Lynne Cheney

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Lynne Ann Vincent Cheney
Lynne Cheney

Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 20, 2001
Preceded by Tipper Gore

In office
1986 – 1993
Preceded by William J. Bennett
John Agresto (acting)
Succeeded by Sheldon Hackney
Jerry L. Martin and Donald Gibson (acting)

Born August 14, 1941 (1941-08-14) (age 66)
Casper, Wyoming
Spouse Dick Cheney
Relations Wayne Vincent and Edna Lybyer
Children Elizabeth, Mary

Lynne Ann Vincent Cheney (born August 14, 1941), is a novelist, conservative scholar, and former talk-show host who is the wife of Vice President Dick Cheney. She is currently the Second Lady of the United States.

Contents

[edit] Childhood and education

A descendant of Mormon pioneers with roots in Denmark, England, Ireland, and Wales, Lynne Ann Vincent was born in Casper, Wyoming. Her father was Wayne Edwin Vincent, an engineer; her mother, the late Edna Lybyer, became a deputy sheriff. She was reared Presbyterian, but converted to Methodism upon her marriage to the future vice president.[1]

Mrs. Cheney obtained a bachelor of arts degree with highest honors from Colorado College, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority. She furthered her education with a master of arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Ph.D. in 19th century British literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (her dissertation was entitled "Matthew Arnold's Possible Perfection: A Study of the Kantian Strain in Arnold's Poetry").

[edit] Career

Lynne Cheney served as chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 1986 to 1993. In 1995 she founded American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a conservative group that monitors American colleges and academia.

She is a senior fellow in education and culture at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. She also serves as a director of Reader's Digest Association, Inc. She is a director emerita of the Independent Women's Forum.[2]

From 1995 to 1998, Cheney served as a co-host of the Sunday edition of CNN's Crossfire, replacing Tony Snow.

Lynne Cheney served on Lockheed Corporation's board of directors from 1994 to 2001, a $120,000-a-year post she gave up shortly before her husband's inauguration; Cheney served on the board's Finance, and Nominating and Corporate Governance committees.[3][4]

In 2000 she was mentioned as a possible conservative female pick for Republican Vice Presidential nominee on the George W. Bush ticket. The appointed head of the nominating committee was her husband, Dick Cheney, then the CEO of Halliburton, who eventually emerged as Bush's choice.

She repeatedly spoke out against violent and sexually explicit lyrics in popular music, picking up on an issue originally made famous by former Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper. She also criticized video game makers for similar content.[5]

[edit] Family

She has been married to Richard "Dick" Cheney since 1964. They have two daughters and six grandchildren:

  • Mary was born March 14, 1969. Openly lesbian, she lives with her partner, Heather Roan Poe (born April 11, 1961), in Great Falls, Virginia. Mary Cheney gave birth to her first child, Samuel David Cheney, in May 2007. She is one of her father's top campaign aides and closest confidantes. Mary Cheney's openly gay lifestyle and out-of-wedlock child have been the source of controversy in the Republican party. Vice President Cheney and his wife nonetheless have expressed support for their daughter. In July 2003, she became the director of vice presidential operations for the Bush-Cheney 2004 presidential reelection campaign; she was a vital part of the campaign. Until May 2000, she was the lesbian/gay corporate relations manager for the Coors Brewing Company. She wrote a book about her work with her father in 2006.

She has a brother, named Mark Vincent, who lives in Wyoming with his wife Linda.

[edit] Books

Lynne Cheney giving a public reading from her book America: A Patriotic Primer to the students of Vincenza Elementary School in Vicenza, Italy. (2004)
Lynne Cheney giving a public reading from her book America: A Patriotic Primer to the students of Vincenza Elementary School in Vicenza, Italy. (2004)

Lynne Cheney is the author or co-author of several books:

[edit] Wyoming U.S. Senate Seat vacancy

Cheney had been considered to be a possible contender to fulfill the late U.S. Sen. Craig L. Thomas' term in the U.S. Senate.[6] A Cheney spokesperson stated she was considering the post. Cheney chose not to seek the seat when she didn't sign an application to become a candidate for the position. If she had won the seat, she would have become the first "Second Lady" to be in public office or the Senate since Senator Muriel Humphrey.

[edit] Political Views

[edit] Gay Marriage

On an October 10, 2007 episode of The Daily Show, Lynne Cheney stated that she opposed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Lynn Cheney's ancestors By Lee Davidson, Deseret Morning News, Jan. 21, 2006
  2. ^ Independent Women's Forum
  3. ^ USA: Inside Lockheed's $250 Billion Pentagon Connection by Geoffrey Gray, Village Voice, March 19th, 2003
  4. ^ Vice president-elect's wife steps down from Lockheed board, Washington Business Journal - January 5, 2001
  5. ^ Lynne Cheney blasts Gore comments on media violence - CNN.com
  6. ^ The Crypt's Blog - Politico.com

[edit] Sources

  • Joe Mandak. "Lynn Cheney Upset With Kerry Over Remark" Associated Press. October 14, 2004.
  • Ian Bishop and Deborah Orin. "Veep to Kerry: How Dare You! - 'Angry Dad' Hits Foe for Naming Gay Daughter" New York Post. October 15, 2004.

[edit] External links

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Honorary titles
Preceded by
Mary Elizabeth Gore
Second Lady of the United States
2001 – present
Incumbent