Dick Cheney

Dick Cheney

Richard Bruce Cheney (born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman. He served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under George W. Bush. He is one of the most unpopular politicians in the history of the U.S., holding an approval rating of just 13% at the time of leaving office. Cheney is of predominantly English, as well as Welsh, Irish, and French Huguenot ancestry.

About Dick Cheney in brief

Summary Dick CheneyRichard Bruce Cheney (born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman. He served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under George W. Bush. He has been cited as the most powerful vice president in American history. He is one of the most unpopular politicians in the history of the U.S., holding an approval rating of just 13% at the time of leaving office. Cheney was an early proponent of invading Iraq, alleging that the Saddam Hussein regime possessed a weapons of mass destruction program. He also pressured the intelligence community to provide intelligence consistent with the administration’s rationales for invading Iraq. Cheney is of predominantly English, as well as Welsh, Irish, and French Huguenot ancestry. He attended Yale University, but by his own account had problems adjusting to the college, and dropped out. He later attended the University of Wyoming, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in political science. In November 1962, at the age of 21, Cheney was convicted of driving while intoxicated. He was arrested for DWI again the following year. In 1964, he married Lynne Vincent, his high school sweetheart, whom he had met at age 14. On October 6, 1965, the draft was expanded to include men without children; Cheney’s first daughter, Elizabeth, was born 9 months and two days later. Upon graduation, he was not inducted into the Selective Service System. He subsequently started, but did not finish, doctoral studies at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison.

In 2004 Cheney was reelected to his second term as vice president with Bush as president, defeating their Democratic opponents Senators John Kerry and John Edwards. He played a leading behind-the-scenes role in the Bush administration’s response to the September 11 attacks and coordination of the Global War on Terrorism. He became at odds with President Bush’s position against same-sex marriage in 2004. He was the Chairman and CEO of Halliburton Company from 1995 to 2000. He currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). He is married to former Wyoming Gov. Sarah Palin, a Republican who served as governor from 2003 to 2007. He and his wife have two daughters, Elizabeth and Elizabeth Cheney, who were born in 2005 and 2007. Cheney has a son and a daughter-in-law, both of whom are also Republican politicians and served in the House of Representatives from Wyoming from 1979 to 1989. Cheney served as secretary of defense during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, holding the position for the majority of Bush’s term from 1989 to 1993. During his time in the Department of Defense, Cheney oversaw the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, among other actions. He represented Wyoming’s at-large congressional district from1979 to 1989, briefly serving as House minority whip in 1989.