Overview
- The 46th vice president served under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009 and became one of the most influential holders of the office.
- He drove the U.S. response to 9/11, advocating the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in 2003 and a doctrine of preventive action.
- He built a powerful national-security apparatus in the executive branch, backing broad surveillance, detentions and “enhanced” interrogations.
- Earlier posts included defense secretary during the 1990–91 Gulf War and a decade as Wyoming’s lone congressman, plus a stint leading Halliburton.
- The family said he died Monday night with his wife and daughters present; tributes began to flow, including from George W. Bush, as obituaries assessed his polarizing legacy.