Jo-Anne Coe, who became the first woman to serve as secretary of the Senate in 1985, began her career on Capitol Hill in 1967 on the staff of Representative Bob Dole of Kansas. In 1968, after Dole’s election to the Senate, she became manager of his Senate office. She briefly left the Hill in 1975 to accept an appointment in the Ford administration and subsequently worked on Dole’s 1976 vice-presidential campaign before returning to the Senate as his administrative director. When Dole became Senate majority leader in 1985, Coe’s extensive knowledge of Capitol Hill made her a natural choice for the job of secretary. In 1986 Coe assisted Dole and Democratic Leader Robert C. Byrd in their efforts to bring C-SPAN cameras into the Senate Chamber. An exacting professional, Coe fought to improve working conditions and bring merit increases to secretary staff. When the Democrats regained control of the Senate in 1987, Coe left the position of secretary but continued to work with Bob Dole on his 1988 and 1996 presidential campaigns.
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