Dick Cheney talks politics, diplomacy in 2015 USA TODAY interview
Dick and Liz Cheney talk about global diplomacy and U.S. politics in a 2015 interview with USA TODAY.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who died on November 3, is survived by his wife, Lynne, daughters Mary and Liz, and several grandchildren.
Cheney, who served as President George W. Bush’s second-in-command during the Sept. 11 attacks and the push to invade Iraq in the years that followed, died surrounded by his wife and daughters, his family said in a statement. He was 84 years old.
In his personal life, the former vice president was married to his high school sweetheart for more than 60 years.
He and his wife, Lynn, have two daughters, including former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who along with her father publicly opposed President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
“Dick Cheney was a great and good man who loved our country and taught his children and grandchildren the values of courage, honor, love, kindness and the life of fly fishing,” his family said in a statement.
Who is Dick Cheney’s wife, Lynn?
Dick Cheney had been married to Lynne Cheney, 84, for 61 years at the time of his death. Lynne Cheney served as second lady of the United States while her husband served as vice president.
The two met while students at Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming. Dick Cheney played halfback on the school’s football team and served as president of his senior class. Meanwhile, Lynn, real name Lynn Ann Vincent, was the school’s head baton twirler. They married in 1964.
Lynne Cheney received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado, a Master of Arts in English from the University of Colorado, and a Ph.D. I studied 19th century British literature at the University of Wisconsin.
From 1986 to 1993, Lynne Cheney served as president of the National Endowment for the Humanities under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. She also worked as an editor for Washington Magazine from 1983 to 1986.
Lynne Cheney, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, has also written several books.
How many children and grandchildren does Dick Cheney have?
Dick and Lynne Cheney had two daughters, Liz and Mary, and seven grandchildren.
Who is Liz Cheney?
Liz Cheney, the eldest of Dick Cheney’s two children, followed in her father’s footsteps into politics.
She served as Wyoming’s U.S. representative in Congress from 2017 to 2023. Liz Cheney, a vocal Trump opponent, along with her father, supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Republican Liz Cheney also voted to impeach Trump while in Congress and led the House committee investigating the January 6 riot. She ultimately lost re-election in 2022 to a Trump supporter.
In January, then-President Joe Biden awarded the nation’s second-highest civilian award, the Presidential Citizens Medal, to Liz Cheney and Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who also heads the House Select Committee.
Liz Cheney holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Colorado and a JD from the University of Chicago. She is currently a Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
Liz Cheney has five children with her husband Philip Perry.
Who is Mary Cheney?
Mary Cheney is the second daughter of Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney.
Mary Cheney worked on her father’s re-election campaign in 2004 and is listed as a member of his advisory committee, according to a biography posted on the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy website.
She has worked in strategic communications for companies such as the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club and Coors Brewing Company.
Mary Cheney holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Colorado and a master’s degree in business administration from the Daniels School of Business at the University of Denver.
Mary Cheney has two children with her wife, Heather Poe. The couple married in 2012.
Mary Cheney’s sexuality became a hot topic in 2013 when her sister Liz publicly opposed same-sex marriage. In 2021, Liz Cheney said she was “wrong” to take the job.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
Contributors: Susan Page and Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY
