Kingman Brewster Jr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingman_Brewster

Kingman Brewster, Jr., (June 17, 1919 – November 8, 1988) was an educator, president of Yale University, and American diplomat.

He was a direct lineal descendant of Elder William Brewster, (c. 1567 - April 10, 1644), the Pilgrim colonist leader and spiritual elder of the Plymouth Colony and a passenger on the Mayflower, through his son Jonathan Brewster; as well as Mayflower passenger, John Howland.

While serving as Yale's president, he was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on April 7, 1977 to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on April 29, 1977 and he served from 1977 to 1981. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, a member of the Yale Corporation, and a close personal friend, recommended him to President Carter for the position. Despite his lack of diplomatic experience, the British press was pleased with the appointment, calling Brewster potentially the best ambassador since David K.E. Bruce. They described him as a "New England Patrician" and expressed delight at his gold ring with his family motto in Norman French. My role, he said at the time, is trying to advise my Government on British attitudes and concerns in the fullest way possible.

He wasted no time in beginning his new responsibilities. He was called to step in and resolve difficulties between United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young and the British Foreign Office. This was followed by smoothing out American/British difficulties over policy toward Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), which helped lead to the end of minority white rule in that country. He reveled in the "good life" of London and took advantage of the range of social occasions from dinner with Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom to quaffing a pint of ale in a working class pub, saying, "Becoming aware of the richness and variety here is a lot of fun."

Marriage and Family

In 1942, while serving in the armed forces, Brewster married Mary Louise Phillips in Jacksonville, Florida. Phillips was born August 30, 1920, in Providence, Rhode Island, the daughter of Mary and Eugene James Phillips. (he was a 1905 graduate of Yale College, and a 1907 graduate of Yale Law School). She graduated in 1939 from the Wheeler School and attended but did not graduate from Vassar College. She died on April 14, 2004, at her home in Combe, Berkshire, England, at 83. She was buried next to her husband in the Grove Street Cemetery.

Brewster and his wife had five children. Their granddaughter is actress Jordana Brewster. His first cousin was Janet Huntington Brewster (September 18, 1910 –December 18, 1998) who was an American philanthropist, writer, radio broadcaster, and relief worker during World War II in London. She was married to Edward R. Murrow (April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) who was an American broadcast journalist. His uncle, Stanley King, (May 11, 1883 – April 28, 1951) was the eleventh president of Amherst College, from 1932 to 1946.

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Sep 5 2018, 15:21:58 UTC