Former Vice President of the United States Richard B. Cheney, in Memoriam

Former Vice President of the Unted States Richard Bruce Cheney, a staunch conservative Republican with a long career of public service, died November 3 at the age of 84 in Northern Virginia. He was born in Lincoln Nebraska on January 30, 1941. His family later moved to Wyoming, where he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Wyoming. Cheney then began serving in various roles in the administrations of Republican Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford: in the Office of Economic Opportunity, from 1969 to 1970, as White House Staff Assistant in 1971, as Assistant Director of the Cost of Living Council, from 1971 to 1973, as Deputy Assistant to the President, from 1974 to 1975, rising to Chief of Staff to President Gerald R. Ford, from 1975 to 1976. He then managed Ford’s reelection campaign in 1976 that almost came all the way back from being well behind in the polls. Cheney was elected U.S. Representative from Wyoming in 1978 and was re-elected four times, serving from 1979 to 1989. He held leadership positions as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, 1981 to 1987, Chairman of the House Republican Conference in 1987, and House Minority Whip the following year. Meanwhile, he was an early supporter of Ronald Reagan’s 1980 presidential candidacy and supported Reagan’s defense and foreign policies while serving in Congress. Cheney was appointed Secretary of Defense by President George H.W. Bush in 1989 and served until the end of the Bush Administration in 1993. He was Defense Secretary during the overthrow of Panamanian Dictator Manuel Noriega in 1989, the 1991 Liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi aggression in 1990, and the intervention in the Somali Civil War in 1991. Secretary Cheney implemented post-Cold War military reductions, but with the provision of necessary new weapons systems. He supported the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a bulwark of European and American security versus Russia. Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush asked Cheney to lead the search for a vice-presidential nominee and general election running mate. Bush then recommended Cheney, who was nominated at the Republican National Convention in 2000. Cheney was elected Vice President of the United States and renominated four years later, serving from 2001 to 2009, becoming the only person ever from the Mountain West to be elected either Vice President or President, loyally supporting Bush’s conservative policies and providing wise counsel during the War on Terrorism. Throughout his career, he was a strong advocate for conservative policies, particularly in defense and foreign policy. Although Cheney supported the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, the principled conservative characterized Russian interference in American politics and particularly on behalf of Trump’s candidacy as an “act of war.” Cheney publicly broke with Trump after Trump’s attempted insurrection on January 6, 2021, after the incumbent refused to accept the results of the 2020 election, which he lost. He backed his daughter, Rep. Lynn Cheney of Wyoming, in her criticisms of Trump and especially her participation in the House Committee that investigated the January 6th Insurrection. May Cheney’s legacy of public service and integrity inspire principled conservatives and Republicans and all Americans.