Dick Cheney, Powerful and Polarizing Vice President, Dies at 84

WASHINGTON / November 4/ BPALiveWire— Dick Cheney, the influential vice president who wielded unprecedented power in the George W. Bush administration and became the chief architect of the post-9/11 “war on terror,” including the invasion of Iraq, died Monday. He was 84.

Cheney’s death from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease was announced in a statement from his family, which said he was surrounded by his wife, Lynne Cheney, daughters Liz and Mary, and other loved ones. 

Flags at the White House were lowered to half-staff Tuesday morning in honor of the former vice president, whose tenure from 2001 to 2009 redefined the role of the office.

Born Richard Bruce Cheney on Jan. 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, he rose through the ranks of Republican politics with a reputation for steely determination and strategic acumen. A Yale dropout who found his footing as a congressional aide, Cheney served as White House chief of staff under President Gerald Ford, a Wyoming congressman for a decade and defense secretary under President George H.W. Bush during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

His selection as Bush’s running mate in 2000 propelled him to the vice presidency, where he quickly emerged as the administration’s most powerful figure. Historians often rank him as the most influential vice president in U.S. history, advising on national security, energy policy and economic matters with a hands-on approach that blurred traditional lines of authority.

Cheney is survived by his wife of 60 years, Lynne; daughters Liz and Mary; five grandchildren; and a brother, Robert. Funeral arrangements were not immediately announced.

Deana Bass Williams is a founder and partner at Bass Public Affairs a Washington, DC based public affairs and strategic communications firm.