Richard Bruce Cheney (January 30, 1941 – November 3, 2025) was an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. Cheney was considered the architect of the Iraq War, and has been called the most powerful vice president in the history of the United States.

Born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cheney later lived in Casper, Wyoming. He attended Yale University before earning a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in political science from the University of Wyoming. He began his political career as an intern for Congressman William A. Steiger, eventually working his way into the White House during the Nixon and Ford administrations. He served as White House chief of staff from 1975 to 1977. In 1978, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and represented Wyoming's at-large congressional district from 1979 to 1989, briefly serving as House minority whip in 1989. He was appointed Secretary of Defense during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, and held the position for most of Bush's term from 1989 to 1993. As secretary, he oversaw Operation Just Cause in 1989 and Operation Desert Storm in 1991. While out of office during the Clinton administration, he was the chairman and CEO of Halliburton from 1995 to 2000; he received a $33.7 million severance package.

In July 2000, presumptive Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush chose Cheney as his running mate in the 2000 presidential election. They defeated their Democratic opponents, incumbent vice president Al Gore and senator Joe Lieberman. In 2004, Cheney was reelected to his second term as vice president with Bush as president, defeating their Democratic opponents, senators John Kerry and John Edwards. During Cheney's tenure as vice president, he played a leading behind-the-scenes role in the Bush administration's response to the September 11 attacks and coordination of the Global War on Terrorism. He was an early proponent of the decision to invade Iraq, falsely alleging that the Saddam Hussein regime possessed weapons of mass destruction and had an operational relationship with al-Qaeda; neither allegation was ever substantiated. Cheney also pressured the intelligence community to provide intelligence consistent with the administration's rationales for invading Iraq. He was often criticized for the Bush administration's policies regarding the campaign against terrorism, for his support of NSA warrantless surveillance, and for his endorsement of enhanced interrogation techniques and torture.

Cheney, whose daughter Mary is a lesbian, supported same-sex marriage in 2004, putting him at odds with Bush, but also said it was "appropriately a matter for the states to decide". Cheney ended his vice-presidential tenure as a deeply unpopular figure in U.S. politics, with an approval rating of 13%. His peak approval rating, just after the September 11 attacks, was 68%. Cheney endorsed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 but became a critic after the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and endorsed Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Cheney died the following year from complications related to pneumonia and vascular disease.

Richard Bruce Cheney was born on January 30, 1941, in Lincoln, Nebraska, the son of Marjorie Lorraine (née Dickey) and Richard Herbert Cheney. He was of predominantly English, as well as Welsh, Irish, and French Huguenot ancestry. His father was a soil conservation agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and his mother was a softball star in the 1930s; Cheney was one of three children. He attended Calvert Elementary School before his family moved to Casper, Wyoming, where he attended Natrona County High School.

He attended Yale University, but by his own account had problems adjusting to the college and dropped out. Among the influential teachers from his days in New Haven was H. Bradford Westerfield, whom Cheney repeatedly credited with having helped to shape his approach to foreign policy. He briefly attended Casper College before enrolling at the University of Wyoming, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in political science while working as a lineman. He subsequently started doctoral studies in political science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He was a full-time student for three semesters, part-time for one semester, and was shy of finishing his doctorate by a dissertation; he left to accept a congressional fellowship in Washington, D.C.

In November 1962, at age 21, Cheney was convicted of driving while intoxicated (DWI). He was arrested for DWI again in 1963. Cheney said the arrests made him "think about where I was and where I was headed. I was headed down a bad road if I continued on that course."

In 1964, Cheney married Lynne Vincent, his high-school sweetheart.