You might have noticed that government buildings flew their flags at half-mast last week. That’s because Dick Cheney, former U.S. vice president under George W. Bush, passed away on November 3. 2025. He was 84 years old. Here, btw takes a closer look at Cheney’s life and political legacy.
An Interesting Life Story
As a young person, Dick Cheney did not seem like someone who would someday become a powerful politician. He was born in 1941 in Lincoln, Nebraska, to a government conservation worker. Later, he dropped out of Yale University before graduating and worked as a railroad lineman in Wyoming. And yet he became one of the nation’s most influential vice presidents.
Cheney eventually finished his degree at the University of Wyoming and went on to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin. He married his high school sweetheart, Lynne, and they raised two children. In 1969, he got a job as a congressional intern and soon after took a job at the Office of Economic Opportunity working for Donald Rumsfeld. Six years later, only 34 years old, he became President Gerald Ford’s chief of staff. (The chief of staff is one of the president’s chief aides and manages the many personnel who work in the Office of the White House.) In 1978, Cheney ran for Congress in Wyoming and won. He served in Congress for a decade before becoming Secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush. When Bush lost reelection to Bill Clinton in the 1992 election, Cheney left politics. He became chief executive officer (CEO) of Halliburton, a giant energy services company.
In 2000, Cheney was chosen to be Republican candidate George W. Bush’s running mate. After winning the election, the administration faced the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
A Controversial Vice President
Cheney believed in defending the power of the presidency. As a prominent figure in the nation’s leadership, he received widespread criticism while vice president, Much of the criticism focused on how the administration conducted the war on terror after the attacks of September 11, as Cheney was one of the strongest and most vocal advocates for the new policies.
Cheney’s notoriety extended outside of the White House as well. It made news when he accidentally wounded a friend on a quail-hunting trip. In his non-political business dealings, it was revealed that Cheney had committed several financial violations while CEO of Halliburton. And though he later donated a chunk of the Haliburton stock profits to charity, Cheney received significant financial gains when Halliburton was awarded government contracts for military services in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Leaving Office
Cheney’s career took a surprising turn after his time as vice president ended. He criticized both the Obama and Trump administrations. Trump regularly attacked Cheney’s daughter, former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney. (She voted for Trump’s impeachment.)
In response, Cheney endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president over Trump in 2024.