Dick Cheney's Legacy: How the Influential VP Shaped Modern US Politics

"Richard B Cheney, the 46th Vice President of the United States, died last night, November 3, 2025. He was 84 years old," The Hill reported quoting a statement issued by Cheney's family.

"His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed. The former Vice President died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease," it added.

Dick Cheney served as the US Vice President during former President George W Bush’s administration from 2001-2009. He is regarded as one of the most influential Vice Presidents in modern US history, having helped lead the country's “war on terror” after the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, The Hill reported.

Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on January 30, 1941, Cheney grew up in Casper, Wyoming. He had a distinguished career as a businessman and public servant, serving four Presidents and as an elected official. His career in public service started in 1969 when he joined the Nixon Administration, and served in various positions at the Cost of Living Council, at the Office of Economic Opportunity, and within the White House.

When Gerald Ford assumed the Presidency in August 1974, Cheney served on the transition team and later as Deputy Assistant to the President. According to the White House, in 1975, he was named as Assistant to the President and White House Chief of Staff, a post he held throughout the remainder of the Ford Administration.

After returning to Wyoming in 1977, Cheney was elected to serve as the state's sole Congressman in the US House of Representatives. He was re-elected five times and elected by his colleagues to serve as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee from 1981-1987. He was elected Chairman of the House Republican Conference in 1987 and House Minority Whip in 1988. During his tenure in the House, he earned a reputation as a man of knowledge, character, and accessibility.

He served as US Secretary of Defence from March 1989-January 1993 and directed two of the largest military campaigns in recent history - Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East. He was responsible for shaping the future of the US military during the age of rapid change as the Cold War ended. In 1991, then-US President George Bush awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Cheney for his leadership.

Despite his status as a hawkish conservative, Cheney was a critic of US President Donald Trump and expressed support for former Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid. At the time, he said, "As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution." He stated, "That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris."

- IANS