Dick Cheney, a former congressman of Wyoming also regarded as the most powerful vice president in U.S. history, died Monday night at the age of 84.
Cheney died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, his family said in a statement.
“His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed,” his family said in a statement released Tuesday morning.
“For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming’s Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States,” the statement said.
"Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness, and fly fishing. We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man,” the statement reads.
At the age of 34, Cheney became the youngest presidential chief of staff in history, serving as President Gerald Ford’s top advisor. It was a lofty achievement, as Cheney had flunked out of Yale and landed a job as a lineman for a Wyoming energy company prior. But he rebounded, graduating from the University of Wyoming, then the University of Wisconsin before entering politics.
"How proud Wyoming was of all of that," U.S. Sen. John Barrasso told Cowboy State Daily's Jake Nichols on the Tuesday Morning Show With Jake.
Those of a certain age in Wyoming remember Cheney's high school days, his football days, and "him dating Lynne," his high school sweetheart, added Barrasso.
Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, second from right, and former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle await the arrival of the procession carrying the casket of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol for his funeral Dec. 3, 2018, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee via Getty Images) 
Pres. George Bush looking on, as Def. Secy. designate Dick Cheney speaks to press in 1989. (Photo by Diana Walker/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
'Whale Of A Congressman'
Former Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan was a longtime friend of Cheney's before they got into politics.
“I knew Dick Cheney as a friend before politics and worked with as governor when he was in Congress and defense secretary," Sullivan said in a statement to Cowboy State Daily. "While I didn’t always agree with his positions, I always knew they were well considered, made with integrity and considered to be in the interests and safety of America."
Cheney represented Wyoming as its sole U.S. House representative from 1979 to 1989, serving alongside U.S. Sens. Al Simpson and Malcolm Wallop.
"Those three fought above their weight on behalf of Wyoming, every day they were in office," Rob Wallace, former U.S. Assistant Interior Secretary, told Nichols on Tuesday.
"He was one good whale of a Congressman for Wyoming during the time he was there," added Wallace.
Cheney left the House to become the Secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush in March 1989, where he directed Operation Desert Storm in the Middle East. The war ended when Iraqi troops were evicted from Kuwait.
When President Bill Clinton won the presidency, Cheney went into the private sector, joining the energy giant Halliburton.
Former US Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne arrive for the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Saul Loeb, Pool via Getty Images) 
Former Vice President Dick Cheney with is wife, Lynne, and daugter, former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney. (Getty Images)
Vice President
Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush, during his run in 2000, chose Cheney as running mate.
Once again, said Barrasso, Wyoming was proud. The candidate pair launched their first public rally in the Natrona County High School.
"The place was packed — people hanging from the rafters," said Barrasso. "It was the first time in Wyoming, that we had a nominee from our home state to be vice president of the United States."
Cheney served as vice president from 2001-2009.
Cheney's authoritative presence sparked theories that he ran the White House. He was there during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
After the attacks, Cheney pushed for an aggressive foreign policy, one which sent America into the Iraq War.
Barrasso said he hopes Cheney is remembered as a patriot, "committed to the country, committed to national strength and security, and the principle of peace through strength."
Dave Picard, an advance man for the vice president in the campaigns of 2000 and 2004, said he admired Cheney for his many traits and for being a mentor to so many people.
"The word that I associate with him is simply respect," Picard wrote in a Tuesday email.
"He came from a time when you respected the office and the officeholder, regardless of the person's political affiliation or policy agenda," added Picard.
Cheney learned that respect while interning at the Wyoming Legislature and carried it through in his life and ascent to the White House, Picard said.
Even when headed home for a casual fishing trip, "he would rarely be without a coat and tie on while traveling aboard Air Force 2," said Picard. "He respected what Air Force 2 meant to the military and to our country and the people it represents."
Controversy also dogged the gritty statesman.
In 2006 he shot his friend, attorney Harry Whittington, by accident with birdshot pellets while hunting in Texas. Whittington lived on, however, dying in 2023 at the age of 95.
As Cheney's daughter, the Republican former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, held her own House tenure from 2017 to 2023, the father's name receded from the headlines.
More Recent
But he surfaced again in 2022, when he lobbed an attack ad against then-former President Donald Trump after Trump clashed famously with Liz and endorsed House candidate Harriet Hageman.
Hageman remembered Dick Cheney as someone committed to Wyoming and his country.
“You couldn’t grow up in Wyoming and not know who Dick Cheney was," she said in a statement. "He dedicated most of his life to serving his country, working across multiple administrations and finally capping his public career as an extremely consequential vice president.
"He was known as a meticulous, detail-oriented planner who prioritized his family. Dick Cheney had an undeniable impact on American policy, both foreign and domestic, for decades, and will be studied and remembered for many years more than that.”
The younger Cheney helped lead a Congressional panel investigating Trump's rocky handling of the 2021 transition of power to President Joe Biden.
The former vice president described Trump as the greatest threat to the Republic in American history, and said he tried to steal the 2020 election. He later went on to endorse Trump's 2024 election opponent Vice President Kamala Harris.
Wallace attributed this at least in part to the tension between Liz Cheney and Trump.
"And as a father, I could see him choosing to support his daughter in a very strong way — which he clearly did," said Wallace.
Cheney grew up in Casper and earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming. He married his high school sweetheart, Lynne, and they were married for 61 years.
He is survived by his wife, his daughters Liz and Mary, and several grandchildren.
Wyoming Reacts
In addition to Barrasso and Hageman, Wyoming Republic U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis said the nation has lost a "formidable" political presence.
“Dick Cheney’s life was one of service to his state and nation, as U.S. Vice President, U.S. Secretary of Defense, White House Chief of Staff, and Wyoming Congressman," she said in a statement. "For more than 10 years, he worked alongside Sens. Malcolm Wallop and Al Simpson as the most formidable Congressional delegation in Washington.
"As the first Wyoming citizen to be elected vice president, he holds a defining place in our state’s history.”
Gov. Mark Gordon on Tuesday morning ordered all flags to be flown at half staff until the day after his interment.
“Wyoming has lost one of its own,” said Gordon in a statement. “Former Vice President Dick Cheney served our nation with an unwavering sense of duty shaped by the grit and resolve of this state. Dick carried Wyoming values with him, his steadfast commitment, quiet strength, and a fierce belief in America.
"Jennie and I extend our deepest condolences to Lynne, Liz, Mary, and the entire Cheney family. May he rest in peace.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
