Claude G. Ross

Claude Gordon Anthony "Tony" Ross (October 26, 1917 - January 18, 2006) was an American diplomat. He served as the US Ambassador to the Central African Republic, Haiti, and Tanzania.

Early life and education Ross was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1917 to Grace Faulkner and Claude Ross. The family moved to southern California when Ross was an infant. Ross' interest in the foreign service started young. He was fascinated with geography from a young age and collected foreign stamps.

He graduated from Huntington Park High School and received a scholarship to the University of Southern California (USC). Ross graduated summa cum laude from USC in 1939 with a bachelor's degree in International Relations. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. The School of International Relations at USC was headed by Claude A. Buss, an ex-Foreign Service Officer (FSO). Ross was the first graduate of the program to become a US ambassador.

Ross married Antigone Andrea Peterson in 1940 and they had two children: Christopher W. S. Ross and Geoffrey Faulkner Ross. Ross learned Greek to marry his wife, a prerequisite of his father-in-law. He passed his skills in language on to his son, Christopher W. S. Ross, who also served as an ambassador; Christopher Ross was renowned as the most fluent non-native Arabic speaker in the Foreign Service during his career.

Foreign Service career Ross joined the Foreign Service in 1940. He took the examination in French, Spanish, and German, getting a perfect score in all three. However, he failed the physical examination the first time and was forced to retake it a few months later. From DACOR, Ross received the Foreign Service Cup, an award for outstanding retirees, in 1986. Ross died in 2006 of pneumonia in Washington D.C. After his death, DACOR awarded Ross with its Award for Exceptional Contributions.