Who is Bob Dole's wife Elizabeth? A look at their careers as he’s diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer at 97
Former Kansas Senator and Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole announced on Thursday, February 18, 2021, that he began treatment for stage 4 lung cancer. Dole, a World War II veteran, took to Twitter to confirm the news of his diagnosis. He is married to Elizabeth Dole, a fellow politician and author who served in the Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush’s presidential administrations.
Dole’s announcement comes a day after conservative radio host pioneer Rush Limbaugh died following a year-long battle with stage 4 lung cancer.
“While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own,” Dole, 97, said in a statement. Stage 4 lung cancer is the most advanced stage of the disease and is the least likely to be cured or end up in remission.
STATEMENT BY SENATOR BOB DOLE ON HEALTH CHALLENGES pic.twitter.com/ndRxqNWb30
— Senator Bob Dole (@SenatorDole) February 18, 2021
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Who is Elizabeth Dole?
Elizabeth, 84, was born in Salisbury, North Carolina, and met Bob Dole in 1972 at a meeting arranged by her mentor, Virginia Knauer. The couple quickly bonded over several mutual topics and got married on December 6, 1975, in the Washington National Cathedral.
Elizabeth had campaigned for the Kennedy-Johnson presidential ticket in 1960. From 1969 to 1971, she served as deputy assistant to President Nixon, who later appointed her to a seven-year term on the Federal Trade Commission. From 1981 to 1983, she served as director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and then served as United States Secretary of Transportation under Reagan.
From 1989 to 1990, she served as US Secretary of Labor under George H.W. Bush, making her the first woman to serve in two different Cabinet positions under two different presidents. She ran for the Republican nomination in the US presidential election of 2000 but pulled out of the race in October 1999 before any of the primaries. Elizabeth and Bob do not have any children. However, she is stepmother to Bob’s daughter Robin from his first marriage to Phyllis Holden.
Bob Dole’s political career
Dole was born in Russell, Kansas, and represented Kansas in the US Senate from 1969 to 1996. He graduated from Russell High School in 1941 and joined the University of Kansas, where he participated in several sports. In 1942, he joined the United States Army’s Enlisted Reserve Corps to fight in World War II.
Dole was seriously wounded in 1945 after engaging in combat near Castel d’Aiano in the Apennine mountains southwest of Bologna, Italy. Following his recovery, he ran for office for the first time in 1950 and was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives. During his term, he served on several committees, including Assessment and Taxation, Gas and Oil, Military Affairs, and Soldiers Compensation. In 1960, he was elected to the US House of Representatives from Kansas’s 6th Congressional District.
In 1968, Dole defeated Kansas Governor William H. Avery for the Republican nomination for the US Senate to succeed Sen. Frank Carlson. He was re-elected in 1974, 1980, 1986, and 1992 before resigning from the Senate to focus on his presidential campaign. He was also the Republican Leader of the US Senate during the final 11 years of his tenure. He was also the Republican presidential nominee in the 1996 election and the vice presidential nominee in the 1976 election.