For faster navigation, this Iframe is preloading the Wikiwand page for Emily Dolvin.

Emily Dolvin

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
The W.J. Dolvin House - Emily Dolvin's Roswell residence

Emily Frances Gordy Dolvin (October 3, 1912 – December 2, 2006), also known as Aunt Sissy, was an American educator, historic preservationist, political campaigner and civic leader from the state of Georgia.

Dolvin was born in 1912 in Richland, Georgia as the youngest of Mary Ida Nicholson (1871–1951) and James Jackson Gordy's (1863–1948) nine children. Her sister Lillian Gordy Carter was the mother of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States.

After graduating from the Georgia College for Women in Milledgeville, Georgia, Dolvin taught primary school. In 1938, she married William Jasper Dolvin and moved to Roswell, Georgia. The Dolvins had two children, Mary Lee Dolvin Bagwell and Midge Dolvin Schultz. Her husband was an elementary school principal and insurance agent, and Dolvin Elementary School in Alpharetta, Georgia is his namesake.

In 1951, Emily Dolvin participated in the organization of the Roswell Youth Recreation Committee. This committee created the Roswell Recreation and Parks department. She was also the inaugural chairperson of the Roswell Historical Society upon its establishment on October 28, 1971. The Roswell Rotary Club named her a William Watt Fellow, and she was the first female member of that organization.

In 1966, Dolvin became involved in the support of the political career of her nephew Jimmy and was often referred to as Jimmy Carter's Aunt Sissy. In 1970, she was a staff member, host, and delegate for the Georgia Democratic Party, and she was the inauguration reception chairman for Carter's inauguration as governor of Georgia in 1971, and served as the volunteer coordinator for Carter's gubernatorial campaigns. Dolvin also served as a member of the Commission on the Status of Women from August 11, 1972, to April 1, 1974.

During Carter's 1976 presidential campaign, Dolvin campaigned throughout the United States as one of many volunteers that comprised the grass roots Peanut Brigade. However, she was not an official member of the Peanut Brigade. She was campaigning as a member of the family. The Peanut Brigade was a different organization altogether. In 1976, Time magazine referred to her as a “tiny, stylishly dressed, white-haired dynamo” and the secret weapon of Carter's campaign. Dolvin served as the coordinator of docents for the Carter Center from its inception in 1986.

Dolvin's home, the W.J. Dolvin house, is located next to Bulloch Hall in the Historic District of Roswell and is often referred to as “President Jimmy Carter’s Roswell White House”. It is one of the few examples of late-Victorian architecture in that city.[citation needed]

An elder of the Roswell Presbyterian Church, Dolvin also founded the Refuge Resettlement Ministry. In 1992, Dolvin married a second time to Hubert “Hu” B. Visscher, but never legally took his name. She was named to the list of Roswell's 15 Most Remarkable Citizens in 2004. Dolvin died at age 94 of congestive heart failure at her Roswell home on December 2, 2006.

References

[edit]
{{bottomLinkPreText}} {{bottomLinkText}}
Emily Dolvin
Listen to this article

This browser is not supported by Wikiwand :(
Wikiwand requires a browser with modern capabilities in order to provide you with the best reading experience.
Please download and use one of the following browsers:

This article was just edited, click to reload
This article has been deleted on Wikipedia (Why?)

Back to homepage

Please click Add in the dialog above
Please click Allow in the top-left corner,
then click Install Now in the dialog
Please click Open in the download dialog,
then click Install
Please click the "Downloads" icon in the Safari toolbar, open the first download in the list,
then click Install
{{::$root.activation.text}}

Install Wikiwand

Install on Chrome Install on Firefox
Don't forget to rate us

Tell your friends about Wikiwand!

Gmail Facebook Twitter Link

Enjoying Wikiwand?

Tell your friends and spread the love:
Share on Gmail Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Buffer

Our magic isn't perfect

You can help our automatic cover photo selection by reporting an unsuitable photo.

This photo is visually disturbing This photo is not a good choice

Thank you for helping!


Your input will affect cover photo selection, along with input from other users.

X

Get ready for Wikiwand 2.0 ๐ŸŽ‰! the new version arrives on September 1st! Don't want to wait?