Richard Cheney, who served as vice president under George W. Bush and wielded extraordinary influence over American foreign policy during the post-Sept. 11 era, died on Monday at age 84. Cheney passed away at his residence from pneumonia, along with heart and vascular complications, after enduring five cardiac arrests across his lifetime and receiving a transplant in 2012.
The Wyoming native began his Washington career as chief of staff to Gerald Ford before representing his home state in Congress for 10 years starting in 1979. He directed the Pentagon under the first President Bush and managed coalition forces during the 1991 Gulf War. As vice president from 2001 through 2009, Cheney championed military action in Afghanistan and Iraq while promoting interrogation methods that critics labeled torture and expanding executive branch authority.
His final years brought a dramatic rupture with the Republican Party when he opposed Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and backed Democrat Kamala Harris during the 2024 election. His daughter Liz Cheney, a former representative, adopted similar positions and investigated the riot as a committee member. Survivors include wife Lynne, both daughters and several grandchildren.
The Wyoming native began his Washington career as chief of staff to Gerald Ford before representing his home state in Congress for 10 years starting in 1979. He directed the Pentagon under the first President Bush and managed coalition forces during the 1991 Gulf War. As vice president from 2001 through 2009, Cheney championed military action in Afghanistan and Iraq while promoting interrogation methods that critics labeled torture and expanding executive branch authority.
His final years brought a dramatic rupture with the Republican Party when he opposed Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and backed Democrat Kamala Harris during the 2024 election. His daughter Liz Cheney, a former representative, adopted similar positions and investigated the riot as a committee member. Survivors include wife Lynne, both daughters and several grandchildren.
