Dick Cheney, who served as the 46th Vice President of the United States and was widely considered one of the most powerful figures ever to hold that office, died Monday night at his home. He was 84 years old.
Cheney died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, according to a statement from his family. His wife of 61 years, Lynne, and his daughters, Liz and Mary, were with him when he passed.
“Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing,” the family statement said.
Cheney’s political career spanned nearly four decades in Washington. He served as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford, represented Wyoming in the U.S. House of Representatives for a decade, and led the Pentagon as Secretary of Defense during the 1991 Persian Gulf War under President George H.W. Bush.
But it was his tenure as Vice President under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009 that defined his legacy and made him one of the most polarizing figures in American politics.
Cheney became known as America’s most powerful modern vice president and chief architect of the “war on terror,” wielding unprecedented influence in shaping foreign policy after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. His push for the invasion of Iraq in 2003, based on claims about weapons of mass destruction that were never found, remained controversial throughout his life.
The Wyoming native’s health struggles were well documented. Cheney had his first heart attack at age 37 while running for Congress in 1978, followed by four more heart attacks over the years. He received a heart pump in 2011 and underwent a heart transplant in 2012.
In his later years, the lifelong conservative became estranged from his own Republican Party over his criticism of President Donald Trump. In a 2022 campaign ad for his daughter Liz, Cheney looked directly into the camera and called Trump “a coward,” adding, “In our nation’s 246-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”
That break with Trump culminated in an unexpected political turn. Last year, Cheney announced he would cast his vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, saying, “As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution.”
His daughter, former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, also became one of Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics, serving on the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. Her stance cost her the primary election and ended her congressional career.
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cheney grew up in Casper, Wyoming. After starting at Yale University, he eventually earned his degrees in political science from the University of Wyoming. He married high school sweetheart Lynne Anne Vincent in 1964.
Between his stints in government service, Cheney led Halliburton Corporation, a major engineering and construction firm serving the oil industry.
His family’s statement concluded with gratitude. “We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”
Cheney is survived by his wife Lynne, daughters Liz and Mary, and several grandchildr
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
