Dorothy Barnes Pelote (December 30, 1929 – January 18, 2015) was a member of the Georgia State House of Representatives.
Early background
editBorn on December 30, 1929, in Lancaster, South Carolina, the daughter of Abraham Barnes and Ethel Green, she married [when?] Maceo R. Pelote by whom she had two daughters, Deborah and Miriam. Before entering politics, Barnes Pelote, who has African-American heritage and is African Methodist Episcopalian, was a school teacher.
Political career
editA Democrat, she then served as Chatham County Commissioner. In 1992, she was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives for a two-year term and was re-elected four times.[1] She represented the Savannah-based 149th Representative District.[2]
Dorothy Barnes Pelote was noted for her efforts to promote public awareness of the dangers of ovarian cancer, as well as for proposing more unusual legislative proposals. She introduced a bill that would make it a crime for anyone to answer the door naked.[3][4]
"Former Savannah Georgia, legislator Dorothy Pelote became a fierce advocate for black Florida and Georgia residents whose communities were visited by swarms of disease-carrying mosquitoes released by the CIA during the 1950s and 1960s. CIA documents suggest that scientists in the MK-ULTRA Project experimented with such biological exposures in black communities in order to determine whether such releases would be effective against foreign enemies."[5]
Death
editShe died on January 18, 2015, surrounded by her family at her Savannah, Georgia home, aged 85. A widow, she was survived by her two daughters and extended family.[6]
Honors
editIn 2006, the Georgia Legislature passed a resolution[7] to designate the Dorothy Barnes Pelote Bridge to honor her.
Carver Heights (Savannah, GA) Community Service Award, 1981–82; Rep Roy Allen Award, 1982; Minority Women of the Year, Zeta Phi Beta, 1984; Dorothy Pelote Day City Savannah & Chatham County, 1985.
Special Achievements: First Female elected County Commissioner Chairman Pro Tem; one of the first Black females to be elected to the Chatham County Commission; State Board Postsecondary Vocational Educator by appointment of the Governor GA selected Vice President Black Caucus Asn County Commission GA; Testimonial Banquet by Constituents of Eighth Comn District
Footnotes
edit- ^ Charles S. Bullock, III, The Georgia Political Almanac, The General Assembly 1993–94
- ^ Representative Dorothy Pelote (D-149)[permanent dead link], Georgia House of Representatives
- ^ Dave Williams, "Knock, knock. Who's there? No nakedness" Archived January 11, 2004, at the Wayback Machine, onlineathens.com, January 15, 2002.
- ^ Michael Wall, 2002 Golden Sleaze Awards Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, creativeloafing.com, April 17, 2002.
- ^ Medical Apartheid, by Harriet A. Washington, 2006.
- ^ Dorothy Barnes Pelote obituary, meaningfulfunerals.net; accessed April 16, 2016.
- ^ House Resolution 1195 – Designate Dorothy Barnes Pelote Bridge; Chatham County Archived June 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Georgia General Assembly, February 2, 2006.