Bob Dole

Bob Dole
Official portrait, c. 1980s
Senate Majority Leader
In office
January 3, 1995 – June 11, 1996
WhipTrent Lott
Preceded byGeorge Mitchell
Succeeded byTrent Lott
In office
January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1987
WhipAlan Simpson
Preceded byHoward Baker
Succeeded byRobert Byrd
Senate Minority Leader
In office
January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995
WhipAlan Simpson
Preceded byRobert Byrd
Succeeded byTom Daschle
Leader of the Senate Republican Conference
In office
January 3, 1985 – June 11, 1996
Preceded byHoward Baker
Succeeded byTrent Lott
Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
In office
January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1985
Preceded byRussell Long
Succeeded byBob Packwood
Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee
In office
January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1979
Preceded byCarl Curtis
Succeeded byJesse Helms
Chair of the Republican National Committee
In office
January 15, 1971 – January 19, 1973
Preceded byRogers Morton
Succeeded byGeorge H. W. Bush
United States Senator
from Kansas
In office
January 3, 1969 – June 11, 1996
Preceded byFrank Carlson
Succeeded bySheila Frahm
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Kansas
In office
January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1969
Preceded byWint Smith
Succeeded byKeith Sebelius
Constituency
County Attorney of Russell County, Kansas
In office
1953–1961
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives
from the 81st district
In office
January 9, 1951 – January 13, 1953
Preceded byElmo Mahoney
Succeeded byR. C. Williams
Personal details
Born
Robert Joseph Dole

(1923-07-22)July 22, 1923
Russell, Kansas, U.S.
DiedDecember 5, 2021(2021-12-05) (aged 98)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Phyllis Holden
(m. 1948; div. 1972)
(m. 1975)
Children1
EducationWashburn University (BA, LLB)
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1942–1948
Rank
Unit10th Mountain Division
WarsWorld War II (WIA)
Awards

Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his tenure, including three non-consecutive years as Senate Majority Leader. Prior to his 27 years in the Senate, he served in the United States House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969. Dole was also the Republican presidential nominee in the 1996 election and the vice presidential nominee in the 1976 election.

Dole was born and raised in Russell, Kansas, where he established a legal career after serving with distinction in the United States Army during World War II. Following a period as Russell County Attorney, he won election to the House of Representatives in 1960. In 1968, Dole was elected to the Senate, where he served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1971 to 1973 and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee from 1981 to 1985. He led the Senate Republicans from 1985 to his resignation in 1996, and served as Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and from 1995 to 1996. In his role as Republican leader, he helped defeat Democratic President Bill Clinton's health care plan.

President Gerald Ford chose Dole as his running mate in the 1976 election after Vice President Nelson Rockefeller withdrew from seeking a full term. The Ford-Dole ticket was defeated by the Democratic ticket of Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale in the general election. Dole sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1980, but quickly dropped out of the race. He experienced more success in the 1988 Republican primaries but was defeated by Vice President George H. W. Bush. Dole won the Republican presidential nomination in 1996 and selected Jack Kemp as his running mate. The Republican ticket lost in the general election to Clinton, making Dole the first unsuccessful major party nominee for both president and vice president. He resigned from the Senate during the 1996 campaign and did not seek public office again after the election.

Dole remained active after retiring from public office. He appeared in numerous commercials and television programs and served on various councils. In 2012, Dole unsuccessfully advocated Senate ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He initially supported Jeb Bush in the 2016 Republican primaries, but later became the only former Republican presidential nominee to endorse Donald Trump in the general election. Dole was a member of the advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and special counsel at the Washington, D.C., office of law firm Alston & Bird.[3] Dole was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on January 17, 2018. He was married to former U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference HoR-20190327 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference SandS-20190408 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "National Advisory Council". Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2011.

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