4:18 p.m. ET, December 5, 2021
Looking back at the life and legacy Bob Dole
US Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole delivers his campaign speech at the Pontchartrain Center in New Orleans on October 30, 1996.
(J. David Ake/AFP/Getty Images)
Former Republican Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole died Sunday morning at 98-years-old, according to a statement released by his family.
"Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep. At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years,” the statement said.
Bob Dole was a Republican Party stalwart and presidential hopeful who espoused a brand of plain-spoken conservatism as one of Washington's most recognizable political figures throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
Dole, who was seriously wounded during World War II, had suffered a series of health ailments in previous years. In 1991, he received surgery for prostate cancer, received abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery in 2001, was hospitalized in 2005 after a fall in his home and was treated for a leg infection in 2009.
Arriving in Washington at the dawn of the Kennedy administration, Dole would serve for 27 years as a US senator from Kansas, including two stints as the Senate majority leader, though he might be best known for his unsuccessful run as the Republican presidential nominee against Bill Clinton in 1996, his third attempt at the White House. He also served as President Gerald Ford's running mate in 1976 after Nelson Rockefeller declined to stay on as vice president.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff in honor of former Sen. Bob Dole's death, her spokesman tweeted.
If you're just reading in, here were some of the reactions from Democrats and Republicans to Dole's death:
- President Joe Biden released a statement on the passing of former Republican Senator Bob Dole, commemorating the late senator's accomplishments and praising him for his years of service. "Bob was an American statesman like few in our history. A war hero and among the greatest of the Greatest Generation. And to me, he was also a friend whom I could look to for trusted guidance, or a humorous line at just the right moment to settle frayed nerves," Biden said.
- Vice President Kamala Harris praised Bob Dole for his life of service to the country. "Senator Bob Dole was a war hero and patriot, who devoted his life to service," Harris said in a statement. "Today, Doug and I are thinking of Sen. Elizabeth Dole and the entire Dole family as we remember the life of a great American."
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Bob Dole for "both conservative victories and big bipartisan achievements" in his more than 10 years as the Republican leader in the Senate. "Whatever their politics, anyone who saw Bob Dole in action had to admire his character and his profound patriotism," McConnell said in the statement.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Bob Dole “a towering leader who embodied courage and excellence in public service," in a statement.
- House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a statement, tweeted today, that Bob Dole "dedicated himself to the American experiment and its deepest ideals."
- House Minority Whip James Clyburn praised Bob Dole calling him a "true statesman who served his country with distinction for 79 years," in a tweet.
- Former Vice President Mike Pence paid tribute to Bob Dole, calling him a "truly great man" and offered sympathies and prayers to Dole's wife Elizabeth and the Dole family.
- Former President Barack Obama released a statement Sunday following the death of former Sen. Bob Dole saying in part, “His sharp wit was matched only by his integrity, and he lived his life in a way that made it clear just how proud he was to be an American, and how committed he was to making this country everything he knew it could be.”