Former Vice President Dick Cheney, 84, died Monday from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, his family announced.
The big picture: Cheney, who served under former President George W. Bush, redefined the role of vice president into one of the most powerful in Washington.
He spent nearly 40 years shaping Republican and U.S. foreign policy, including stints as White House chief of staff, Wyoming congressman and defense secretary.
Bush, in a statement emailed to Axios, said, “Dick was a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges.
Early career and rise to the White House At just 34, he became the youngest ever White House chief of staff, under President Gerald Ford.
Dick Cheney, an 84-year-old former vice president, passed away on Monday due to complications from pneumonia, heart disease, and vascular disease, according to his family.
In the grand scheme of things, Cheney worked for former President George W. Bush transformed the vice president position into one of the most influential in Washington.
Richard B. was born in Nebraska and grew up in Wyoming. Cheney ascended from intern on Capitol Hill to the top of the U.S. In S. strength.
He shaped Republican and U.S. politics for almost forty years. To S. foreign policy, including positions as defense secretary, Wyoming congressman, and chief of staff in the White House.
“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,” according to a statement released by his family. “To have loved and been loved by this honorable giant of a man is an immense blessing. The “.
“Dick was a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges,” stated Bush in an email to Axios. I relied on him for direct, honest advice, and he consistently gave it his all. He prioritized the freedom and security of the American people while adhering to his beliefs. The “.
Cheney was incredibly powerful during the U.S. The S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11, the pinnacle of a career as a power broker behind the scenes.
For his reporting on Cheney, Barton Gellman won a Pulitzer Prize. “His hand was often unseen even by colleagues,” he wrote.
early career and ascent to the White House.
Under President Gerald Ford, he became the youngest chief of staff in White House history at the age of 34.
After serving six terms as Wyoming’s only congressman, Cheney rose to the position of GOP leader in the House before joining President George H. In W. Bush’s Cabinet in 1989 as Secretary of Defense.
Cheney managed the U.S. at the Pentagon. In S. invasions of Kuwait and Panama.
Cheney defended the 1991 Gulf War’s decision to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait but not to overthrow Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
Flashback: Prior to joining President Bush’s ticket in 2000, Cheney oversaw Halliburton, a major oilfield services company that went on to win significant U.S. For S. contracts during the Iraq War, a relationship that sparked years of ethical discussions and controversy.
Before becoming Bush’s first choice for the position, he served as the head of Bush’s vice presidential search committee.
“War on terror” period.
As vice president, Cheney played a major role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which at the time had widespread public and bipartisan support.
But as it became evident that the Bush administration’s and Cheney’s justification for invading Iraq was untrue, the so-called War on Terror, which he supported, lost public support.
Cheney, a methodical political strategist who valued executive power, had a broad impact on U.S. In S. energy policy, intelligence, and security following 9/11.
Critics compared Cheney to Darth Vader as a result of his behind-the-scenes maneuvering; he wryly accepted the moniker, once joking that it was “one of the nicer things I’ve been called.”. The “.
Point of contention: The CIA officer Valerie Plame’s outing turned into one of Cheney’s most significant scandals.
It intensified criticism of the administration’s use of intelligence and resulted in Lewis “Scooter” Libby, his chief of staff, being found guilty of perjury and obstruction in 2007.
Zoom out: Cheney had heart issues for decades despite having survived five heart attacks.
In 2001, he got a pacemaker; in 2010, he got a mechanical pump; and in 2012, he got a heart transplant.
Trump criticism and the years after the White House.
Cheney maintained that the Iraq War was warranted and supported the Bush administration’s use of “enhanced interrogation” methods even after he retired.
Cheney became enraged with President Trump in his last years, denouncing him as “a coward” and the biggest “threat to our republic,” while endorsing his daughter Rep. Liz Cheney’s attempts to make Trump answerable for the Jan. The Capitol had six riots.
His endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024, which marked the culmination of his late-life split from his party, demonstrated how far the GOP had moved away from the hawkish conservatism he stood for.
Editor’s note: Throughout, this story was updated with additional information and background.
