© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Ella Grasso's Life In Politics

Portrait of Ella Grasso
From the 2019 Connecticut State Register and Manual
A portrait of Ella Grasso, taken when she was secretary of the state.

We look at the career of Ella Grasso. Known as the first woman in the country to be elected governor who did not follow her husband, and the person who led the state through the Blizzard of 1978.

She was also a state lawmaker, secretary of the state, and member of Congress from Connecticut, at a time when politics was mostly a man’s world.  

Guests:

  • Jon Purmont --  A history professor emeritus at Southern Connecticut State University, author of a biography about Grasso, and a member of her staff. 
  • Susan Bysiewicz -- Connecticut's lieutenant governor, who followed Grasso's path into state service and wrote about the Windsor Locks native.

Tags
Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.
Matt Dwyer is an editor, reporter and midday host for Connecticut Public's news department. He produces local news during All Things Considered.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Related Content