Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most powerful and polarizing figures in modern American politics, has died at the age of 84, his family announced on Tuesday. Cheney passed away surrounded by his wife, Lynne, and daughters Liz and Mary, following complications from pneumonia and long-term cardiac and vascular disease.
“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,” the family said in a statement.
A Legacy of Power and Controversy
Serving as Vice President under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, Cheney was widely regarded as the most influential number two in American history. His strategic vision and hawkish worldview helped shape the U.S. response to the September 11 attacks, steering the nation into what became known as the “War on Terror.”
From the invasion of Afghanistan to the 2003 Iraq War, Cheney’s imprint on U.S. foreign policy was profound — and deeply contested. Critics accused him of promoting intelligence that overstated Iraq’s weapons threat, while supporters credited him for his decisiveness during one of America’s darkest hours.
Former President George W. Bush praised Cheney as “a decent, honorable man” who “brought intelligence and seriousness of purpose to every position.”
From Wyoming to Washington’s Core
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, and raised in Wyoming, Cheney’s career spanned five decades across Congress, the Pentagon, and the private sector. He served as White House Chief of Staff under Gerald Ford, Secretary of Defense under George H. W. Bush, and CEO of Halliburton, one of the world’s largest energy firms.
When George W. Bush tapped him to help find a running mate in 2000, Cheney ultimately chose himself — a move that would reshape American politics for decades.
A Patriot Divided from His Party
In his later years, Cheney became an unlikely critic of the Republican Party he helped build. His outspoken opposition to Donald Trump, whom he once called “the greatest threat to the republic,” estranged him from many conservatives. In a symbolic gesture, Cheney cast his final presidential vote in 2024 for Vice President Kamala Harris, underscoring how far his views had diverged from the modern GOP.
A Life Extended and Examined
Cheney’s decades-long battle with heart disease defined much of his personal journey. He survived multiple heart attacks before undergoing a heart transplant in 2012, which he described as “the gift of life itself.” Despite his health struggles, he remained an active voice in national security debates and appeared frequently in interviews and documentaries examining the post-9/11 era.
Reactions Across the Political Spectrum
Tributes poured in Tuesday from across party lines. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Joe Biden praised Cheney’s long record of public service, even as they acknowledged the fierce policy divisions that defined his career.
Political historian Dr. Samuel Quinn noted that Cheney “embodied the contradictions of American power — brilliant, loyal, and utterly convinced of his moral clarity, even when history judged otherwise.”
The Final Measure of a Public Servant
Few figures have cast as long and complex a shadow over Washington as Dick Cheney. To admirers, he was a patriot who safeguarded America after 9/11. To critics, he was the chief architect of a costly and destabilizing foreign policy.
Both can be true — and in the end, Cheney’s life stands as a reflection of America’s post-9/11 struggle to balance security, morality, and power.
