Warner Confirmed As Ambassador

Marvin L. Warner, a Cincinnati businessman active in the Jewish community there, has been confirmed by the Senate to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland. Warner, 58, was born in Birmingham, Ala. and was graduated from the University of Alabama and its law school. He is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Warner National Corp. and is a prominent developer and financier.

His Jewish activities include past presidency of the Cincinnati Jewish Community Center; chairman in 1962 of the Jewish Welfare Fund campaign; president of the Jewish Federation from 1967-1969; and former member of the boards of the Cincinnati Jewish Hospital and Hebrew Union College. He is a member of Rockdale Temple in Cincinnati.

Warner was a member of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in 1968 during the Johnson Administration. He is a member of the Democratic National Committee and of the Ohio Governor’s Commission on Housing and Urban Development. Other business interests include part ownership of the New York Yankees baseball team and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a professional football team. He is also chairman of the Ohio Board of Regents.

Warner’s nomination by President Carter for the Ambassadorship in Berne raised objections in some State Department circles. Dennis Kux, a State Department official who testified on behalf of the American Foreign Service Association before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week, claimed that Warner lacked the qualifications to be an Ambassador and alleged that his nomination was a reward for his support of the Carter campaign. White House Press Secretary Jody Powell flatly denied the allegations and said Carter selected Warner from among five possible nominees because he was best qualified for the job.