Cheney Dies

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most powerful and controversial figures in American political history, died at age 84 on Monday.

Context

Cheney served as vice president under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, following a lengthy career that included stints as White House chief of staff under Gerald Ford, a decade in Congress representing Wyoming, and Defense Secretary under George H.W. Bush.

He was widely regarded as the most influential vice president in American history, wielding unprecedented power over foreign policy, national security, and domestic issues during the Bush Administration.

Death and Health Struggles

Cheney died on Monday from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, according to a statement from his family.

He had battled heart problems for most of his adult life, suffering his first heart attack at age 37 during his first congressional campaign and experiencing five heart attacks total between 1978 and 2010. In 2012, after spending 20 months on a waiting list, Cheney received a heart transplant that extended his life by more than a decade.

Vice President

Cheney believed the US presidency had been weakened by post-Watergate reforms and worked to restore executive authority.

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he became the chief strategist behind the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, insisting that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and had ties to al-Qaeda – claims later discredited when no such weapons were found. Cheney became the architect and primary supporter of controversial Bush Administration policies, including National Security Agency (NSA) wiretapping and the use of “enhanced interrogation.” Cheney’s influence declined in Bush's second term as the president asserted more independent authority.

Final Years

Despite decades as a conservative Republican icon, Cheney became a fierce critic of Donald Trump, particularly after the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. In 2022, he said, "There has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump" in a campaign ad supporting his daughter Liz Cheney's bid for congress. In 2024, Cheney announced he would vote for Democrat Kamala Harris for president – a reversal for someone who had been reviled by Democrats for years.

Cheney is survived by his wife Lynne, whom he married in 1964, and daughters Elizabeth and Mary, along with seven grandchildren. His tenure left a complex legacy: Praised by supporters for keeping America safe after 9/11, but criticized for leading the country into a costly and controversial war in Iraq that killed almost 5,000 Americans and 100,000+ Iraqis and lasted nearly a decade.