Frederick B. Dent
Frederick Baily Dent (August 17, 1922 – December 10, 2019) was an American businessman who served as the United States Secretary of Commerce from February 2, 1973, to March 26, 1975, during the administrations of U.S. Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald R. Ford, Jr.[1] His assistant secretary, Hastings Wyman, a native of Aiken, South Carolina, became a political consultant and in 1978 the publisher of The Southern Political Report.[2]
Frederick B. Dent | |
---|---|
5th United States Trade Representative | |
In office March 26, 1975 – January 20, 1977 | |
President | Gerald Ford |
Preceded by | William Denman Eberle |
Succeeded by | Robert S. Strauss |
21st United States Secretary of Commerce | |
In office February 2, 1973 – March 26, 1975 | |
President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
Preceded by | Peter George Peterson |
Succeeded by | Rogers Morton |
Personal details | |
Born | Frederick Baily Dent August 17, 1922 Cape May, New Jersey, U.S. |
Died | December 10, 2019 97) Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S. | (aged
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Millie Carrington Harrison (m. 1944; died 1997) |
Children | 5 |
Education | Yale University (BA) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | |
Branch/service | |
Years of service | 1943–1946 |
Rank | |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Dent served as the United States Trade Representative from March 26, 1975 until January 20, 1977, during the remainder of President Ford's administration.
Early life and career
Dent was born on August 17, 1922 in Cape May, New Jersey, to Edith (née Baily) and Magruder Dent. He was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, and attended St. Paul's School[3][4] followed by Yale University, where he lettered in football. Dent was an officer in the Navy's ROTC program at Yale.
Dent served in the United States Navy from 1943 until 1946. In the Navy, Dent was the Lieutenant Junior Grade, where he captained the sub chaser USS PC 1547 and the patrol craft USS PCE(C) 873. He saw action in the Pacific where his patrol craft ferried troops to beachheads, including Okinawa, Japan, in the final stages of World War II. From 1958 until 1972 and 1977 until 1988, Dent was the president of Mayfair Mills in Arcadia, South Carolina.
He was appointed Secretary of Commerce by President Richard Nixon, serving from February 2, 1973 to March 26, 1975, and was President Gerald Ford's Trade Representative, from March 26, 1975 to January 20, 1977.
He was inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame in 1994.
Personal life
On March 11, 1944, Dent married Mildred "Millie" Carrington Harrison. They had five children, Frederick Baily "Rick", Jr., Mildred Dent Hutchinson, Diana Dent Gwynn, Pauline Harrison "Polly" Dent and Magruder Harrison "Mark" Dent. He resided in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Dent died on December 10, 2019 at the age of 97.[5]
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frederick B. Dent. |
- "Frederick Baily Dent, 1922 - twenty-first Secretary of Commerce". NOAA Photo Library. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
- "Hastings Wyman" (PDF). library.sc.edu. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- "Frederick B. Dent (1974–1975)". Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
- "Frederick B. Dent". NNDB. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- "Frederick B. Dent, Commerce Secretary Under Nixon, Dies at 97". Archived from the original on 2019-12-17.
External links
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by Pete Peterson |
United States Secretary of Commerce 1973–1975 |
Succeeded by Rogers Morton |
Preceded by William Eberle |
United States Trade Representative 1975–1977 |
Succeeded by Robert Strauss |