Emily Dolvin

Who was Emily Dolvin?

Emily Frances Gordy Dolvin, 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 and James Jackson Gordy's 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. 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.