R. (Ted) Britton, Jr. served as Chief of Mission to Barbados and to the State of Grenada, from 1974 to 1977 with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. In addition, he served concurrently as the US Special Representative to the States of Antigua, Dominica, St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent.

The Ambassador retired from the Department of Housing and Urban Development after a distinguished career as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Assistant to the Secretary for International Affairs, Deputy Regional Administrator, and Manager, Newark Office, in the New York Region. In 1989, he received the Department’s Distinguished Service Award. On his retirement, he was honored with resolutions passed by the City Councils of Newark, NJ and Washington, DC.  Banking is his profession, having served as an officer and a director in the savings and loan, and commercial banking industries.

Ambassador Britton has maintained a life-long interest in diplomatic affairs and International activities as shown by his extensive participation in US Information Agency programs beginning in 1971. During 1981 to 1989, he 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, he was elected Chairman/President, of the Group on Urban Affairs in 1985, at the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). During this period, he led a two year OECD Mission to Study and Evaluate Japan’s Urban Policies, and later, presided at the second meeting of Urban Affairs Ministers of the 23 OECD countries.

 A specialist in finance and housing, he was president of the American Baptist Management Corporation prior to entering Government service. In his first post, his housing expertise was put to use as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, with a mission to improve the production of housing and the delivery of housing services. He was elected president of New York’s United Mutual Life Insurance Company after leaving his ambassadorial post, and returned to Government in 1981 to concentrate on International Affairs.

He is a graduate of New York University with a B.S. degree in Banking and Finance, and from the American Savings and Loan Institute with the Graduate Diploma. During 2009, the Ambassador was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws – Honoris Causa, by Kristal University, in Tirana, Albania.

He has twice served in the US Marine Corps beginning with basic training at Camp Montford Point in Jacksonville, NC., January 14, 1944.  He is a Life Member of its Third Marine Division. He holds a similar Life Membership in the Association for Intelligence Officers. A long time member of People to People International, he is a member of its’ Board of Trustees, having served as a member of its Board of Directors. He is a board member of the Georgia Council for International Visitors, the Council of American Ambassadors and is Honorary Chairman of Kristal University, located in Tirana, Albania. In March 2009, he was elected Chairman of Kristal’s Center for Albanian-American Studies.

In 2006, he was appointed Honorary Consul-General of the Republic of Albania, in the State of Georgia. Lastly, he is an “Ambassador for Peace” of the South Korean-based Universal Peace Federation, and was a member of its Middle East Peace Initiative to Israel and Palestine in 2007.

A long-time supporter of education, and gifted lecturer, he recently completed the second of a lecture series on The Caribbean, at Georgia’s world famed Emory University. During November, 2008, after being recognized and honored by the South Korea National Assembly, he was designated to respond on behalf of veterans comprising the sixteen (16) nations which composed the combat forces during the Korean War.

Theodore R. (Ted) Britton currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia and is actively engaged with Atlanta Chapter 5.

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