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Former United States Senator and GOP Republican Presidential nominee Bob Dole died Sunday morning at the age of 98.
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation confirmed his death after a battle with lung cancer. Dole had revealed in February 2021 that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and was undergoing treatment.
“It is with heavy hearts we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep,” the foundation wrote on Twitter. “At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years.”
It is with heavy hearts we announce that 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. More information coming soon. #RememberingBobDole pic.twitter.com/57NtGfqtmL
— Elizabeth Dole Foundation (@DoleFoundation) December 5, 2021
Dole represented the state of Kansas in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996, serving part of that time as Senate Majority Leader, where he set a record at the time as the longest-serving Republican leader.
He was the Republican nominee in the 1996 U.S. presidential election but ultimately lost to Democrat Bill Clinton, who went on to serve his second term. Dole was also the GOP vice presidential nominee to presidential candidate Gerald Ford in the 1976 U.S. presidential election, but they lost to Democrats Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale. He had unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 1980 and 1988.
Dole was a Republican member of the Kansas state legislature from 1951 to 1953. He also served as Russell County attorney before being elected to the U.S. House in 1960 — where he served until 1969.
President Joe Biden fondly recalled his visit to Dole in February at the Watergate complex in Washington where he lived.
“We picked up right where we left off, as though it were only yesterday that we were sharing a laugh in the Senate dining room or debating the great issues of the day, often against each other, on the Senate floor,” Biden said in a statement.
“Though we often disagreed, he never hesitated to work with me or other Democrats when it mattered most,” Biden added.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the flags at the US Capitol to be flown at half-staff in tribute to Dole, her deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, said on Twitter.
