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. As a member of the Republican Party, she worked for five different U.S. presidents.
Dole broke new ground for women in government. She was the first woman to be the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, serving under President Ronald Reagan. Later, she became the U.S. Secretary of Labor for President George H. W. Bush. This made her the first woman to hold two different high-level cabinet jobs for two different presidents.
After leaving government, Dole became the president of the American Red Cross from 1991 to 1999. She was only the second woman to lead the organization since its founder, Clara Barton. In 2000, she ran for the Republican nomination for president but later left the race. She was married to Bob Dole, a U.S. Senator from Kansas who also ran for president.
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Early Life and Schooling
Elizabeth Dole was born Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford in Salisbury, North Carolina. Her parents were Mary Ella and John Van Hanford.
She went to Duke University and graduated in 1958 with a degree in political science. She was an excellent student and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She was also very active in student groups and was chosen as the "leader of the year" by the student newspaper.
After Duke, she studied at the Oxford University in England. She then earned a master's degree in education from Harvard University in 1960 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1965. When she graduated from law school, she was one of only 24 women in a class of 550 students.
Working in the White House
Early Government Jobs
Dole began her career in government in 1967, working for the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. When Richard Nixon became president, she stayed and worked as a deputy assistant for consumer affairs. In 1973, President Nixon appointed her to the Federal Trade Commission, an agency that protects consumers.
In 1972, she met her future husband, Bob Dole, who was a senator from Kansas. They were married on December 6, 1975. She did not have any children, but she was a stepmother to Bob's daughter, Robin, from his first marriage.
Originally a Democrat, she became a Republican in 1975. She took time off from her job to help her husband campaign for vice president in 1976 and for president in 1980.
Secretary of Transportation
From 1983 to 1987, Dole served as the United States Secretary of Transportation under President Ronald Reagan. She was the first woman ever to hold this position. At the time, the United States Coast Guard was part of the Department of Transportation, which also made her the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. military.
During her time as secretary, she made important safety changes. A new rule required all new cars to have a third brake light in the center of the rear window. These are sometimes called "Liddy Lights" in her honor ("Liddy" is a nickname for Elizabeth). She also worked to pass a law that encouraged states to set the drinking age at 21 to make highways safer.
Secretary of Labor
From 1989 to 1990, Dole served as the United States Secretary of Labor under President George H. W. Bush. This made her the first woman to serve in two different Cabinet jobs for two presidents. In this role, she continued to focus on improving safety in the workplace.
Leading the American Red Cross
In 1991, Dole became the president of the American Red Cross, a major humanitarian group. She was the second woman to lead the organization since it was founded by Clara Barton in 1881.
During her eight years as president, she helped modernize the organization. She led a major change in how the Red Cross collects, tests, and distributes blood, which makes up half of the nation's blood supply.
Political Campaigns
1996 Republican National Convention
When her husband, Bob Dole, ran for president in 1996, Elizabeth Dole gave a memorable speech at the 1996 Republican National Convention. Instead of standing at the podium, she walked into the audience and spoke in a conversational style about her husband's character and experience.
2000 Presidential Run
| Elizabeth Dole for President | |
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| Campaign | 2000 United States presidential election |
| Candidate | Elizabeth Dole 20th United States Secretary of Labor (1989–1990) 8th United States Secretary of Transportation (1983–1987) Director of the Office of Public Liaison (1981–1983) Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (1973–1979) |
| Affiliation | Republican Party |
| Status | Withdrawn |
| Launched | March 10, 1999 (Exploratory committee) |
| Suspended | October 1999 |
In 1999, Elizabeth Dole decided to run for president herself. She sought the Republican nomination for the 2000 United States presidential election.
She was seen as a strong candidate and was popular in early polls. However, she had trouble raising as much money as other candidates, like George W. Bush. She withdrew from the race in October 1999 before any of the primary elections were held.
Career in the U.S. Senate
Election to the Senate
In 2002, Dole ran for the U.S. Senate in her home state of North Carolina. The seat was open because Senator Jesse Helms was retiring. She won the Republican primary easily and went on to defeat her Democratic opponent, Erskine Bowles, in the general election.
Her victory was historic. It was the first time the wife of a former senator was elected to the Senate from a different state than her husband.
2008 Re-election Campaign
Dole ran for re-election in 2008. Her opponent was Democrat Kay Hagan. The campaign became very competitive. During the campaign, Dole's team ran a TV ad that was criticized for suggesting Hagan was not religious. Hagan, who was a member of a church and a former Sunday school teacher, called the ad false.
Dole lost the election to Hagan, receiving 44 percent of the vote to Hagan's 53 percent.
Life After Politics
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After leaving the Senate, Dole did not stop working. In 2012, she started the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to helping the caregivers of "wounded warriors"—the family members and friends who care for injured military service members and veterans.
The foundation works to raise awareness about the challenges these caregivers face. It brings together leaders from business, government, and non-profit groups to find ways to support these "hidden heroes." Actor Tom Hanks has joined the foundation's campaign to help bring attention to this important cause.
Awards and Honors
Elizabeth Dole has received many awards for her public service.
- In 1995, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
- In 2014, she was honored by Indiana Wesleyan University's Society of World Changers.
- In 2023, she received the Sylvanus Thayer Award, the highest civilian honor given by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
- In 2024, President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the highest honors a civilian can receive in the United States.
- In 2025, a part of Interstate 85 in her hometown of Salisbury, North Carolina, was named after her.
See also
In Spanish: Elizabeth Dole para niños
- List of female United States Cabinet members
- Women in the United States Senate
