Lawmakers honor ‘living legend’ Elizabeth Dole, first female US senator from NC
Elizabeth Dole, North Carolina’s first woman U.S. senator, was honored by the North Carolina General Assembly on Wednesday during special ceremonies, and will soon have a portion of Interstate 85 named for her.
Dole, 88, is a Republican from Salisbury and has received several accolades for her lengthy career in public service, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Joe Biden, induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Virginia Military Institute Distinguished Service Award.
Now her home state is adding to the list.
A portion of Interstate 85 in Rowan County will be named in her honor in a ceremony on Friday. But on Wednesday, she came to the Legislative Building in Raleigh to be honored by both the House and Senate in separate ceremonies, then to the Executive Mansion for another ceremony with Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.
Former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory called Dole a role model and mentor.
The legislature passed a resolution honoring Dole’s “pioneering role in shaping public policy, breaking barriers for women in leadership, and advocating for social causes.”
Dole served in the U.S. Senate from 2003 to 2009 and was married to the late Senate leader Bob Dole.
Breaking barriers at Harvard Law and in the White House
Here are some of Dole’s accomplishments the resolution recognized:
▪ “At Harvard Law School, Elizabeth was one of only a few women in her class, reflecting the challenges she would face in a male-dominated field. Her legal education laid the foundation for a career that would blend law, government service, and politics.”
Dole received her Harvard University law degree in 1965, where she also earned a master’s degree in teaching. Dole also graduated from Duke University, in Durham.
▪ “In 1983, President Ronald Reagan appointed Elizabeth Hanford Dole as the Secretary of Transportation, making her the first woman to hold the position. During her tenure in that office, she was instrumental in enforcing seat belt and airbag regulations, enacting 21 as the legal drinking age, and advancing transportation safety initiatives, which have saved over 563,000 lives to date with a projected 20,000 per year going forward.”
▪ “She founded the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in 2012, which focuses on supporting military caregivers. Over the past decade, she and the Foundation have empowered, supported, and honored the nation’s 14.3 million military caregivers: the spouses, parents, family members, and friends who care for America’s wounded, ill, or injured veterans.”
Sen. Carl Ford, of Rowan County, said he drives past Dole’s family home in Salisbury often, and that they first met campaigning at a local barbecue joint.
Sen. Dan Blue, a Raleigh Democrat and longtime lawmaker, said that Dole, known as Liddy Dole to her friends, received a service award at her undergraduate commencement at Duke, foreshadowing her career. Dole later served as a Duke University trustee, as did Blue. Both are Duke alumni. Blue said he ran into Dole in 2002 on the campaign trail, when Blue was running for U.S. Senate in the Democratic primary. He did not win his primary, and she went on to win the general election.
Blue was a Duke trustee when Dole gave the university’s 2000 commencement address, recalling that she told the students, “you take from this ceremony much more than a diploma. You take with you the responsibility for writing the next chapter of the American story.”
“Over the last 25 years, she continued living that speech,” Blue said.
As Blue thanked her, she touched her heart and mouthed “thank you.” Dole, wearing a blue dress suit, did not speak during either floor session, and declined to speak with a reporter.
Senate leader Phil Berger said that Dole “reflects well on North Carolina” in her many national roles, and that her “example for girls, young women, women and everybody, is something that I know we’re all proud of, and I know you should be proud of.”
House Speaker Destin Hall told Dole she is a “trailblazer” and “living legend.” Dole sat next to Rules Chair John Bell in the House, and next to Berger in the Senate.
Dole was married for many years to Bob Dole of Kansas, who served in Congress for 36 years, in both the House and the Senate, where he was Senate leader. Both Doles ran unsuccessfully for president at different times. Bob Dole won the Republican nomination in the 1996 presidential race, which he went on to lose to former President Bill Clinton. Bob Dole died in 2021.
Rep. Harry Warren, a Republican from Salisbury, Dole’s hometown, talked about Elizabeth Dole’s more than five decades of service and for five presidents, including late President Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
As well as being the first female transportation secretary, Dole went on to serve as labor secretary for Bush and then as president of the American Red Cross.
Former Gov. McCrory calls Dole ‘first daughter of NC’
Former Gov. Pat McCrory was in the House and Senate galleries for the ceremonies, along with current and former Salisbury mayors and Dole staff and friends.
“We’ve always considered her the first daughter of North Carolina, and she’s been a role model and mentor to me and many other people who love public service, and I’ve known her since I was 19 years old,” McCrory told The News & Observer after the ceremony. He said he first met her when she spoke at his roommate’s Catawba College graduation.
“She had me at that moment. So we’ve always worked together on campaigns and government. She was a big factor in helping me as (Charlotte) mayor, too, on our mass transit efforts. So I consider her a very, very close friend, and I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” McCrory said.
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Lawmakers honor ‘living legend’ Elizabeth Dole, first female US senator from NC."
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