After years of battling heart disease, former Vice President Dick Cheney has died from complications of pneumonia, cardiac and vascular disease, his family has announced. He was 84.
Cheney’s family revealed in a press statement that the hawkish conservative, widely considered one of the most influential vice presidents in American history, passed away on Monday.
“His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed,” the family statement said.
“Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing,” they continued. “We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”
Cheney, who served as the 46th vice president under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, was well-known as a key architect of President Bush’s “War on Terror” in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He was also an early supporter of the invasion of Iraq.
In a statement Tuesday, Bush remembered Cheney as “a decent, honorable man” who history will remember as “among the finest public servants of his generation.”
“The death of Richard B. Cheney is a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his friends. Laura and I will remember Dick Cheney for the decent, honorable man that he was. History will remember him as among the finest public servants of his generation — a patriot who brought integrity, high intelligence, and seriousness of purpose to every position he held,” Bush wrote.
In addition to serving as Bush’s vice president, Cheney also served as secretary of defense from 1989 to 1993 and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 1989. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H.W. Bush for his leadership during the Gulf War.
In his statement Tuesday, Bush said Cheney “earned the confidence and high opinion of five presidents.” He said that after he asked Cheney to join his ticket in 2000, he realized after long discussions that he was “the one I needed.”
“I’m still grateful that he was at my side for the eight years that followed,” Bush said. “Dick was a calm and steady presence in the White House amid great national challenges. I counted on him for his honest, forthright counsel, and he never failed to give his best. He held to his convictions and prioritized the freedom and security of the American people. For those two terms in office, and throughout his remarkable career, Dick Cheney’s service always reflected credit on the country he loved.”
Bush also offered prayers for Cheney’s family.
“Our hearts and our prayers go out to the Cheney family,” Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, R-La., said on Friday. “Scripture is very clear. We give honor where honor is due. [He’s] someone who gave their life, loved their country, and loved serving their country in so many capacities.”
While he wasn’t an avid churchgoer, Cheney was a member of the United Methodist Church and was also known as the first Methodist vice president to serve under a Methodist president.
Still, he was also a polarizing figure in American politics, who was not universally supported in light of his role in pushing for the War in Iraq that began in 2003 on the premise that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction that were never found.
Additionally, in recent years, Cheney wasn’t afraid to share his criticism of President Donald Trump and became somewhat ostracized from the Republican Party. He voted for the Democrat and former Vice President Kamala Harris for president in 2024, and his daughter, Liz, voted for Trump’s impeachment in 2021 as a member of Congress, drawing the ire of many conservatives.
Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost
