Bob Dole | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, c. 1996 | |
| Senate Majority Leader | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – June 11, 1996 | |
| Whip | Trent Lott |
| Preceded by | George Mitchell |
| Succeeded by | Trent Lott |
| In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Whip | Alan Simpson |
| Preceded by | Howard Baker |
| Succeeded by | Robert Byrd |
| Senate Minority Leader | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Whip | Alan Simpson |
| Preceded by | Robert Byrd |
| Succeeded by | Tom Daschle |
| Leader of the Senate Republican Conference | |
| In office January 3, 1985 – June 11, 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Baker |
| Succeeded by | Trent Lott |
| Chair of the Senate Finance Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Russell B. Long |
| Succeeded by | Bob Packwood |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Carl Curtis |
| Succeeded by | Jesse Helms |
| Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
| In office January 15, 1971 – January 19, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Rogers Morton |
| Succeeded by | George H. W. Bush |
| United States Senator from Kansas | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – June 11, 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Carlson |
| Succeeded by | Sheila Frahm |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas | |
| In office January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Wint Smith |
| Succeeded by | Keith 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 by | Elmo Mahoney |
| Succeeded by | R. C. Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Joseph Dole July 22, 1923 Russell, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | December 5, 2021 (aged 98) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Phyllis Holden
(m. 1948; div. 1972) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Washburn University (BA, LLB) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1948 |
| Rank | |
| Unit | 10th Mountain Division |
| Wars | World War II (WIA) |
| Awards | |
Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney from Kansas who served in both chambers of the United States Congress, the United States House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969 and a member of the United States Senate from 1969 to his resignation in 1996 to campaign for President of the United States. 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. 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, Kansas 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 the Clinton health care plan of 1993, proposed by Democratic President Bill Clinton.
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.
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SandS-20190408was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "National Advisory Council". Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2011.