Elizabeth Hanford was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1936. She attended Duke University and in 1962 enrolled in the law school at Harvard University. She began practicing law in 1966 and later held a wide variety of government positions. She served as the executive director of the President’s Commission for Consumer Interests (1968­71), the deputy director for the Office of Consumer Affairs (1971­73), and commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (1973­79). In 1983 she became secretary of transportation for President Ronald Reagan. She also served as secretary of labor under President George Bush in 1989 and 1990. Since 1990, Dole has been the president of the American Red Cross. In late 1995 she took a one-year leave of absence from the Red Cross to campaign for her husband, Senator Bob Dole, in the 1996 presidential campaign. After her husband lost the election, Elizabeth Dole returned to her position at the Red Cross. In 1999 Dole campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination.
