President Donald J. Trump has officially announced his intent to appoint Edward F. Crawford of Ohio, as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Ireland.
In a statement released by the White House, it has been revealed that President Donald Trump intends to appoint Edward Crawford, a businessman from Ohio with strong Irish roots as the United States Ambassador to Ireland.
Since Trump’s election in November 2016, the position of US Ambassador to Ireland has not been filled. Trump's previous nominee for the position was Brian Burns, an Irish American lawyer, and philanthropist based in Florida. Burns, 81, withdrew his name from the running in June 2017. Seven months ago, in March, IrishCentral learned that Crawford was being considered for the position.
The White House’s statement read:
“President Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:
Mr. Crawford currently serves as Chairman and CEO of The Edward Crawford Group and Park-Ohio Industries, Inc. He is the recipient of the Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame Entrepreneurial Award, Small Business News Master Innovator Award, Ernst & Young Northeast Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and the Small Business Administration Man of the Year-Ohio Award. He served in the Specialist Aviation Company, 107th Armored Cavalry, Army National Guard, and attended John Carroll University.”
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Crawford was a leading fundraiser for Donald Trump during the campaign in the critical state of Ohio, which Trump won easily.
Speaking about Trump during the campaign, Crawford said, “We need a positive leader. We need someone that’s going to help us make the changes necessary to put us back on track so that everyone has a chance.”
Crawford, a self-professed “serial entrepreneur,” is Chairman and CEO of Park Ohio Holdings Corp. and The Crawford Group, both headquartered in Cleveland. With $1.4 billion in sales worldwide, they employ 4,800 associates in the U.S., China, Japan, India, Australia, and Ireland. Park Ohio specializes in integrated logistics systems and manufactured products. He is a huge basketball fan.
Crawford’s grandparents were Irish immigrants from Cork. His grandmother, Catherine McCarthy, originally came from Newmarket, Boherbue. In 1948 his father, an electrician, together with Crawford’s mother and two brothers wanted to move to California. During the move as they were traveling on Route 20 in Ohio, their car broke down. His mother found an apartment for the family in Cleveland Heights and the family stayed in Ohio, where Crawford grew up.
Crawford, who also created the Irish Cultural Garden in Cleveland, was the first non-Mayo person to be named person of the year by the Mayo Association, which has a powerful presence in the Irish community in Cleveland.
At the time (2014) he stated, “I think it’s a wonderful, wonderful decision by the Mayo Society to step out and decide to be more inclusive here. There are other great counties in Ireland. I think it gives the Mayo Society the opportunity to reach out to a broader group of individuals that, in one way or another, have contributed to the Irish sense of themselves.
What do you make of Donald Trump’s choice of US Ambassador to Ireland? Would you have chosen someone different? Let us know in the comments section below.
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