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, when the first contracts for the new subway system contracts were awarded. From 1967 to 1969, Tobriner was the United States ambassador to Jamaica. When his service was over, the U.S. Department of State 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, VA. His papers are held at George Washington University. The "T.C." Collection: 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, (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 1902 births 1979 deaths Princeton University alumni Harvard Law School alumni People from Washington, D.C. 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 20th-century American politicians Sidwell Friends School alumni