ELIZABETH H. DOLE - AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED - HFSID 323189

ELIZABETH H. DOLE
Brief note from the politician, thanking a soldier for his service
Autograph note signed: "To SPC. Farell-Wilk/heartfelt thanks for your/service to our country,/Elizabeth Dole", in black ink, 5x3. Elizabeth H. Dole (b. 1936), who married future Senate Republican leader Bob Dole in 1975, served in high-level capacities under five Presidents, beginning with Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963. A former member of the Federal Trade Commission (under Presidents Ford and Carter, 1973-1979), she was the first woman to be appointed to a post in Ronald Reagan's administration (Assistant to the President for Public Liaison). Dole later served as the first woman Secretary of Transportation under Reagan (1983-1987) and was named Secretary of Labor in President George Bush's administration (1989-1990). Dole resigned to become Director of the American Red Cross (1991-2000), where she took steps to ensure the safety of the nation's blood supply and increased corporate donations to the organization. Mrs. Dole, who took a leave of absence in 1996 to campaign for her husband's bid for the presidency, resigned in January 1999 to focus on her own candidacy. Although she ran second in polls for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2000, she withdrew from the race before the primaries, citing a lack of funding for her campaign. In 2002, she was elected U.S. Senator from her home state of North Carolina. Pencil notes (unknown hand) on verso. Stray ink mark on top margin. Fine condition.