Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, had a glittering - if controversial - career in American public life.
He served as President Gerald Ford's White House chief of staff in the 1970s, before spending a decade in the House of Representatives.
President George H W Bush made him defence secretary during the first Gulf War and the US invasion of Panama.
In 2001, Cheney became one of the most powerful vice-presidents in history.
He was a key architect of President George W Bush's 'War on Terror' after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and an early advocate of the invasion of Iraq.
But, in his final years, he became a bitter critic of the Republican party under the leadership of President Donald Trump, stating, 'In our nation's 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic.'
Richard Bruce Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on 30 January 1941. His father worked for the US Department of Agriculture, while his mother had been a successful softball player in the 1930s. He entered Yale on a scholarship but failed to graduate, later earning a Master's degree in political science from the University of Wyoming.
Throughout his career, Cheney maintained a complex relationship with the concept of military service and often faced scrutiny for his draft deferments during the Vietnam War era.
Cheney's tenure as vice-president was marked by significant controversies and decisions that shaped U.S. foreign policy and national security, including the endorsement of enhanced interrogation techniques and near-constant access to the president, allowing him to significantly influence executive decisions.
After leaving office in 2009, he became an outspoken critic of both the Obama administration's national security policies and his former party's direction under Trump. His endorsement of issues like same-sex marriage and a Democratic presidential candidate shows a remarkable evolution in his political stance.
Cheney's passing leaves behind a mixed legacy—one revered by conservatives and reviled by liberals, making him a central figure in America's political narrative for decades.
