Edith Huntington Jones Dobelle, born on September 2, 1944, in Hamden, Connecticut, grew up on a property cultivated by her conservationist father to have a natural appearance.

[1][2] Edith Dobelle, often called Kit, expressed an early interest in politics, which led her to volunteer for Maurice Frye's campaign for state representative in a Massachusetts special election in the 1960s.

[2] In January 1976, as the Republican mayor of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Evan Dobelle and Kit met then-presidential candidate Jimmy Carter during his campaign visit to the city.

[1][2] Following Carter's victory in November 1976, the Dobelles moved to Washington, D.C., where Kit served as an unpaid assistant to Evan in his role as Chief of Protocol of the United States.

[1] In 1978, Evan Dobelle transitioned to a new role as the treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, and Kit was appointed to replace him as Chief of Protocol, a position with ambassadorial rank requiring Senate confirmation.