Overview
- He died on Nov. 3 from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, his family said.
- His wife, Lynne, and daughters, Liz and Mary, were with him when he passed, according to the family statement.
- He held senior posts across decades in Washington, including Ford’s chief of staff, Wyoming congressman, defense secretary under George H. W. Bush, and vice president under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009.
- He was a leading force behind the post‑9/11 ‘war on terror,’ the 2003 Iraq invasion, and expanded surveillance, detention, and interrogation policies that remain under intense scrutiny.
- He lived for years with serious heart disease, received a heart transplant in 2012, and in later life broke with his party’s Trump wing by denouncing President Donald Trump and endorsing Kamala Harris in 2024.