Elizabeth Dole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Dole
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Official portrait, 2003
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| United States Senator from North Carolina |
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| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Jesse Helms |
| Succeeded by | Kay Hagan |
| Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 |
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| Leader | Bill Frist |
| Preceded by | George Allen |
| Succeeded by | John Ensign |
| 20th United States Secretary of Labor | |
| In office January 25, 1989 – November 23, 1990 |
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| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Ann McLaughlin Korologos |
| Succeeded by | Lynn Morley Martin |
| 8th United States Secretary of Transportation | |
| In office February 7, 1983 – September 30, 1987 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Drew Lewis |
| Succeeded by | James H. Burnley IV |
| Director of the Office of Public Liaison | |
| In office January 20, 1981 – February 7, 1983 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Anne Wexler |
| Succeeded by | Faith Whittlesey |
| Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission | |
| In office December 4, 1973 – March 9, 1979 |
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| Appointed by | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Mary Gardiner Jones |
| Succeeded by | Patricia Bailey |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford
July 29, 1936 Salisbury, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (1975–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Democratic (before 1975) |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Duke University (BA) Harvard University (MEd, JD) |
| Awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom (2024) |
| Signature |  |
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Dole (born July 29, 1936) is an American lawyer, author, and politician. She served as a U.S. Senator for North Carolina from 2003 to 2009. Elizabeth Dole is a member of the Republican Party.
Before becoming a senator, she worked for five U.S. presidents. She was the U.S. Secretary of Transportation from 1983 to 1987. She also served as the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1989 to 1990. After her government roles, she led the American Red Cross from 1991 to 1999.
Elizabeth Dole earned her law degree from Harvard Law School in 1965. She was the first woman to hold several important positions. These include Secretary of Transportation and the first woman to lead two different presidential cabinet departments. She was also the first female U.S. senator from North Carolina. She is the wife of former U.S. Senator Bob Dole.
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Early Life and Education
Elizabeth Dole was born Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford in Salisbury, North Carolina. Her parents were Mary Ella and John Van Hanford.
She attended Duke University and graduated in 1958 with a degree in political science. At Duke, she was a top student and was involved in many activities. She was elected president of the women's student government. She also received an award for her service to others.
After Duke, she studied at Oxford in 1959. She then taught at Melrose High School in Massachusetts. She earned a master's degree in education from Harvard University in 1960. In 1965, she earned her law degree (J.D.) from Harvard Law School. She was one of only 24 women in her law school class.
Working in the White House
Serving Presidents Johnson, Nixon, and Ford
Elizabeth Dole started her career in government in 1967. She worked as a staff assistant in the Lyndon B. Johnson administration.
When Richard Nixon became president, Dole continued to work in the White House. From 1969 to 1973, she helped President Nixon with consumer affairs. In 1973, Nixon appointed her to the Federal Trade Commission. This agency works to protect consumers.
Elizabeth Dole met her future husband, Bob Dole, in 1972. They married on December 6, 1975. She became a Republican in 1975. She took a break from her job in 1976 to help her husband campaign for Vice President. She later left the Federal Trade Commission in 1979 to support his 1980 presidential campaign.
Working for President Reagan
From 1981 to 1983, Dole was the director of the White House Office of Public Liaison. This office connects the White House with different groups of people.
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan appointed her as United States Secretary of Transportation. She was the first woman to hold this position. In this role, she was also the first woman to lead a branch of the United States military, as the United States Coast Guard was part of the Department of Transportation at the time.
During her time as Secretary of Transportation, she made important changes. She required new cars to have a third brake light, often called "Liddy Lights." She also worked to privatize the national freight railroad, Conrail. She started random drug testing for employees in the Department of Transportation.
Serving President George H. W. Bush
Elizabeth Dole became the United States Secretary of Labor from 1989 to 1990 under President George H. W. Bush. She was the first woman to serve in two different Cabinet positions for two different presidents. Her work as both Transportation and Labor Secretary focused on making public places and workplaces safer.
Leading the American Red Cross
In 1991, Elizabeth Dole became the president of the American Red Cross. She led this important humanitarian organization until 1999. She was the second woman to be president of the Red Cross since its founder, Clara Barton, in 1881.
During her eight years, she helped change how the Red Cross collects and distributes blood. She also worked to improve the organization's structure. For her first year as president, she volunteered and did not take a salary.
Presidential Campaign in 2000
Elizabeth Dole ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2000. She announced she was exploring a campaign in March 1999.
She was seen as a strong candidate early on. However, she withdrew from the race in October 1999. This was mainly because she struggled to raise enough money for her campaign.
United States Senate Career
2002 Senate Election
In late 2001, Elizabeth Dole moved her official home to North Carolina to run for the U.S. Senate. The seat was open because Senator Jesse Helms was retiring. Even though she had not lived in North Carolina regularly since 1959, she won the Republican primary easily.
In the general election, she defeated her Democratic opponent, Erskine Bowles. Her election made history as she became the first woman to be a U.S. Senator from North Carolina.
Work in the Senate
As a senator, Dole was chosen to chair the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She was the first woman to lead this committee, which helps elect Republican senators.
Dole focused on several important issues. She worked to reform housing finance rules. She also joined a group of senators to work on energy reform. This group supported ideas like offshore drilling and investing in clean energy.
As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, she helped protect military bases in North Carolina from closing. She also supported a bill to recognize the Lumbee Native American tribe in North Carolina.
2008 Senate Re-election Campaign
In 2008, Elizabeth Dole ran for re-election to the Senate. She lost to Kay Hagan, a state senator from Greensboro.
After Politics: Elizabeth Dole Foundation
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In 2012, Elizabeth Dole started the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. This foundation helps caregivers of "wounded warriors." These are the family members and friends who care for military service members and veterans who have been injured.
The foundation worked with the RAND Corporation to study the needs of these caregivers. This study was the first of its kind. The foundation also has a program where military and veteran caregivers become "Dole Fellows." They share their stories to raise awareness. Famous actor Tom Hanks has also joined the foundation's "Hidden Heroes Campaign" to help bring attention to these caregivers.
Awards and Recognition
- In 1995, Elizabeth Dole was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
- In 1999, she received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service.
- In 2014, she was honored by Indiana Wesleyan University for her humanitarian work.
- In 2018, she received the Leo K. Thorsness Leadership Award for her service to veterans.
- In 2023, she received the Sylvanus Thayer Award, the highest civilian award from the United States Military Academy.
- In 2024, President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest civilian awards in the United States.
Images for kids
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Dole's presidential campaign logo
See also
In Spanish: Elizabeth Dole para niños
- List of female United States Cabinet members
- List of people who have held multiple United States Cabinet-level positions
- Women in the United States Senate
- List of former FTC commissioners
