Bob Dole

Described as

American politician (1923–2021)

Other names

Robert J. Dole, Robert Dole, Robert Joseph Dole, Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole

Born

July 22, 1923 · 8 references

Died

December 5, 2021 · 2 references

Born in

Russell · 1 reference

Died in

Washington, D.C.

Buried in

Arlington National Cemetery

Cause of death

lung cancer · 1 reference

Name at birth

Robert Joseph Dole

Citizen of

United States

Occupation

politician · 1 reference; lawyer (1952–) · 1 reference; jurist · 1 reference

Positions held

United States representative (1961–1969); member of the Kansas House of Representatives (1951–1953) · 1 reference; county attorney (1953–1961) · 1 reference; United States senator (1969–1996) · 1 reference

Political party

Republican Party

Education

University of Kansas (1941–1943) · 1 reference; University of Arizona (1948–1949) · 1 reference; Washburn University (–1952) · 1 reference

Member of

American Legion · 1 reference

Teams

Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball; Kansas Jayhawks football

Awards

Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart; Presidential Citizens Medal; Presidential Medal of Freedom (1997) · 1 reference; World Food Prize (2008); Theodore Roosevelt Award (1998); Horatio Alger Award; Dr. Nathan Davis Award for United States Senators (1992); Commander with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland; Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland · 1 reference; Decoration of the National Flag · 1 reference; Order of the Badge of Honour · 1 reference

Field

law · 1 reference; politics · 1 reference

Spouse

Elizabeth Dole (1975–2021) · 1 reference; Phyllis Holden (1948–1972) · 1 reference

Religion

Methodism

Military branch

United States Army

Military rank

Colonel

Website

http://www.bobdole.org/

Wikipedias with a page

60

Wikidata item Q319079 (wikidata.org/wiki/Q319079), public domain (CC0). Copied November 13, 2026.

Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician, attorney, and Army officer who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican leader of the U.S. Senate during the final 11 years of his tenure, including three non-consecutive years as Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate. Prior to his 27 years in the Senate, he served in the United States House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969. Dole was also the Republican presidential nominee in the 1996 presidential election and the vice presidential nominee in the 1976 presidential 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 county attorney for Russell County, he won election to the House of Representatives in 1960, initially from Kansas's 6th congressional district and then from the 1st congressional district. He served this seat until 1968, when he was elected to the Senate, and was re-elected four more times there. In the Senate, Dole served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1971 to 1973 and chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Finance from 1981 to 1985. He led the U.S. Senate Republican members 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.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford selected Dole as his running mate for that year's presidential election after Vice President Nelson Rockefeller withdrew from seeking a full term. Their ticket was defeated by the Democratic ticket of Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale in the general election. Dole sought the Republican presidential nomination in the 1980 United States presidential election, but quickly dropped out of the race. He experienced more success in the 1988 Republican presidential primaries but was defeated by Vice President George H. W. Bush. Dole won the Republican presidential nomination in 1996, selecting Jack Kemp as his running mate. The Dole–Kemp ticket lost the general election to incumbent President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. Dole resigned from the Senate during his 1996 presidential campaign and did not seek public office again after the election.
Dole remained active after retiring from public office. His second wife Elizabeth served one term as U.S. Senator from North Carolina from 2003 to 2009. Dole also appeared in numerous commercials and television programs and served on various councils, including the advisory council for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and special counsel at the Washington, D.C., office of law firm Alston & Bird. In 2012, he unsuccessfully advocated Senate ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Dole was the only former Republican presidential nominee to endorse Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, though he initially supported Jeb Bush in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries. Dole was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on January 17, 2018.

Born, in its opening lines

July 22, 1923

Died, in its opening lines

December 5, 2021

From the Wikipedia article “Bob Dole” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dole), by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Copied November 13, 2026; not changed.