John F. Dillon
Encyclopedia
John Francis Dillon was one of the first members of the United States
Federal Radio Commission
, the forerunner of the Federal Communications Commission
.
. He served in the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War
and was master electrician in the Signal Corps from 1904 to 1912. In 1912, he was appointed a Radio Inspector for the Department of Commerce, which had just been given authority over radio by the Radio Act of 1912
. Dillon stayed until the U.S. entered World War I
in 1917, at which point he re-entered the signal Corps. He ultimately attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After the war, Dillon re-joined the Radio Division and in 1923 was made Radio Supervisor for the 6th district, in San Francisco. In 1927, he was appointed to the Federal Radio Commission
as commissioner from the Fifth Zone. He was generally considered the most knowledgeable about radio of the early commissioners, but he died just months after taking office. He was replaced on the Commission by Harold Lafount.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Federal Radio Commission
Federal Radio Commission
The Federal Radio Commission was a government body that regulated radio use in the United States from its creation in 1926 until its replacement by the Federal Communications Commission in 1934...
, the forerunner of the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
.
Biography
Dillon was born in Bellevue, OhioBellevue, Ohio
Bellevue is a city in Erie, Huron, Sandusky and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 8,193 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Bellevue as a Tree City USA....
. He served in the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
and was master electrician in the Signal Corps from 1904 to 1912. In 1912, he was appointed a Radio Inspector for the Department of Commerce, which had just been given authority over radio by the Radio Act of 1912
Radio Act of 1912
The Radio Act of 1912 is a United States federal law that mandated that all radio stations in the US be licensed by the federal government, as well as mandating that seagoing vessels continuously monitor distress frequencies....
. Dillon stayed until the U.S. entered World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1917, at which point he re-entered the signal Corps. He ultimately attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After the war, Dillon re-joined the Radio Division and in 1923 was made Radio Supervisor for the 6th district, in San Francisco. In 1927, he was appointed to the Federal Radio Commission
Federal Radio Commission
The Federal Radio Commission was a government body that regulated radio use in the United States from its creation in 1926 until its replacement by the Federal Communications Commission in 1934...
as commissioner from the Fifth Zone. He was generally considered the most knowledgeable about radio of the early commissioners, but he died just months after taking office. He was replaced on the Commission by Harold Lafount.