Dorothy Barnes Pelote (December 30, 1929 – January 18, 2015) was a member of the Georgia State House of Representatives.

Born on December 30, 1929, in Lancaster, South Carolina, the daughter of Abraham Barnes and Ethel Green, she married ^[when?] Maceo R. Pelote by whom she had two daughters, Deborah and Miriam. Before entering politics, Barnes Pelote, who has African-American heritage and is African Methodist Episcopalian, was a school teacher.

A Democrat, she then served as Chatham County Commissioner. In 1992, she was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives for a two-year term and was re-elected four times.^[1] She represented the Savannah-based 149th Representative District.^[2]

Dorothy Barnes Pelote was noted for her efforts to promote public awareness of the dangers of ovarian cancer, 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.^[3][4]

"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."^[5]

She died on January 18, 2015, surrounded by her family at her Savannah, Georgia home, aged 85. A widow, she was survived by her two daughters and extended family.^[6]

In 2006, the Georgia Legislature passed a resolution^[7] 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, 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

• Georgia General Assembly
• Georgia State House of Representatives
• Savannah, Georgia