Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern American politics, has died at the age of 84. His family said he passed away from complications of pneumonia and heart disease, surrounded by his wife Lynne and daughters Liz and Mary.
Serving as Vice President under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009, Cheney became synonymous with the aggressive, security-first doctrine that defined the United States in the years following the September 11 attacks. His influence reshaped the presidency, expanding executive power and redefining the limits of wartime policy.
The Architect of Post-9/11 America
Cheney entered office determined to restore what he saw as a weakened presidency. The 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 Americans, gave him the political leverage to do just that. He helped craft the Bush administration’s hardline response, including the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, arguing that weapons of mass destruction posed a grave global threat.
Those weapons were never found, but the wars that followed changed the geopolitical landscape and cost millions of lives worldwide. Cheney’s hand was seen in nearly every major decision — from the Patriot Act and expanded surveillance programs to the controversial use of “enhanced interrogation techniques,” including waterboarding.
A Divisive Legacy
To his supporters, Cheney was a patriot and strategist, a man who prioritized security above politics. Former President Bush said he would be remembered as “one of the finest public servants of his generation,” while former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair described him as a man of “hard, hard power.”
But to critics, Cheney represented the darker side of American foreign policy — a vice president who operated in secrecy and stretched constitutional limits. Civil liberties advocates accused him of normalizing torture and eroding checks on executive authority.
Life Beyond Washington
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, and raised in Wyoming, Cheney’s career spanned academia, business, and politics. Before becoming vice president, he served as Defense Secretary under George H. W. Bush, overseeing the 1991 Gulf War, and later became CEO of Halliburton, a major oil services company.
In later years, Cheney’s relationship with the Republican Party grew strained. His daughter, Liz Cheney, became one of Donald Trump’s fiercest critics, prompting Trump to lash out at both father and daughter.
