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Elizabeth resigned from the Department of Labor in October of 1990, to which she had been appointed in 1988, by George Bush. As Secretary of Labor, Mrs. Dole addressed high unemployment rates among youth; lack of equal opportunities for women; and safety in the workplace. She was the first woman to be appointed to this cabinet position and worked to raise the minimum wage for workers in low-paying jobs. She also to resolved a coal miners' strike by mediation. She coined the term and ordered studies of the glass ceiling, the invisible barrier that prevents women and minorities from joining the higher ranks of management. |
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Mr. Leader / Madame Secretary
Loopholes / Potholes
It's no wonder I like Elizabeth so much. I lived in NewYork City for 25 years. Among others, Duties of the Department of Transportation:
Channel funds to states for highway const. Movement of hazardous waste. Inspect commercial and private airplanes. Fight illicit drug trade at sea with C. Guard. Issues of drunken driving. Promote commercial development of space.
"One branch of government for which the sky is no limit." Elizabeth Dole
Among others,
Mrs. Dole's best known efforts:
Additional break light (standard in 1986)
Should eliminate 900,000 crashes / year.
Use of seat belts
65,290 estimated saved between 1982-94; 1.5 million moderate to critical injuries less.
Air bags
Campaigned for, raised drinking age to 21.
Accidents where one party is an intoxicated young driver have dropped by 60%.
Mandatory drug testing for public transport workers, both land and air.
Inspection of the Airline Industry.
"I was very proud that my final 3 years as
secretary of transportation were the safest
in aviation history."
Methods of hiring and training personnel were updated, and inspector workforce
was increased 60%.
Using methods like "truth in scheduling",
Worked with airlines to achieve better service, timely arrivals, and better baggage handling.
Formulated a program to advance women and minorities at DOT, where 18.5% of the workforce was female when the department was established in 1967, and was 19% when she became secretary.
Sale of Conrail through public offer.
Renovation of Washington Airports.
Union Station Renovation |
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Reagan won the 1980 presidential campaign, and appointed Elizabeth to head the White House office of Public Liaison. Her job was to bring together various people and organizations to meet with the president. She worked twelve hour days, but people described her as cheerful and optimistic.
As White House Office of Public Liaison Elizabeth succeeded often in achieving close legislative victories. "Elizabeth was one of seven lawmakers named to the National Commission on Social Security Reform, chaired by Alan Greenspan, Gerald Ford's favorite economist." The Commission's job was to save the system by showing how its books could be balanced without hurting the 36 million retired Americans who depend on its checks each month. After the legislature voted for the plan, Elizabeth received a letter from Claude Pepper: "We could never have produced the solution without your skill and sincere desire to see that our Commission make a meaningful contribution to the saving of Social Security. You never lost hope and faith in our accomplishing the immeasurable task of saving Social Security as a sound and solvent institution for the next seventy-five years." |
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In 1973, Nixon appointed Elizabeth to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), where she replaced retiring Commissioner Mary Gardner Jones. There was opposition to her nomination due to concerns regarding the Consumer Federation of America and the National Consumer League. These two groups would see the nomination of a Washington insider as a broken promise. But Elizabeth campaigned, speaking to large groups of interested people. Finally she was confirmed, no easy task, but nothing compared to getting sworn in. ...Driving through the Holland Tunnel in N.J. a drunk driver put Elizabeth in a Georgetown Hospital for a month.
The FTC was chartered in 1914 to probe alleged violations of federal antitrust laws and to issue cease and desist orders against corporations found guilty of engaging in unfair methods of competition. In 1974 Congress passed an act which authorized it to write rules affecting entire industries instead of, for one company, at a time.
As FTC Commissioner, Dole pursued the goals of increased competition and lower consumer prices; She investigated fraud against the consumer; Sought to enforce the Equal Credit Opportunity Act; Investigated senior citizens rest homes complaints; |
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Elizabeth's next job was for Betty Furness, as deputy assistant for legislative affairs. There's a name people will remember, since she made a series of TV commercials. Mrs. Furness left after Hubert Humphrey lost the election to Richard Nixon. In this new administration, the office became the President's Committee on Consumer Interests, managed by Virginia Knauer. Of her duties there, Elizabeth writes "Each month we forwarded approximately four thousand complaints to agencies like the FTC or the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or directly to the companies involved. The mail contained a depressing litany of deceptive packaging, shoddy workmanship, and warranties not worth the paper they were printed on." Other duties included convincing businesses that responsiveness to consumers yielded rewards. Among public gains we have unit pricing; dating for freshness; sources of fats and oils; cosmetics list of ingredients; newsletter Consumer News. |
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Sitting in the audience at a trial in a D.C. night court, Elizabeth landed her next position. The judge made her a public defender for Mr. Marino...and others to come during the following year. |
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After graduating from Harvard Law School and passing the bar exam, her first job was for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. She was to help plan a conference on the educational problems of deaf people. The job required choosing a site, a roster of speakers, and publishing the conference reports. The conference was held in the spring of 1967 at the Broadmoor Hotel, in Colorado Springs. The job only lasted ‘til the conference, however and she was once again looking for employment. |
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Cabinet Quick Reference |
Appointments and bios of women to the Cabinet by various administrations. |
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Renovation of Washington Airports |
Democrat Neil Goldschmidt came to town as the new secretary of transportation in 1979 and declared that National Airport was "a dump" and "a disgrace," echoing opinions held by most anyone who had used it. It was Elizabeth Hanford Dole -- who replaced Lewis and often was compared unfavorably with him -- who actually did something. |
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The Glass Ceiling Commission is a 2l-member body appointed by the President and Congressional leaders and chaired by the Secretary of Labor. Created as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 |
The Frances Perkins-Elizabeth Hanford Dole National Award for Diversity and Excellence in American Executive Management is an annual Presidential award. It recognizes businesses which have demonstrated substantial effort and achievement to eliminate artificial barriers and to foster the advancement of women and minority men into management and decision making positions. |
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Bus Safety Awards |
The Bus Safety Awards are presented in six competitive divisions, which are based on the service characteristics and operating environment of the transit systems. The classifying variables include weather, population, total number of bus vehicle miles operated and the general traffic conditions of the service area. The six
divisions, named after past Secretaries of Transportation, are:
The Alan S. Boyd Division
The William T. Coleman Division
The Elizabeth H. Dole Division
The Neil E. Goldschmidt Division
The John A. Volpe Division
The Samuel K. Skinner Division |
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Insight on the News Date: July 24 1995 |
The wife of Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole has had a long and distinguished political career of her own.
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Buffalo News
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Future First Lady, or first lady president? (Elizabeth Dole ) 19980307 |
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CAMPAIGNING IS EARLIER, CASH IS BIGGER
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National Review Date: August 12 1996 You can hear their footsteps in the snow. Lamar Alexander. Dan Quayle. Richard Gephardt. Al Gore. Their tracks are everywhere. Bob Kerrey. Bob Smith. Elizabeth Dole. Steve Forbes. |
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NORTHERN LIGHTS ENGINE |
Northern Lights is a search engine that searches the web and archived articles and web pages. Archived articles are available for $1. Special Offer - First five articles free. |
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Approaching the New Millennium: The Rise of the International Businesswoman
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Secretary of Transportation |
the D.C. power couple leaves the White House after Reagan signed the 5-cent gas tax, Jan. 6, 1983.
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