Personal and Public Interests: Frieda B. Hennock and the Federal Communications CommissionUnlike many of her female contemporaries during the thirties and forties, whose political activities furthered the agendas of male politicians, Frieda B. Hennock pursued her own political goals. Guided by intense personal and public interests, she became the first woman appointed to serve on the Federal Communications Commission, and her tenure there coincided with a period of unprecedented regulatory activity, during which the FCC made several significant decisions regarding the development of television. Simultaneously challenging the FCC's status quo and making a political name for herself with her tireless efforts to develop educational television, Hennock became one of the most significant female political figures of this century. |