Virginia Knauer | |
|---|---|
 Knauer in 1981 | |
| 1st & 3rd Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection | |
| In office January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Esther Peterson |
| Succeeded by | Ann Windham Wallace |
| In office February 24, 1971[a] – January 20, 1977 | |
| President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Esther Peterson |
| 3rd Special Assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs | |
| In office April 19, 1969 – February 24, 1971 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Betty Furness |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| 1st Director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Consumer Protection | |
| In office January 1, 1968 – April 19, 1969 | |
| Governor | Ray Shafer |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Bette Clemens[b] |
| Member of the Philadelphia City Council from the At-Large District | |
| In office January 4, 1960 – January 1, 1968 | |
| Preceded by | Louis Schwartz |
| Succeeded by | W. Thacher Longstreth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Virginia Harrington Wright March 28, 1915 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 16, 2011 (aged 96) Washington, D.C. |
| Spouse | Wilhelm Knauer |
| Children | Two |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| a.^ Though the Office of Consumer Affairs was originally created by an Executive Order in February of 1971,[1] it was not backed by statutory law until Congressional approval was given in October of that year.[2] b.^ Richard W. Richards served as Acting Director from the date of Knauer's departure until August of 1969.[3] | |
Virginia Harrington Knauer (née Wright; March 28, 1915 – October 16, 2011) was an American Republican politician. She served as the Special Assistant to the President for Consumer Affairs and Director of the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs (1969–1977 and 1981–1989). In 1959 she became the first Republican woman to be elected to the Philadelphia City Council, in which she served for eight years. She was appointed to the newly created post of chief consumer advisor to Pennsylvania Governor Ray Shafer. She was also the mentor and good friend of former North Carolina Senator Elizabeth Dole. Knauer died on October 16, 2011, in Washington, D.C., at age 96.[4]
- ^ Morris, John D. (February 25, 1971). "President Urges U.S. Set Product Safety Standards; Forms Consumer Affairs Office in White House Under Mrs. Knauer Nixon Urges Product Safety Standards". The New York Times. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ "Buyers bill voted in House". The Baltimore Sun. October 15, 1971. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ Sennett, William (December 27, 1969). "Big Strides In Consumer Protection". The Beaver County Times. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ "Virginia Knauer, Consumer Advocate, Dies at 96", by William Grimes, The New York Times, October 27, 2011