After the end of World War II, Dolliver enrolled at Swarthmore College, and graduated in 1949.
In 1953, Dolliver became the administrative assistant to Congressman Jack Westland (R-Everett), then became an attorney for the state House Republicans.
[8] In 1993, Dolliver received the "Outstanding Judge of the Year" award from the Washington State Bar.
[9] In 2000, an endowed professorship was named in honor of Dolliver at the University of Puget Sound, for which he had served as a trustee.
[10] Dolliver married Barbara Jean Babcock (January 28, 1927 – July 10, 2013), whom he met at Swarthmore, and they had six children.