What is Elizabeth Dole’s Net Worth?
Elizabeth Dole, a Republican politician, has a net worth of $40 million. She was married to former Senator Bob Dole until his death in December 2021. Dole served in both Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush’s presidential administrations. She held positions such as director of the FTC from 1973 to 1979, Secretary of Transportation from 1983 to 1987, and Secretary of Labor from 1989 to 1990. Dole was also the former chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and served as a Senator from 2003 to 2009, becoming the first female Senator to represent North Carolina.
Elizabeth and Bob Dole’s Net Worth
In 1996, the Doles estimated their net worth to be $2.3 to $7.7 million, equivalent to $4 – $13 million today. Bob was earning a $148,000 salary as a Senator, $10,000 per year in speaking fees, and $18,660 in military retirement benefits. Elizabeth, on the other hand, earned north of $100,000 per year in speaking fees, totaling around $900,000 from 1991 to 1994. She donated much of her earnings to the Red Cross.
In 2007, Elizabeth estimated their net worth to be between $14 million and $49 million according to her Senate financial disclosure.
Early Life and Education
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford was born in Salisbury, North Carolina on July 29, 1936. She attended Duke University, where she completed a degree in political science, was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and held leadership positions in various organizations. Dole also studied at Oxford and enrolled in a master’s degree program in education at Harvard University before earning a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1965. Despite being one of only 24 women in a class of 550 students, Dole excelled in her studies.
Elizabeth Dole’s Political Career
Elizabeth Dole began her political career while still in school, campaigning for the Kennedy-Johnson presidential ticket in 1960. She later worked as a staff assistant to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. When Richard Nixon became president, she served as deputy assistant to President Nixon for consumer affairs from 1969 to 1973 and was later appointed to the Federal Trade Commission.
In 1981, Dole served as the director of the White House Office of Public Liaison until 1983. She then served as the United States Secretary of Transportation from 1983 to 1987 under Ronald Reagan. She was also tasked with chairing various committees that sought to ensure equal rights for women. From 1989 to 1990, she served as the United States Secretary of Labor under President George H. W. Bush. She was the first woman to serve in two different Cabinet positions in the administrations of two presidents.
In 1991, Dole became the president of the American Red Cross and restructured the organization during her eight years as president. In 1999, she ran for the Republican nomination in the 2000 United States presidential election but ultimately withdrew from the race due to inadequate fundraising. She later moved to Salisbury, North Carolina to seek election to the U.S. Senate and won the seat in 2002.
Dole was generally considered to be conservative in her viewpoints, which is reflected in her voting record. Following her political career, she established the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in 2012, dedicated to providing resources and help to the caregivers of wounded military members.
Marriage and Family
Elizabeth Dole met her future husband, Bob Dole, in 1972 at a meeting set up by her boss Virginia Knauer. They dated and got married in 1975 at the Washington National Cathedral. They did not have any children together but Elizabeth became the stepmother to Bob’s daughter, Robin, from his previous marriage. Elizabeth is a regular church-goer and has attended the National Presbyterian Church in D.C. since 1996.
