James Henry Quello
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James Henry Quello (April 21, 1914 – January 24, 2010) was a broadcaster and government official who notably served as acting
Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission The following is a list of the chairs of the Federal Communications Commission. List References

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(FCC) in 1993. Described as a "conservative Democrat", Quello was first appointed to the FCC by Republican president
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
. Quello's term as acting chairman ended when
Reed Hundt Reed Eric Hundt (born March 3, 1948) is the chairman, CEO and co-founder of the Coalition for Green Capital. Biography Hundt attended high school in Washington D.C. at St. Albans School, graduating in 1965. He went to Yale College, where h ...
was confirmed by the
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, and he stepped down from the FCC entirely in 1998. Quello was a
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
veteran during the European conflict in 1941–1945 and was a friend of President
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
. At the time of his death he was the chairman of James H. Quello and Mary B. Quello Center for Telecommunication Management and Law at Michigan State University which was named in honor of the former commissioner and his wife. Up until his death Quello was also working as a consultant in the Government Affairs law office of
Wiley Rein Wiley Rein LLP, sometimes shortened to Wiley, is an American law firm based in Washington, D.C. With 260 lawyers, the firm represents clients in complex regulatory, litigation, and transactional matters. Many of the firm's lawyers and public po ...
.


Early life, education and marriage

Quello hailed from
Laurium, Michigan Laurium (; or ) is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan, in the center of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The population was 1,977 at the 2010 census. The village is mostly surrounded by Calumet Township, wi ...
, in the Upper Peninsula (often called "U.P."), where his parents settled after immigrating from northern Italy; he also had a sister, Alice, who later settled in Pennsylvania. Quello, along with his future wife Mary (who died in October 1999), were undergraduate students at
Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...
in the 1930s. James graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree and he and Mary were married September 14, 1937. In 1998, Michigan State University honored both with the creation of the James H. Quello and Mary B. Quello Center for Telecommunication Management and Law. James served on the Board of the Center and was also affiliated with
Wiley Rein Wiley Rein LLP, sometimes shortened to Wiley, is an American law firm based in Washington, D.C. With 260 lawyers, the firm represents clients in complex regulatory, litigation, and transactional matters. Many of the firm's lawyers and public po ...
, a prominent Washington, D.C. law firm. In addition to numerous awards for his public service, Quello received awards and honorary degrees from
Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designa ...
and
Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...
.


World War II

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Quello served as a lieutenant and lieutenant colonel in the United States Army (1941–45). He took part in six infantry amphibious assault landings in the war theater in Europe and Africa and fought in Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany. Quello earned several decorations and campaign ribbons and served as a trustee of the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund, having been appointed in turn by four different governors of Michigan. He is the author of ''My Wars, Surviving WWII & the FCC'', published in March 2001.


Broadcasting career

Quello started his career in radio broadcasting immediately after returning from Europe in 1945. He worked in the promotions department at WXYZ/Detroit. Two years later, Quello moved to rival station WJR and became vice president and general manager in 1960. When Capital Cities Broadcasting purchased WJR, Quello became WJR station manager and a Capital Cities vice president. For 21 years he served on the Detroit Housing and Urban Renewal Commission.


Federal Communications Commission

He was first appointed commissioner at the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
by then U.S. president
Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...
in 1974. He served there until 1997 when he stepped down. His nomination at first sparked controversy as
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accused Quello of "being a pawn for broadcasters". Fellow Michiganian, House minority leader and future United States Vice President and President
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
supported Quello's nomination by Nixon. For several months in 1993 Quello was the acting chairman of the FCC, succeeded by
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
nominee Reed E. Hundt. Despite his brief tenure as FCC chairman,
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
described his term with the headline "Temporary Chief Proves More Than a Fill-In". He also was once characterized as "Trumanesque" for his forthright and down-to-earth, approach to government deliberations. As FCC commissioner and chairman, Quello became known for his independent thinking. He has been a champion of preserving free universal television. His decisions contributed to the transition of the FCC and the UAmerican broadcasting market into the
Information Age The Information Age is a historical period that began in the mid-20th century. It is characterized by a rapid shift from traditional industries, as established during the Industrial Revolution, to an economy centered on information technology ...
during a period of revolutionary technological and economic change. He argued for deregulation (he took a position against financial-interest and syndication rules) but was supportive for regulation as well. "I do deregulation, I don't do anarchy", The New York Times quoted Quello as saying. In the early 1980s, he opposed the FCC's move to let owners of TV stations sell their licenses after owning them a year. He called for legislation that would allow the commission to keep closer watch on the level of violence on TV.


Awards

Quello earned numerous accolades during his career, including a Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Broadcasters (1994) and the first Milestone Award from the Institute for Communications Law Studies at the Catholic University of America. James H. Quello was inducted into the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, Broadcasting/Cable Hall of Fame in 1995 and the next year into the Museum of Broadcast Communications’ Radio Hall of Fame. James Quello received a record 41 lifetime achievement and distinguished service awards for his service to the FCC. In 1997 Quello received the Distinguished Service Award from both ALTV and NCTA, where Ted Turner presented the award, "for uncommon devotion to his country in peace and war." On his 23rd anniversary at the FCC, Quello was honored by Chairman Hundt and Commissioners Ness and Chong at a laudatory dinner attended by over 1,200 devoted friends and family, as well as many distinguished members of the community. Later that year he was presented the Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award and Tom Murphy, former CEO of Capital Cities/ABC, presented the International Radio and Television Society Foundation, Inc.'s Lifetime Achievement Award.


Death

On January 24, 2010, Quello died of heart and kidney failure while surrounded by his family at his home in
Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...
. He was 95.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quello, James Henry 1914 births 2010 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People from Laurium, Michigan Michigan State University alumni Chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission Deaths from kidney failure in the United States American people of Italian descent Clinton administration personnel United States Army colonels