Dottie Lamm

Dorothy Louise Vennard Lamm (born May 23, 1937) is an American feminist, women's rights activist, educator, author, and speaker. She was First Lady of Colorado during her husband Richard Lamm's three terms as Governor of Colorado (1975–1987). In 1998, was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee in the election for United States Senate in Colorado. She wrote a weekly column for The Denver Post from 1979 to 1996 and later published three books. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 1985.

Early life and education Dorothy Louise Vennard was born in New York City in 1937. She grew up in Palo Alto, California, where her father worked as a civil engineer. She earned a BA at Occidental College in Los Angeles.

After college, she began working out of Denver as a stewardess for United Airlines.

Political career First Lady of Colorado, 1975–1987

Lamm was the First Lady of Colorado during her husband's three terms as governor from 1975 to 1987. Her opponent would be Ben Nighthorse Campbell, who had won the Senate seat as a Democrat in 1992 (defeating Richard Lamm for the Democratic party nomination), but who had changed his party affiliation to Republican in 1995.

Lamm's campaign called for improvements in the state's fiscal, educational, and environmental policies in order to benefit children. The Washington Post wrote: Lamm held up a thick stack of papers at debates, calling it Campbell's book of missed votes. She blasted Campbell for conflicting votes on issues including abortion, corporate tax breaks and gay rights. [Richard] Lamm, who lost the 1992 Democratic primary to Campbell, hired a gymnast named "Flip-horse" in September to perform back hand springs at campaign stops. Lamm's primary campaign was mocked by J.T. Colfax, and inmate in the Boulder County Jail, for relying on name recognition in order to run.

Other activities In 1999 Lamm began teaching at the University of Denver as the 1999/2000 Leo Block Fellow, giving courses on population, leadership, and risk-taking. She is also a founder of the Democratic Women's Caucus of Colorado. The Women's Foundation of Colorado named its annual Dottie Lamm Leadership Award for high school students in her honor. She was awarded the Humanist Heroine Award by the American Humanist Association in 1997. She was the recipient of the 2014 Empathy Award from Volunteers of America.

Personal life She married Richard Lamm, then a lawyer and accountant, in Denver in 1963. They have a son and daughter. Both she and her husband enjoy scuba diving, skiing, and mountain climbing. She has climbed 35 of the fourteeners in Colorado.

In August 1983 Lamm was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. She wrote about her surgery and chemotherapy treatment at length in her newspaper column, encouraging women to go for mammogram screening, and received many letters of support.