President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated New York Jets owner Woody Johnson to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Johnson, 70, has been in control of the NFL franchise since 2000 and runs its charity, the Hill reports. He also works as chairman and chief executive officer of New York-based Johnson Co., a private asset-management firm.
The Jets owner previously spent 30 years as the chairman and CEO of The Johnson Company, a private asset management firm, and is the great-grandson of the founder of Johnson & Johnson, the health-care products manufacturer.
Trump announced back in January his intention to make Johnson his ambassador to the U.K., telling an inauguration luncheon in Washington, D.C. that Johnson is "going to St. James," giving a nod to the Court of St. James's that formally receives and accredits the U.S. ambassador.
The ambassador to the U.K is one of the most important diplomatic positions in the U.S. government due to the closeness of the two countries. The ambassadorship requires Senate confirmation.
Johnson's nomination was one of several that the White House announced on Thursday, the Hill noted. Other nominations included James Byrne, associate general counsel and chief privacy officer at Lockheed Martin Corporation, to be general counsel of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Johnson has donated to Republican candidates in the past and supported Trump in the 2016 presidential election after Jeb Bush dropped out of the race. The Jets owner gave $349,000 to Trump Victory, which split donations between Trump's campaign, the Republican National Committee, and state Republican parties, according to Bloomberg.