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Richard (Dick) CheneyVice President of the USA
Date of Birth: 30.01.1941
Country: ![]() |
Content:
- Richard (Dick) Cheney: A Biography
- Early Life and Education
- Early Career
- Political Career
- Later Career and Personal Life
Richard (Dick) Cheney: A Biography
Richard (Dick) Cheney, a prominent figure in Washington politics, served in the administrations of several Presidents, with George W. Bush being the fourth. Bush chose Cheney as his Vice President, citing his insight, wisdom, and experience. "Dick Cheney served our country as the head of the President's staff, worked in Congress, and was the Secretary of Defense. He is a person of great virtues, respected by both Republicans and Democrats."

Early Life and Education
Richard Bruce Cheney was born on January 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Richard Herbert Cheney and Marjorie Loraine Dickey. At the age of 13, he moved with his family to Casper, Wyoming, where his father managed a local soil conservation station for the United States Department of Agriculture. After graduating from high school, where he was the captain of the football team and president of the senior class council, Cheney enrolled at Yale University. After two years at Yale, Cheney decided to continue his education in his home state, where he obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees in political science from the University of Wyoming. He then moved to Wisconsin to work on his doctoral dissertation at the University of Wisconsin. As a graduate student, he received a Congressional fellowship and moved to Washington in 1968.

Early Career
Cheney initially worked in the office of a young Republican congressman from Wisconsin, William Steiger, and later in the office of Donald H. Rumsfeld, who headed the Office of Economic Opportunity. When President Richard M. Nixon appointed Rumsfeld as a White House advisor in 1970, Cheney joined him as his deputy. In August 1974, when President Gerald Ford took office, he asked Rumsfeld to become the head of his staff. Rumsfeld immediately called upon Cheney. When Rumsfeld left the White House in November 1974, Cheney was promoted to Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff. At the age of 34, Cheney became the youngest person ever to hold this position. He served in this role until the end of Ford's presidency.
Political Career
In 1977, Cheney returned to Wyoming, where he began his political career within the Republican Party. In 1978, he was elected to the United States Congress. Cheney was re-elected for five two-year terms. He quickly proved himself and was elected by his colleagues as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee from 1981 to 1987. He was elected Chairman of the House Republican Conference in 1987 and, in 1988, became the leader of the Republican minority in the House of Representatives, the second most important position in his political party's hierarchy. Cheney left Congress in 1989 when President George H.W. Bush appointed him as Secretary of Defense. Cheney served in this position until January 1993. During his tenure, he led major military campaigns, including Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East. In July 1991, for his work during the Gulf War, Cheney was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, as recognition of his exceptional contributions. General Colin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Cheney's time in office, recalls, "In very difficult circumstances, Dick Cheney demonstrated great strength of character and an excellent understanding of the problems."
Later Career and Personal Life
In 1995, Cheney transitioned to become Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton Company, an oilfield services firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Although he contemplated running for President in 1996, Cheney chose to remain with Halliburton, where he continued to work until George W. Bush selected him as his running mate in the presidential campaign. Cheney married his high school sweetheart, Lynn Ann Vincent, in 1964. Lynn Cheney has never remained in the shadow of her husband; she has made her own career. The Cheney family has two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, and three granddaughters.