Cheney Dick

American politician, selected as a running mate by George W. Bush on 7/24/2000. He brings to the GOP ticket a wealth of foreign policy experience and political stature and formerly served in the cabinet of President George Bush. A rock-solid conservative, Cheney opposes abortion rights, opposes gun-control and has opposed the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act. He has voted against Environmental Cleanups and has supported Oil Drilling in Alaskas wilderness. He is a staunch supporter of Defense, the production of chemical weapons. He supports the death penalty. He favors raising the Social Security retirement age from 65 to 67 and opposes coverage of long-term care for the chronically ill. He opposes the Equal Rights Amendment and supports prayer in public schools. Cheney attended Yale University on a scholarship but dropped out after three semesters. He took a job with the Utilities Company working as a lineman for two years before resuming his education at the University of Wyoming, his future wife’s home. Lynne Ann Vincent was born 8/14/1941 in Casper, Wyoming. At school, Dick played football and was senior class president, and Lynne was homecoming queen. They married on 8/29/1964 and have two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary. After a B.A. in 1965 and an M.A. in 1966 in Political Science, Cheney left school in 1968 without completing his Ph.D. dissertation. The family moved to the Washington, DC area in 1969 when Cheney took a Congressional internship. In February 1973, Cheney became Vice President at a Washington-based investment firm. After Gerald Ford became U.S. President, Chaney became deputy to White House Chief of Staff Rumsfield. In September 1974, he was named Deputy Assistant by President Ford and the following year, on 11/05/1975, he became Ford’s chief of staff. Returning to Wyoming in 1976, Cheney ran for a seat in the House of Representatives. He had a mild heart attack during the primaries, and won the election, serving from 1978-89, eventually becoming House Republican whip. On 3/10/1989, he was named Secretary of Defense by President George Bush and he earned widespread praise for his handling of the Gulf War in 1991. He was known as the congressman who never saw a weapons system he didnt love. Lynne also became a prominent political figure, serving as chairwoman of the National Endowment of the Humanities from 1986 to 1993, under Bush and, previously, Ronald Reagan. With a PhD from the University of Wisconsin in British Literature, she has written many books, including one with her husband, "Kings of the Hill: How Nine Powerful Men Changed the Course of American History." "What youve seen on television is what Ive seen at home," says his wife. "Hes calm, deliberate, not given to speechifying in an old-fashioned way, just says what he thinks the situation is. Hes an unusual politician, not a back-slapping kind of guy. He works a room very well, by talking about things that are real and serious. He doesnt do small talk." As a householder, he does not do the12-hour days that interfere with his home life but goes home at night to have dinner and talk over their day with Lynne. His low-key profile includes shopping and cooking duties alongside Lynne. In 1993, Cheney moved into the private sector, serving as chairman and CEO of Dallas-Based Halliburton Corp., an engineering and construction company for oil companies that specialize in the development of oil and gas production around the world. The pres Read less