Dick Cheney, one of our most polarizing vice presidents, has died at the age of 84
8 hours agoLast Updated: November 4, 2025
3 12 minutes read
Dick Cheney, one of our most polarizing vice presidents, has died at the age of 84
By Associated Press | Published: 2025-11-04 13:31:00 | Source: Fast Company – news
Dick Cheney, the ultra-conservative who became one of the most powerful and polarizing vice presidents in US history and the main advocate for the invasion of Iraq, has died at the age of 84.
Cheney died Monday night from complications of pneumonia and cardiovascular disease, his family said in a statement.
“For decades, Dick Cheney has served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States,” the statement read. “Dick Cheney was a great, good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, to live a life of courage, honor, love, kindness and fly-fishing. We are beyond grateful for everything Dick Cheney did for our country. We are so lucky to have loved and been loved by this gentle giant of a man.”
A quiet force, Cheney has served presidents both father and son, leading the armed forces as secretary of defense during the Gulf War under President George H. W. Bush before returning to public life as vice president under George W. Bush, Bush’s son.
Cheney was, in fact, the primary official in charge of operations during Bush Jr.’s presidency. Cheney was hand-in-hand, often controlling, in implementing decisions that mattered most to the president and some of which were beyond his own concern — all while living with decades of heart disease and, after managing it, a heart transplant. Cheney has consistently defended the extraordinary tools of surveillance, detention, and inquisition used in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Years after leaving office, he became a target of President Donald Trump, especially after his daughter, Liz Cheney, became the leading Republican critic and investigator of Trump’s desperate attempts to remain in power after his election defeat and his actions in the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol.
“In the 246-year history of our nation, no person has posed a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” Cheney said in a television ad for his daughter. He added: “He tried to steal the last election by using lies and violence to remain in power after voters rejected him.” He’s a coward
In a development that Democrats in his era could not have imagined, Dick Cheney said last year that he would vote for their nominee, Kamala Harris, for president against Trump.
Cheney, who has survived five heart attacks, had long believed he was living on borrowed time, declaring in 2013 that he now woke up every morning “with a smile on my face, thankful for the gift of another day,” an uncanny image of someone who always seemed to be manning the fences.
Cheney, his vice president who was introduced to the era of terrorism, revealed that he turned off the wireless function of his pacemaker years ago for fear that terrorists would remotely deliver a fatal shock to his heart.
During his time in office, the vice presidency was no longer just a ceremonial idea. Instead, Cheney made it a network of back channels through which he could influence policy on Iraq, terrorism, presidential powers, energy, and other cornerstones of the conservative agenda.
With a seemingly permanent half-smile — which critics described as a smirk — Cheney joked about his outsized reputation as a secret manipulator.
He asked, “Am I the evil genius in the corner that no one saw coming out of his hole?” “It’s a great way to actually work.”
Iraq war
Cheney, a hardliner on Iraq who has become increasingly isolated as other hawks have left the government, has been proven wrong on point after point in the Iraq war, without losing his conviction that he was fundamentally right.
He claimed that there were links between the 2001 attacks against the United States and pre-war Iraq that did not exist. He said that American forces would be welcomed as liberators. They weren’t.
The Iraqi insurgency was declared in its final throes in May 2005, when 1,661 American soldiers were killed, a number not even half the number killed by the end of the war.
For fans, he maintained faith in a fragile time, and was resolute even when the nation turned against the war and the leaders waging it.
But long after Bush’s second term, Cheney’s influence waned, as courts restricted him or changed political realities.
Courts have ruled against efforts he championed to expand presidential power and treat suspected terrorists harshly. Bush did not fully accept his hard-line positions on Iran and North Korea.
Cheney operated mostly from undisclosed positions in the months following the 2001 attacks, staying away from Bush to ensure that one or the other survived any subsequent attack on the country’s leadership.
As Bush left town on that fateful day, Cheney was a constant presence in the White House, at least until Secret Service agents lifted him off his feet and carried him away, in a scene the vice president later described as having comedic effect.
Cheney’s relationship with Bush
From the beginning, Cheney and Bush struck a strange deal, unspoken but well understood. Far from any ambitions he may have had to succeed Bush, Cheney was granted power in some ways similar to the presidency itself.
That deal has largely held up.
“He’s built in such a way that he’ll end up being the No. 2 guy,” Dave Gribbin, a friend who grew up with Cheney in Casper, Wyoming, and worked with him in Washington, once said. “He is congenitally reserved.” He is remarkably loyal
As Cheney put it: “I made the decision when I signed with the president that the only agenda I was going to have was his agenda, and that I was not going to be like most vice presidents—that was a bluff, trying to figure out how I was going to get elected president when his term was up.”
His penchant for secrecy and behind-the-scenes maneuvering had its price. He has come to be seen as a thin-skinned Machiavellian orchestrating a failed response to criticism of the Iraq War. And when he shot a hunting buddy in the torso, neck and face with an errant shotgun blast in 2006, he and his cohorts were slow to uncover this unusual turn of events.
The vice president called it “one of the worst days of my life.” The victim, his friend Harry Whittington, recovered and soon forgave him. Comedians have been relentless about it for months. Whittington died in 2023.
When Bush began his presidential bid, he sought help from Cheney, a Washington insider who had retreated into the oil business. Cheney led the team to find a vice presidential candidate.
Bush decided that the best choice was the man chosen to assist in the selection.
Together the pair faced a long battle after the 2000 elections before they were able to achieve victory. A series of recounts and court challenges — a storm that has raged from Florida to the nation’s highest court — has left the country in limbo for weeks.
Cheney took charge of the presidential transition before victory became clear and helped give the administration a smooth start despite the lost time. While he was in office, disputes between administrations competing for a larger share of Bush’s constrained budget came to his office and were often settled there.
On Capitol Hill, Cheney lobbied for the president’s platforms in the halls he walked as an ultra-conservative congressman and the No. 2 Republican leader in the House.
There were jokes about how Cheney was the real number one guy in town; Bush didn’t seem to mind, and he caused some problems himself. But such comments became less appropriate later in Bush’s presidency, as it became clear that he had reached the presidency.
Cheney’s political rise
Politics first attracted Dick Cheney to Washington in 1968, when he was a congressman. He became a protégé of Republican Representative Donald Rumsfeld, Republican of Illinois, and served under him in two agencies and in the White House under Gerald Ford before being promoted to the position of chief of staff, the youngest ever, at the age of 34.
Cheney held the position for fourteen months, then returned to Casper, where he grew up, and ran for the state’s only congressional seat.
In that first House race, Cheney suffered a mild heart attack, prompting him to back off from forming a group called Heartless for Cheney. Despite this, he was able to achieve a decisive victory and went on to win five more terms.
In 1989, Cheney became Secretary of Defense under President Bush I and led the Pentagon during the Gulf War (1990-1991), which expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Between the two Bush administrations, Cheney headed Dallas-based Halliburton, a large engineering and construction firm for the oil industry.
Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the son of a longtime Department of Agriculture worker. Senior class president and co-captain of Casper’s football team, he went to Yale on a full-year scholarship but left with failing grades.
He returned to Wyoming, eventually enrolled at the University of Wyoming and rekindled his relationship with his high school sweetheart, Lynn Ann Vincent, whom he married in 1964. He is survived by his wife, Liz, and his second daughter, Mary.
Associated Press writer Meade Grover in Cheyenne, Wyoming, contributed to this report.
There will soon be unique, exclusive, and new articles such as:
xooox, Mesothelioma attorney specialized, Best-structured settlement annuity companies, Purchase structured settlements, Offshore accident lawyer premium, High-end luxury private jet charter, Top-tier business liability insurance providers, Executive Rehabilitation Center luxury, Premium wrongful death attorney, Best commercial truck accident lawyer, Luxury private rehab for celebrities, Elite spinal cord injury lawyers, Structured settlement funding companies elite, High-end yacht charter brokers, Premium business-class flight deals, Top-tier corporate video conferencing solutions, Luxury executive rehab facilities, High-end mesothelioma law firms, Premium business continuity consultancy, Elite private jet charter hourly rates, Top-tier corporate event management companies, Insurance, Loans, Mortgage, Attorney, Credit, Lawyer, Donate, Degree, Hosting, Claim, Conference Call, Trading, Software, Recovery, Transfer, Gas/Electricity, Classes, Rehab, Treatment, Cord Blood, houston maritime attorney, offshore accident lawyer, best motorcycle accident lawyer, 18 wheeler accident lawyer san antonio, scranton personal injury lawyer, truck accident attorney dallas, houston trucking accident attorney, mesothelioma attorney assistance, new york construction accident lawyer, maritime lawyer new orleans, california auto accident laywer, auto accident attorney california, auto accident attorney colorado springs, car accident lawyer jacksonville, truck accident lawyer dallas, urgent care emr, hospital alcohol detox, dermatological problem, fort lauderdale hospital detox, transporter hospital, children’s hospital emergency room near me, kensington hospital detox, urgent care jasper tx, childrens oakland hospital, weight loss surgery dallas tx, urgent care snider plaza, dallas bariatric, endocrine weight loss, urgent care 77041, urgent care electronic medical records, what is marketing channels, call tracking marketing, marketing your law firm, seo and social media marketing services, affiliate marketing software free, law firm marketing los angeles, marketing automation for agencies, what does cpm stand for in advertising, 3 p of marketing, marketing cloud software, ppc advertising management, marketing integration, email marketing automation software, what does ppc stand for in marketing, best marketing quotes, complete business solution, top 10 help desk software, help desk software for small business, small business call center software, accounting online program, best online accounting program, business performance management software, employee management software for small business, email marketing software for small business, best medical billing software for home based business, marketing automation software for small business, best crm software for small business, crm software for small business, best hr software for small business, small business marketing software, sell house fast austin, sell my house fast phoenix, sell my house fast san diego, selling a house as is by owner, teacher home buying programs texas, sell my house fast orlando, quickly sell house, we buy houses fast for cash, will my house sell, sell house cash, buy house cash or mortgage, sell house fast for cash, buy my home for cash, worst month to sell a house, ac repair coral springs fl, emergency flood repair, flood restoration san diego, air conditioning repair weatherford tx, best ac repair phoenix, air conditioning repair boca raton, water damage restoration portland oregon, water damage restoration los angeles, air conditioning repair phoenix, air conditioning repair mesa az, air conditioning repair simi valley, air conditioning repair plano tx, water damage restoration mesa az, water damage restoration dallas, water damage restoration vancouver wa, auto repair shop modesto ca, paintless dent repair denver colorado, abs unlimited auto repair, paintless dent repair mn, denver auto hail repair, change oil light, automotive repair lubbock tx, auto repair shops stockton ca, paintless dent repair colorado springs, auto ac repair las vegas, auto repair shops omaha ne, auto repair shop mesa az, aftermarket automotive warranty, dent repair colorado springs, paintless dent repair denver, compare vehicle insurance, oklahoma auto insurance quotes, insurance companies okc, cheapest auto insurance reddit, insurance strategy, texas auto insurance quotes online, preferred auto insurance companies, what is insurance deductible, what is premiums in insurance, fort myers auto insurance, auto insurance connecticut, definition collision insurance, hail damage car insurance claim, car accident other driver has no insurance, define insurance brokers, irs tax debt relief program, va loan multi family, tax credit for college students, va loan after chapter 7, how to get preapproved for a va home loan, structured settlement loan, national guard va home loan, cost to refinance home loan, how long does a credit card balance transfer take, va home loan specialist, will refinancing hurt my credit, maximum fha loan amount, does opening a checking account affect credit, fha loan foreclosure waiting period, tax debt relief program, online business degree programs accredited, online accredited psychology degree, online degree in educational psychology, online business degree florida, online university college, online psychology bachelor’s degree, online college business degree, fastest criminal justice degree online, online masters degree in business administration, parapsychology degree online, online degree criminal justice, online school for business degree, online masters degree programs in healthcare administration, masters degree in human resources online, public administration masters degree online, maritime accident attorneys, best motorcycle accident attorney near me, top motorcycle attorneys, donate my broken car, i want to donate my car to charity, business management degree online accredited, donate my truck, donate my car today, places to donate my car, donate my junk car to charity, donate my car to st jude’s, i want to donate my car, donate my vehicle, donate my non running car, donate my car to salvation army, want to donate my car, donate my car without a title, donate my truck to charity, business wifi verizon, verizon business wifi, verizon business internet, verizon internet for business, verizon lte business internet, verizon commercial internet, verizon small business internet, verizon business lte internet, verizon wireless business internet, verizon fios business internet, verizon business internet pricing, verizon wifi business, verizon business wireless internet, verizon business internet service, verizon business phone and internet, verizon 4g business internet, verizon internet and phone for business, verizon office internet, verizon business broadband, verizon business fios internet, verizon business internet cost, verizon business cellular internet, verizon business phone internet, oil rig accident attorneys, offshore injury law firm, verizon business mifi, oil rig injury lawyer, verizon business class internet, verizon high speed internet for business, construction truck accident lawyer, maritime injury attorneys, verizon internet company, business liability insurance, term life insurance quotes, life cover, small business insurance, cheap life insurance, credit consolidation, debt consolidation, debt relief, best debt consolidation loans, credit card consolidation loan, debt consolidation loan, mortgage preapproval, online business loan, attorney car wreck, mesothelioma lawyers, accident attorney, mesothelioma law firm, accident attorney near me, auto accident lawyers near me, auto accident attorneys near me, car accident attorney near me, auto accident attorney, attorneys car accident, car accident lawyers near me, auto lawyers near me, slip and fall lawyer, top car accident attorney, slip and fall attorney, car wreck attorneys, slip and fall lawyers near me, personal injury attorney, auto injury lawyer, accident lawyer, best car accident lawyer near me, accident lawyers near me, personal injury lawyer near me, injury attorneys near me, car accident law, car injury law firms, orange dwi lawyer, motorcycle accident lawyer, motorcycle accident attorneys, car crash law firm, best injury lawyer near me, best personal injury lawyer near me, best accident lawyers, auto lawyers, motorcycle injury lawyers, birth injury lawyers, personal injury lawyers, big al lawyer, top rated personal injury lawyer, car wreck lawyer, injury law firms, wrongful death attorney, best car accident lawyers, best car accident attorney, truck crash lawyers, truck crash attorney, truck accident attorney, frank azar attorney, frank azar lawyer, boat accident lawyer, truck accident lawyer, best truck accident lawyers, azar attorney, wrongful death lawyer, boat accident attorney, aviation accident attorney, aviation accident lawyer, brooklyn injury lawyers, frank azar law firm, pedestrian accident lawyer, strong arm lawyer, nursing home neglect lawyers, medical negligence solicitors, christmas donations near me, donate my car, donate your car, donate car to charity, aspca donations, vitalant org, habitat for humanity car donation, doctors without borders donate, pg campus, online mba programs, online criminal justice degree, online business degree, online college programs, msw online, online colleges, accredited online colleges, online cyber security degree, online psychology degree, online social work degree, msw programs, online college degrees, hostgator com, aws cloud vps, amazon hosting server, amazon aws hosting, vps aws amazon, vonage conference call, verizon conference call, nextiva conference call, conference call services for small business, at&t teleconference, live conference call, 8×8 conference call, conference call lines for small business, ooma 3 way calling, toptier trader, apex trader funding, bybit exchange, oanda live, nasdaq after hours, payroll software, ctmecontracts, download chromedriver, google chrome download for pc, payroll services for small business, payroll for small business, best payroll for small business, online payroll services, payroll service software, construction bookkeeping services, phone systems for small business, restaurant bookkeeping services, companies that buy structured settlements, structured settlement purchasing companies
If you would like us to write these articles, please leave a comment asking us to do so.
