Thomas J. Dodd Jr.

Thomas J. Dodd Jr.
United States Ambassador to Costa Rica
In office November 26, 1997 – March 1, 2001
President	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
Preceded by	Peter Jon de Vos
Succeeded by	John J. Danilovich
United States Ambassador to Uruguay
In office September 23, 1993 – September 1, 1997
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Richard C. Brown
Succeeded by	Christopher C. Ashby
Personal details
Born	1935 (age 88–89)
Relations	Thomas J. Dodd (father) Chris Dodd (brother)
Education	Georgetown University (BSFS) George Washington University (MA, PhD)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army

Thomas Joseph Dodd Jr. (born 1935)[1] is an American diplomat and academic who served as the United States Ambassador to Uruguay (1993–1997) and to Costa Rica (1997–2001).[2]

Early life and education

Dodd gained an affinity for speaking Spanish as a teenager while going down to the docks in his hometown in Connecticut, where he often interacted with Spanish speaking-immigrants who worked as fishermen. He obtained his B.S.F.S from the School of Foreign Service in 1957. He went on to earn his Master of Arts and PhD from George Washington University, where he was also formerly an adjunct professor.[3]

Career

Dodd was a Second Lieutenant at Fort Holabird in Baltimore from 1958 to 1959. From 1960 to 1961, he was a captain in the United States Army, where he was assigned to the Military Intelligence Detachment with the 49th Armored Division. Dodd was awarded the Army Commendation Medal in 1961.[4]

Dodd has taught Latin American history and diplomacy at the School of Foreign Service for over 30 years, where he is professor emeritus. He has written several books on Latin America and edited the papers of the Colombian diplomat Tomás Herrán. Dodd is also the author of a biography of Tiburcio Carias.[5] He is a member of the Inter-American Foundation board of directors.[6]

Personal life

Dodd is the son of the late former U.S. Senator Thomas J. Dodd and brother of former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd.

Books

• Tiburcio Carias: Portrait of a Honduran Political Leader, Louisiana State University Press, 2005.
• Managing Democracy in Central America: United States Election Supervision in Nicaragua, 1927-1933, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1992
• The Letters of Tomás Herrán and the Panama Crisis, 1900-1903.

See also

• List of ambassadors of the United States to Uruguay
• List of ambassadors of the United States to Costa Rica

References

1. "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Dodd". Politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
2. "Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training Foreign Affairs Oral History Project AMBASSADOR THOMAS J. DODD" (PDF). Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. 9 May 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 July 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
3. Thomas J. Dodd: Former U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay Archived 2010-05-27 at the Wayback Machine
4. "Ambassador Thomas J. Dodd - Biographical Data". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
5. "Professors Emeriti". Bulletin.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
6. IAF Archived 2013-02-15 at the Wayback Machine

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Richard C. Brown	United States Ambassador to Uruguay 1993–1997	Succeeded by Christopher C. Ashby
Preceded by Peter Jon de Vos	United States Ambassador to Costa Rica 1997–2001	Succeeded by John J. Danilovich