Francis Samuel Monaise "Frank" Hodsoll (May 1, 1938 – July 24, 2016) was an American historian. He was the fourth chairman of the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
. He was appointed by President
Ronald Reagan and served from 1981
[Hall, Carla]
"Hodsoll's Surprise"
''Milwaukee Journal
The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...
'', December 14, 1981, p. 14. Retrieved on May 27, 2013. to 1989.
Hodsoll was principal of Hodsoll & Associates, consultants on Federal policy and management, and a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. He advised the Brademas Center for the Study of Congress on international cultural engagement. He also served on the 2011 UNESCO
World Press Freedom Day
The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day or just World Press Day, observed to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the righ ...
steering committee, and is currently engaged with the planning of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Program in 2012.
Hodsoll recently cochaired the International Cultural Engagement Task Force of the November 2010 U.S. Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy (principal author of the Task Force’s report and video of selected best practices). He had previously chaired the Culture and World Heritage committees of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO; and was a senior adviser to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) on international projects involving film, television, and digital media.
Hodsoll chaired the National Endowment for the Arts (1981–89). He is credited with President Reagan’s initiation of the PCAH and legislation to create the National Medal of Arts. He initiated the Jazz Masters and National Heritage fellowships, and the Mayors Institute on City Design. He established a new school-based arts education program, published the landmark report Toward Civilization, and began the process that led to national standards. NEA leadership grants during this period included start-up support for the Sundance Institute and the American Masters series on Public Television. He won an Oscar and Special Emmy for his work in film and television preservation.
Hodsoll was the first deputy director for management of the Office of Management & Budget in the executive office of the president. His federal career had included assignments in the White House (deputy assistant to President Reagan), State Department, Commerce Department, and Environmental Protection Agency.
He was a foreign service officer 1966-1980, with his last job there as deputy U.S. special representative for non-proliferation.
Following his federal service, Hodsoll founded a nationally recognized mapping and data service in western Colorado, was elected a county commissioner, and served as vice chair of the National Association of Counties telecommunications committee. He has cochaired three American assemblies: the Arts and the Public Purpose, Deals and Ideals: For-Profit and Not-for-Profit Arts Connections, and Art, Technology, and Intellectual Property.
Hodsoll has a B.A. from Yale, an M.A. and LL.B from
St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and a J.D. from Stanford. Early in his career, he ran a trading company in the Philippines and practiced law in New York (Sullivan & Cromwell). He married Mimi McEwen, an artist, had two children and two grandchildren, and lived in
Falls Church, Virginia.
Hodsoll died on July 24, 2016 in
Falls Church, Virginia from cancer. He was 78.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodsoll, Frank
1938 births
2016 deaths
National Endowment for the Arts
American art historians
County commissioners in Colorado
Yale University alumni
Stanford Law School alumni
Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge