- Numerous distinguished appointments, including advisor, U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979; member, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, 1977; member, National Commission on Social Security Reform, 1983; member, U.S. National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 1970, 1973; advisor, U.S. Delegation to Study the Arab Refugee Problem, 1967; and advisor, President’s Delegation to Study the Food Crisis in India, 1966.
- In January 2018, Sen. Dole was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his service to the nation as a soldier, legislator, and statesman.
- Following September 11, 2001, Dole served with former President Bill Clinton as co-chair of the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund to raise over $120 million for the educational needs of the families of victims.
- Recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal, the nation’s second-highest civilian award; Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress; American Legion’s prestigious Distinguished Service Medal; Horatio Alger Award from The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans; U.S. Defense Department’s Distinguished Public Service Award; and the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Teddy Roosevelt Award. Senator Dole is the co-recipient, along with his former Senate colleague George McGovern, of the 2008 World Food Prize, recognizing individuals who have advanced human development through increased quality, quantity, and availability of food.
- Selected in 2007 by President Bush to co-chair the President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors, which closely examined the comprehensive system of medical care received by U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
- In 2004, received the Golden Medal of Freedom from the president of Kosovo for his support of the protection, freedom, independence, and democracy of Kosovo.
- In 1997, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, which is awarded by the President to persons deemed to have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interest of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
- Chairman of the International Commission on Missing Persons in former Yugoslavia, 1997–2001.
- National chairman of the World War II Memorial Campaign, 1997–2004.
- Served as president of the Federal City Council in Washington, D.C.; honorary co-chair of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, part of the USA Freedom Corps; and chairman of the board of The Dole Foundation, which he established in 1983 to advance educational and workforce opportunities for the disabled. The Robert Dole Scholarship Fund for Disabled Students was established in his honor at the United Negro College Fund.
- Served on active duty in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division in World War II, during which he was gravely wounded and received for heroic achievement two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster.
Special Counsel,
- Phone: 202.654.4848
- Email: bob.dole@alston.com
A prominent statesman and the nation’s longest-serving Republican leader, Senator Dole was respected for his views on issues ranging from health care to foreign affairs. Holding numerous distinguished appointments, he was one of the most requested advisors in the public policy arena.
Senator Bob Dole served as special counsel in Alston & Bird’s Legislative & Public Policy Group in the Washington, D.C. office. The 1996 Republican nominee for President and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader was one of the most sought-after advisors in the public policy arena.
A renowned statesman who spent 35½ years in Congress, Dole was first elected to the House from his home state of Kansas in 1960 and to the U.S. Senate in 1968. He gained national prominence as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1971 to 1973. In 1976, President Gerald Ford tapped him to be his vice presidential running mate. He served as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee from 1981 to 1985. Elected Senate Majority Leader in 1984, at the time of his retirement Dole held the record as the nation’s longest-serving Republican leader—a record he held for 22½ years.
Dole has received national acclaim for his leadership on behalf of the disadvantaged and disabled. He was a major spokesman on issues involving veterans, hunger and nutrition, agriculture, and men’s health. He was respected on both sides of the aisle for his views on bipartisanship, deficit reduction, economic growth, and health care and for his mastery of foreign affairs.
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Kansas
Education
- Washburn University (LL.B., 1952)
- Washburn University (B.A., 1952)
Memberships
- Supported the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas, first opened in 2003, which provides a nationally recognized forum for civil discourse in politics.
- Served on the advisory board of the Bipartisan Policy Center along with three other former Senate Majority Leaders—Tom Daschle, George Mitchell, and Howard Baker.
- Served as honorary advisor to the Honor Flight Network, a nonprofit organization that flies World War II veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the World War II Memorial.
- Served as finance co-chair of the Campaign for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial.