Bob Dole, Senate giant and 1996 Republican presidential candidate, dies

Dole, who was severely wounded during the Second World War, had suffered from a series of illnesses in the previous years. In 1991, he had surgery for prostate cancer, surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm in 2001, was hospitalized in 2005 after a fall at home, and was treated for a leg infection in 2009.

Dole is survived by his wife, former Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, and daughter Robin Dole.

Arriving in Washington at the dawn of the Kennedy administration, Dole would serve for 27 years as a U.S. senator from Kansas, including two terms as majority leader in the Senate, though he is perhaps best known for his unsuccessful run as the Republican presidential candidate against Bill Clinton in 1996, his third attempt at the White House. He also served as an executive partner to President Gerald Ford in 1976 after Nelson Rockefeller refused to continue as vice president.

But in assuming the GOP leadership role in the Senate, Dole’s reputation has been as a smart legislator and a tough negotiator willing to work across the board with Democrats on issues like Social Security reform, the Americans with Disabilities and Nutrition Act of landmark legislation.

In his book “What Happened” about the 1988 election, journalist Richard Ben Cramer described Dole as a Senate leader who was always available with a joke and a hello and “never the point of time.” now is happier, more peaceful than when he was a kid now, when a deal is going down and he’s waiting for someone to crack it, while he drinks a milkshake and tells old stories in his dining room The Senate. ”

A hopeful three-time president

But he easily lost the election to incumbent President Bill Clinton, who at the time was driving a strong economy and creating a contrast between his image as Baby Boomer and Dole 73 age, who is described as old and out of touch.

This was Dole’s last bid for the White House. His first, in 1980, drew little traction, but his second, in 1988, initially provided a strong challenge to eventual candidate George H.W. Bush after Dole won the Iowa caucuses. The race between the two men eventually soured, culminating in an endorsement Dole telling Bush in a live TV moment the night he lost the New Hampshire primary, “Don’t say it.” lie about my record.”

While never winning an election as president or vice president, Dole’s long career on the national stage and as leader of the Republican party is evident in a piece of party history. : 14 GOP presidential tickets from 1952 to 2004 (all but 1964) including Dole, Richard Nixon, George HW Bush or George W. Bush.

Dole also had a notably warm personal relationship with Clinton, who told the audience during their first presidential debate, “You could say we like each other.”

A few months after his defeat to Clinton, Dole will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for serving in World War II and Congress from his former rival and displaying his sense of humour.

“I, Robert J. Dole, solemnly swear…” he quipped during the ceremony, pretending to be sworn in. “Sorry, misstated. But I dreamed that I would be here this week, receiving something from the president, but I thought it would be the key to the front door.”

Clinton and Dole later co-chaired a scholarship fund that initially raised more than $100 million for the families of those killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks and later collaborated on a weekly debate on CBS News’ “60 Minutes”.

As he told NBC in 2005, in Washington there is a need for humor “to break the tension sometimes, and you can do it simply – without offending anyone.”

War hero and legislator

Dole was born on July 22, 1923 in the small town of Russell, Kansas, and grew up during the Great Depression years. At the age of 19, while a student-athlete at the University of Kansas studying to become a doctor, Dole enlisted in the Army in 1942 after the United States entered World War II and was called up in 2009. he later wrote in his memoirs “A Soldier’s Tale.” Sent to fight in Italy in 1945, Dole was seriously injured while trying to carry a soldier to safety. He spent 39 grueling months in and out of the hospital, recovering from near-fatal injuries that left his right arm permanently disabled and his left arm barely functional. . Dole received a Purple Heart twice and two Bronze Stars with a cluster of oak leaves for her service in World War II.

His trauma changed the trajectory of his life, leading him to pursue a law degree and a career in politics. He served one term in the Kansas House of Representatives and then for eight years as a Russell County prosecutor. Dole was elected to the United States House of Representatives to represent Kansas in Washington in 1960, serving four terms before he was elected to the United States Senate in 1968.

In addition to her career in Washington, Dole has campaigned for the nation’s veterans throughout her career, including serving as co-chair of a 2007 presidential committee investigating Walter Medical Center. Reed. After leaving office, he served as the National President of the Second World War Memorial Campaign, helping to raise millions of dollars to build the first memorial dedicated to all World War veterans. II. During his ’90s – as one of the oldest and most prominent members of the Greatest Generation – he spent Saturdays greeting his fellow veterans as they visited the memorial in Washington after it opened to the public in 2004.

In January 2018, Dole became the eighth U.S. senator to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress. Dole is the only former Republican candidate to endorse Donald Trump’s candidacy in the 2016 election, and Trump recognized his service to his country at the medal ceremony.

This story has been updated with additional information.