Walter Nathan Tobriner (July 2, 1902 – July 14, 1979) was an American politician who served as the 22nd and final president of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia and a U.S. ambassador.

Early life

Born in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, to a family with deep roots in the district. His father was a DC lawyer. Tobriner attended the

Sidwell Friends School Sidwell Friends School is a private, college preparatory, Quaker school located in Bethesda, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through high school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas W. Sidwell, its motto is ' (), alludi ...

, but left for Princeton before graduating. At

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1923, and received his law degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1926. In 1927, Tobriner was admitted to the bar and began to practice law in the Washington, D.C., area. From 1927 to 1950, he was a professor of law at the National University School of Law. On July 20, 1933, he married Marienne Smith. During World War II, from 1943 to 1946, he served as a lieutenant colonel and legal officer in the

Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. After the war he returned to DC and continued practicing law. Tobriner served as the president of the board of the Garfield Memorial Hospital, from 1952 to 1955. In 1954, he was president of the board of the Lisner Home for Women. Tobriner acquired the position as director of the Blue Cross Plan in 1953 and maintained this position until 1961. He headed the board of the

Washington Hospital Center MedStar Washington Hospital Center is the largest private hospital in Washington, D.C. A member of MedStar Health, the not-for-profit Hospital Center is licensed for 926 beds. Health services in primary, secondary and tertiary care are offer ...

from 1959 to 1961.

Public life

Tobriner was appointed to the Washington Board of Education in 1952 and served from 1952 to 1961, the last four years as president. He was an early supporter of Civil Rights and following the Supreme Court's 1954

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...

decision he advocated for speedy compliance with the decision and created a school integration system that became the model for the country. He served as a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

in the years 1956, 1960, and 1964. In 1961 President Kennedy appointed him to the Board of Commissioners for Washington, D.C., where he served as president from 1961 to 1967, after being re-appointed by President Johnson. He found the three-member board awkward and inefficient and supported President Johnson's re-organization of the district government under a single mayor-commissioner and 9-member council. When the new government took effect, it made him the last president of the board of commissioners. As commissioner he ended the practice of arresting suspects without probable cause. He supported the re-organization of the police department and brought about fair housing and fair employment ordinances that sought to end racial discrimination. He supported a civil rights unit in the legal office and the creation of 2-year and 4-year public colleges in the district. During his time on the board, he was, from 1964-67, a trustee of the National Cultural Center when plans for the Kennedy Center were drafted; and was, from 1966 to 1967, the chairman of the

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional public transit agency that operates transit services in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA provides rapid transit servic ...

, when the first contracts for the new subway system contracts were awarded. From 1967 to 1969, Tobriner was the United States ambassador to

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

. When his service was over, the

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

hired him as a consultant.

Death and legacy

Tobriner died on July 19, 1979, and was buried at National Memorial Park in West Falls Church, Virginia. His papers are held at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

.Guide to the Walter Tobriner Papers, 1949-1968
Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University Th

Early works of Theodore Dreiser collected by Walter N. Tobriner and presented to Roger S. Cohen is available in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

, (115 titles).

References

External links

* *
Guide to the Walter Tobriner Papers, 1949-1968, Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tobriner, Walter Nathan 1902 births 1979 deaths Princeton University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Diplomats from Washington, D.C. 20th-century American diplomats 20th-century mayors of Washington, D.C. Ambassadors of the United States to Jamaica Members of the Board of Commissioners for the District of Columbia United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Washington, D.C., Democrats Sidwell Friends School alumni