Linton joined the
Ministry for Foreign Affairs as an attaché in 1964. In 1965, he was posted to Sweden's Permanent Delegation to the international organizations in
Geneva. From 1968 to 1971, he served at the embassies in
Lima and
La Paz. He later worked at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the
Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and from 1971 to 1974 he was an adviser to the
Nordic Council. In 1989, he became director-general (
departementsråd) at the Legal Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and in 1994 he was appointed deputy director-general for legal affairs. In August 1994, he served as Sweden's representative to the Preparatory Commission for the
International Seabed Authority and for the
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in
New York City. In 1997, Linton was appointed
ambassador-at-large for the countries in and around the
Caribbean Sea, while remaining based at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in
Stockholm. From 1997 to 2004, he served as ambassador to
Port-au-Prince,
Santo Domingo,
St. George's,
Castries,
Kingstown,
Kingston,
Roseau,
Basseterre, and
Bridgetown. He was also accredited as ambassador to
St. John's from 1999 to 2004, to
Georgetown from 2000 to 2004, and to
Port of Spain from 2000 to 2004. ==Personal life==