NASSAU, BAHAMAS — United States President Donald Trump’s second nomination for Ambassador to The Bahamas is a resident and long-time investor in the country.
On Friday, Trump announced his intent to nominate William A. Douglass, of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.
Douglass is an entrepreneur and philanthropist, who co-founded the investment firm K2 Advisors in 1994, now part of Franklin Templeton Advisors.
He received his B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University and served as managing director of Caspian Securities LLC and Tiedemann International Research.
His history in The Bahamas is stretched back to 1962, when he began visiting his grandparents Betty (née Stettinius) Trippe and Juan T Trippe – the founder of Pan American Airways.
Douglass’ family has had direct ties to The Bahamas, its government, business leaders and residents for over three generations.
In 2017, Douglass financed a $200,000 state-of-the-art recreational court on the campus of the Wemyss Bight Primary School in Wemyss Bight, Eleuthera.
The court was dedicated to the memory of his grandparents.
In October, Douglass wrote an opinion piece in Bahamas Weekly, appealing to the American government for work visas for Bahamians in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.
He also expressed in that article how the U.S. aid would “go a long way toward discouraging the Chinese government from encroaching more than they have already on a region situated just 40 miles off the U.S. coast—a longtime concern and red flag for US government officials”.
When asked about the possible nomination of Douglass, an U.S. Embassy Nassau official noted that pending the confirmation and arrival of a new ambassador, Chargé d’Affaires Stephanie Bowers continues to lead a dedicated team in the service of the United States’ relationship with The Bahamas.
“The enduring partnership between the United States and Th Bahamas remains steadfast,” the official said.
“Relations and communications between the most senior U.S. and Bahamian officials are as strong as ever.”
Douglass is President Trump’s second nomination since coming into office in 2016.
In November, the U.S. White House formally announced the withdrawal of the nomination of American billionaire Doug “Papa” Manchester.
Manchester was first nominated by President Donald Trump in May 2017 and again in 2018 and 2019 after his nomination languished in the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
He reportedly withdrew due to the threats on his and his family’s lives including his three infant children under four years old.
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