Dole, Elizabeth Hanford, 1936-

Mary Elizabeth "Liddy" Alexander Hanford Dole (born July 29, 1936) is an American politician and author who served in the Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations. She also served in the United States Senate from 2003 to 2009.

A native of Salisbury, North Carolina and a graduate of Duke University, Harvard University, and Harvard Law School, Elizabeth Hanford moved to Washington, DC after earning her law degree, building a formidable resume over the following decades. She began her career in 1967 as a staff assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. After leaving in 1968, Hanford worked for the President’s Committee for Consumer Interests, which later became the Office of Consumer Affairs when President Richard M. Nixon took office. She also served as a member of the Federal Trade Commission as an advocate for consumer issues. Originally a Democrat, she changed her party affiliation to Independent while working in the Nixon White House; after her 1975 marriage to Kansas Senator Robert Dole, she switched her party affiliation to Republican.

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