WASHINGTON—The Heritage Foundation today released the following statement from Executive Vice President Derrick Morgan mourning the loss of former Heritage Distinguished Fellow and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney: 

“Vice President Cheney was a committed conservative who dedicated his life to public service. His long career included work as White House Chief of Staff to President Gerald Ford, U.S. Representative for Wyoming, Secretary of Defense to the President George H.W. Bush, and finally as Vice President of the United States under President George W. Bush.  

 

“Cheney was a kind man with high expectations and even deeper loyalty to America and its defenders, his family, and his friends. He gave me great opportunities and was devoted to conservative principles and to all those he worked with.  

 

“Cheney ably championed the Second Amendment, free enterprise, and a strong national defense. He was an experienced and loyal counselor to President Bush and the various American leaders he served. In 2002, he helped present Heritage’s highest award, the Clare Boothe Luce Award, to Lady Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He won that same award himself in 2011. 

 

“Cheney was a patriot and a longtime friend to Heritage. We will remember him with fondness and gratitude. I will miss him, and our nation owes him and his family gratitude for his long career of public service. We extend our condolences to his wife, Lynne, their two daughters, and their grandchildren.”