Louis O. Dore was born March 14, 1945, in Burton, SC to parents Emily Eddings Dore and the Rev. Hezekiah Dore, Sr. He attended Morehouse College, where he was president of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and co-founded the Morehouse College Young Democrats, an organization that actively worked to ensure the election of the first African Americans as members of the Georgia legislature since the Reconstruction Era. Following his graduation from Morehouse College in 1967, he obtained his teaching certification from Georgia State College and his J.D. from the University of Georgia. He was one of only four African Americans in his law school class.
He was an educator in the Beaufort County public school system, where he taught French, Black History, and U.S. History and Government.
In 1980, he was the only African American trial lawyer in a vast region of SC and became the first African American attorney in SC to become senior partner at a previously non-integrated law firm. He later established the Dore Law Firm in 1989.
Louis served on the board of directors of the Beaufort Memorial Hospital, was one of the founders and director of Islands Community Bank, served as chair of the Beaufort County Democratic Party and was a board member/trustee for Benedict College. He also served as treasurer on the board of directors of Penn Center for over eight years and continued to serve as legal counsel until his passing.
One of the accomplishments that Louis was most proud of was his involvement in the push for a quality education for the children of SC. While serving as chair of the SC State Board of Education, the Education Improvement Act was passed and funded by the state, with a one cent sales tax increase.
He was a member of the New Hope Christian Fellowship Church.
Louis O. Dore died on September 16, 2019. He is survived by his wife, Vernita Dore; his children, Angela Dore, Candace Dore, Anthony O. Dore and Bertrand O. Dore; and five grandchildren, Christopher Dore, Christina Dore, Gregory Louis Dore, Nasir Dore, and Abria Dore.