American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his tenure, including three nonconsecutive years as Senate Majority Leader. 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 election and the vice presidential nominee in the 1976 election. On 17 January 1997, Senator Dole was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton for service to his country in the military and in his political career.
Serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, Dole earned two Purple Heart decorations for heroism. He was severely wounded on 14 April 1945 at about 10 AM in Pra del Bianco Valley, near Castel D’Aiano, Italy (11e00, 44n16). He was paralyzed from the waist down and remained on the critical list for three months. Rehab for 39 agonizing months left him with a withered right arm.
Dole studied at the Universities of Kansas and of Arizona with a law degree in 1952. Holding public office from 1951, he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1960. After winning the GOP primary by less than 1,000 votes, he was elected to the U.S. House seat and won re-election three times. In 1968 he was elected U.S. Senator. He served as the Rep. National Chairman 1971-1973. In 1980 he made a bid for the presidential nomination but dropped out of the race early. He was named Senate Majority Leader in 1985 (and again in 1995) and Senate Minority Leader in 1987.
In his role as Republican leader, he helped defeat Democratic President Bill Clinton’s 1993 health care plan. Dole entered the presidential race on 10 April 1995 in Russell, Kansas, at 10:35 AM CDT, and was defeated by President Clinton on 1 November 1996.
Dole was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 1991 while running for his fifth Senatorial term and had successful surgery on 16 December 1991. After the surgery, Dole had erectile dysfunction and made a public service announcement speaking up about it. He subsequently did endorsements for Viagra.
Dole wrote several books, including one on jokes told by the Presidents of the United States, in which he ranks the presidents according to their level of humor. His World War II memoir, One Soldier’s Story, was released on 12 April 2005.
He initially supported Jeb Bush in the 2016 Republican primaries, but later became the only former Republican presidential nominee to endorse Donald Trump in the general election.
Dole married Phyllis Holden, an occupational therapist, in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1948, three months after they met. Their daughter, Robin, was born on 15 October 1954. Dole and Holden divorced on 11 January 1972.
Dole met his second wife, Elizabeth, in 1972. The couple was married on 6 December 1975. They had no children. In their entire married life the Doles lived in the same two-bedroom condo. His tastes were simple and he was uncomfortable in plush elegance.
In February 2021, Dole announced he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and would undergo treatment. Dole received immunotherapy to treat the disease, forgoing chemotherapy due to its negative effect on his body. He died from the disease in his sleep on the morning of 5 December 2021 at the age of 98.
Link to Wikipedia biography