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Terence Todman

American diplomat (1926–2014)

Terence A. Todman
Todman (right) next to U.S. President Ronald Reagan (left) in 1985
United States Ambassador to Argentina
In office June 13, 1989 – June 28, 1993
Preceded by	Theodore E. Gildred
Succeeded by	James Richard Cheek
United States Ambassador to Denmark
In office November 17, 1983 – January 8, 1989
Preceded by	John Langeloth Loeb Jr.
Succeeded by	Keith Lapham Brown
United States Ambassador to Spain
In office July 20, 1978 – August 8, 1983
Preceded by	Wells Stabler
Succeeded by	Thomas Ostrom Enders
Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs
In office April 1, 1977 – June 27, 1978
Preceded by	Harry W. Shlaudeman
Succeeded by	Viron P. Vaky
United States Ambassador to Costa Rica
In office March 17, 1975 – January 24, 1977
Preceded by	Viron P. Vaky
Succeeded by	Marvin Weissman
United States Ambassador to Guinea
In office August 26, 1972 – January 3, 1975
Preceded by	Albert W. Sherer Jr.
Succeeded by	William Caldwell Harrop
United States Ambassador to Chad
In office August 21, 1969 – June 29, 1972
Preceded by	Sheldon B. Vance
Succeeded by	Edward W. Mulcahy
Personal details
Born	(1926-03-13)March 13, 1926 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Died	August 13, 2014(2014-08-13) (aged 88) St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Spouse	Doris Weston
Children	4
Profession	Career Ambassador
Awards	Distinguished Service Award
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1945-1949
Rank	First lieutenant
Battles/wars	World War II

Terence Alphonso Todman (March 13, 1926 – August 13, 2014) was an American diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Chad, Guinea, Costa Rica, Spain, Denmark, and Argentina. In 1990, he was awarded the rank of Career Ambassador.^[1]

Life[edit]

Todman was born on Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, on March 13, 1926. His mother worked as a house maid and laundress, and his father was a grocery clerk. His childhood in St. Thomas would prove influential in his decision to become a diplomat. He later spoke of his school years as such: "...we found ourselves doing studies on different countries, obviously at a high school level, but nevertheless you got exposed to the fact that there were other places, other people, other things happening. So, with the movement of people in and out and with that kind of intellectual academic preparation, it made for a consciousness of a world outside and of the need to deal with other people."^[2] He graduated Charlotte Amalie High School second in his class.

Todman graduated from the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico summa cum laude. He was drafted by the United States Army while in college and served in Japan from 1945 to 1949.^[3] Todman earned an M.P.A. degree from the Maxwell Graduate School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in 1952; the top-ranked and most prestigious graduate school of public administration.^[4] After passing the Federal Entry Exam, Todman received offers from the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the State Department. He joined the State Department and, the following year, passed the Foreign Service Examination.^[5]

During his Ambassadorship in Guinea, his embassy was under eavesdropping of the Soviet Union's KGB.^[6] His appointment as ambassador to Costa Rica in 1974 represented the first African American to be given the title in a Spanish-speaking country.^[7]

Todman was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.^[8] He was also a director of Exxcel Group.^[4] The cafeteria at the Harry S Truman Building was named after Todman in 2022.^[9]

Personal life and death[edit]

Todman was fluent in Spanish, French, Arabic, Hindi, and Japanese.^[10] He married Doris Weston; they had four children.^[3] On August 13, 2014, Todman died at the age of 88, at a hospital in Saint Thomas.^[11]

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