Dorothy Barnes Pelote (December 30, 1929 – January 18, 2015) was a member of the

Georgia State House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

Early background

Born on December 30, 1929, in

Lancaster, South Carolina The city of Lancaster () is the county seat of Lancaster County, South Carolina, United States, located in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area. As of the United States Census of 2010, the city population was 8,526. The city was named after the famou ...

, the daughter of Abraham Barnes and Ethel Green, she married Maceo R. Pelote by whom she had two daughters, Deborah and Miriam. Before entering politics, Barnes Pelote, who has

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

heritage and is African Methodist Episcopalian, was a school teacher.

Political career

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she then served as Chatham County

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

. In 1992, she was elected to the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

for a two-year term and was re-elected four times. She represented the Savannah-based 149th Representative District. Dorothy Barnes Pelote was noted for her efforts to promote public awareness of the dangers of

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

, 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. "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."

Death

She died on January 18, 2015, surrounded by her family at her

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

home, aged 85. A widow, she was survived by her two daughters and extended family.

Honors

In 2006, the

Georgia Legislature The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly e ...

passed a resolutionHouse Resolution 1195 – Designate Dorothy Barnes Pelote Bridge; Chatham County
, Georgia General Assembly, February 2, 2006. 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 Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. In 1920, five women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achie ...

, 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

Early background

Political career

Death

Honors

Footnotes

See also