Biography
Frohnmayer earned his undergraduate degree from Stanford University, where he sang with the Stanford Mendicants, an a cappella singing group. Later, he earned a master's degree in Christian ethics from the University of Chicago and a law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review in 1972. He was a decorated officer in the United States Navy, in which he served from 1966-1980. He chaired the Oregon Arts Commission from 1980–1984.
President George H. W. Bush appointed Frohnmayer to chair the National Endowment for the Arts in 1989. The NEA was in the midst of controversies surrounding its funding of various projects, notably those of Robert Mapplethorpe, which would lead to Congressional action and a United States Supreme Court decision in 1998, National Endowment for the Arts v. Finley. Frohnmayer's focus on art education was largely overshadowed by the contentious partisan politics surrounding the agency.
Under pressure from the Religious Right, and Pat Buchanan in particular, Frohnmayer was asked to resign in 1992.
Frohnmayer published two books in the 1990s: Leaving Town Alive, an account of his experience at the NEA, and Out of Tune: Listening to the First Amendment, a text for high school and college courses.
He is currently an Affiliate Professor of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University.
His brother, David B. Frohnmayer, was Oregon Attorney General and the 15th president of the University of Oregon.
Read more about this topic: John Frohnmayer
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