Dick Cheney died at the age of 84 years on November 3, 2025, in his home amidst family members. He succumbed to post pneumonia complications, cardiac and vascular diseases. Family members testified he was a steadfast patriot who inspired his immediate people to respect his nation. The legacy Cheney leaves is complex, one of the most significant figures in Republican politics and U.S. foreign policy.
Biography and Education
Cheney was born on January 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, his parents Marjorie and Richard Herbert Cheney. His family moved to Casper and Wyoming, during his childhood, and he graduated from high school there. Law had made an early incursion into his life. Two drunk driving arrests in the 1960s made Cheney turn away from that existence.
In 1964, he married his high school sweetheart, Lynne Vincent. He attempted to attend Yale University but dropped out after flunking. He later earned a B.A. and an M.A. in political science at the University of Wyoming. Cheney began doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin but dropped them for a political internship.
Political Rise
Cheney got his start in Washington in 1969 as an intern in the office of Representative William Steiger. In time, he established a close working relationship with Donald Rumsfeld and served variously as Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. Under President Gerald Ford, Cheney would go from 1975 to 1977 as assistant to the president. In 1978, the voters of Wyoming elected him to the U.S. House of Representatives.
He would go through five reelections. Having built himself up in party leadership, he was made House minority whip in 1989. That year, he was appointed Secretary of Defense by President George H.W. Bush, where he managed Operation Just Cause in Panama and the Gulf War coalition against Iraq in 1991.
Vice Presidency Under George W. Bush
George W. Bush selected Cheney as his running mate in 2000, and the two won the election. Cheney exerted unprecedented power as vice president from 2001 to 2009. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Cheney worked to craft a response that included advocating for an invasion of Iraq, built on allegations of weapons of mass destruction and linkages to al-Qaeda.
Health Struggles
Starting from his first heart trouble in 1978 with a heart attack at the age of 37 Cheney throughout his life suffered chronic heart ailments. Bypass surgery in 1988, numerous angioplasties, and implantation of a defibrillator in 2001 were followed by doctors’ installation of a left ventricular assist device in 2010 and a heart transplant in 2012, amid lingering complications from these medical disorders right down to the end.
