Home > War in the Persian Gulf > Dick Cheney Biography

Born January 30, 1941

Lincoln, Nebraska

Served as U.S. secretary of defense during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and vice president during the 2003 Iraq War

"Saddam Hussein's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction poses a grave danger, not only to his neighbors, but also to the United States...."

Dick Cheney on CNN.

Dick Cheney's work as U.S. secretary of defense under President George H. W. Bush (see entry) was a milestone in his long and distinguished political career. He helped plan and carry out Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, the two main phases of the U.S. military campaign against Iraq that became known as the 1991 Persian Gulf War. In addition, Cheney spent a great deal of time explaining the Bush administration's military and political goals to the American people throughout the conflict.

Cheney's term as secretary of...