Dick Cheney Biography

He began serving the Nixon administration in 1969. Under President Gerald Ford, Cheney became Assistant to the President and White House Chief of Staff.

In 1978, he was elected to represent Wyoming in Congress, and was re-elected five times. He was Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee from 1981 to 1987 when he was elected Chairman of the House Republican Conference. The following year, he was elected House Minority Whip.

In 1989, he became United States Secretary of Defence under President George H.W. Bush, and in this capacity played a significant role in the Gulf War of 1991. His role in helping to direct Operation 'Desert Storm' earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Cheney joined the American Enterprise Institute in 1993. Two years later, he became President and CEO of Halliburton Company, an energy services company.

In early 2000, while working at Halliburton, Cheney headed George W. Bush's vice-presidential search committee. On 25 July that year, after reviewing Cheney's findings, Bush surprised some pundits by asking Cheney himself to join the Republican ticket. Halliburton reportedly allowed Cheney to retire, with a package estimated at $20 million.

Cheney ran against Al Gore's running mate, Joseph Lieberman, in the 2000 presidential election. The outcome of this well-documented election hinged on uncertain results in Florida and was contested in the federal courts until the U.S. Supreme Court decided the matter.

Since the September 11 attacks on the United States, Cheney has helped shape President Bush's approach to the war on terrorism. Despite contrary claims from the Pentagon, Cheney continued to assert a connection between Al-Qaeda and Iraq prior to the Iraq War in several public speeches, drawing criticism from members of the intelligence community and leading Democrats. Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Cheney remained steadfast in his support of the war, stating that it would be an "enormous success story".

Bush and Cheney were re-elected for a second term in 2004. Widely considered to be one of the more hawkish members of the cabinet, supporters of Vice President Cheney point to his reputation for knowledge and character. Opponents and detractors accuse him of being too closely tied to the oil industry.

On the morning of 27 February 2007, a suicide bomber killed 23 people and wounded 20 more outside Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan during a visit by Cheney. Qari Yousef Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack and said Cheney was its intended target. The Taliban claim that Osama Bin Laden supervised the operation.

Cheney has a long history of cardiovascular disease. His periodic need for urgent health care has raised questions about whether he is medically fit to serve in public office. Formerly a heavy smoker, Cheney suffered the first of four heart attacks in 1978, at the age of 37.

He is married to Lynne V. Cheney, an author and college teacher, and has two children, Elizabeth and Mary, and six grandchildren.