[3] Rankin is related to Glen Shortliffe, a former federal clerk of the Privy Council and a diplomat.
[4] Rankin served in the Royal Canadian Navy in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in the Second World War and obtained the rank of lieutenant commander.
[7] He was appointment ambassador to Venezuela and the Dominican Republic from 1964 to 1970, consul general to New York City from 1970 to 1976.
[9] During this period British Columbia's trade and economic relations with Japan increased dramatically through the establishment of such programmes as the North East Coal Project, one of the largest such developments in Canadian history.
Unlike many diplomats Rankin often spoke out publicly on political questions during his 36-year career in the foreign service.