Former Vice President Dick Cheney died on Monday at the age of 84 due to complications from pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.
Cheney’s family released a statement, saying, “Richard B. Cheney, the 46th Vice President of the United States, died last night, November 3, 2025. He was 84 years old. His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed.”
The Vice Presidency: Cheney served as Vice President under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009 and is widely regarded as one of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history.
- He played a crucial role in shaping the country’s “war on terror” and was instrumental in making the case for the United States entering the Iraq War after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
- Cheney and other Bush administration officials faced intense criticism for the 2003 Iraq invasion, particularly over claims that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, which were later disproven.
Cheney’s career: Before his vice presidency, Cheney was the Secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1993, during which he oversaw the military downsizing post-Cold War and led Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
- Cheney’s influence extended beyond national security; he was deeply involved in shaping tax, energy, and environmental policies due to his extensive knowledge of the federal government’s inner workings.
- His political career started in 1978 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming, where he served multiple terms and held leadership roles including House Republican Conference chair and House Minority Whip.
- Prior to Congress, he served as Chief of Staff to President Gerald Ford, becoming the youngest person to hold that position.
Go deeper: Cheney was considered by many as the architect of the modern vice presidency, transforming it from a largely ceremonial role to one with substantial policy-making power, especially in matters of terrorism, executive authority, and the Iraq war.
- Despite widespread criticism and growing public dissent about the Iraq War and anti-terror policies, Cheney remained steadfast in his beliefs and defense of the war effort.
- After leaving office, Cheney retired to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, near where his daughter Liz Cheney, former U.S. Representative, also lived and served in Congress starting 2016.
- Born January 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, he was one of three children to Richard Herbert Cheney, a soil conservationist for the Agriculture Department, and Marjorie Lorraine Dickey.
- He grew up in Nebraska and Wyoming, attended Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming, where he began dating his future wife Lynne Ann Vincent, graduating in 1959.
- Cheney attended Yale University but dropped out, later graduating from the University of Wyoming in 1966. He began but did not complete doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
