White House Chief of Staff 1977-1979
US House of Representatives 1979-1989
US Secretary of Defense 1989-1993
US Vice-President 2001-2009Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney was born January 30, 1941. He grew up in Casper and graduated from Natrona County High School. He continued his education at the University of Wyoming where he completed degrees in political science in 1965 and 1966. Shortly after completing his graduate studies Cheney was selected as an intern on the staff of Warren Knowles, then governor of Wisconsin. And in 1968 he became an assistant to the late Congressman William A. Steiger of Wisconsin.
In 1969 Cheney began several years in the Nixon administration as special assistant to the director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. He later was deputy to White House counselor Donald Rumsfeld.
Cheney left public service in 1973 to take a position with an investment advisory firm but returned to the White House to serve on the transition team of Gerald R. Ford when he assumed the presidency. Cheney was later named assistant to the president and White House chief of staff.
Following President Ford's departure from the Oval Office in 1977. Cheney returned to Wyoming and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was re-elected in 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1988. During his years in the House he assumed a number of party leadership positions, eventually becoming the second ranking Republican in the House.
In November of 1988 he resigned his seat in the House of Representatives to accept appointment as Secretary of Defense in the administration of President George Bush. He served in this capacity until 1993, when he entered the private sector.
Republican candidate George W. Bush chose Cheney as his vice presidential candidate in 2000. Following Bush's success and re-election in 2004, Cheney served as vice president. After leaving office, he continues to be active in the Republican party.
Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne (Vincent) have two children.
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