Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who passed away on November 3, 2025, was a towering figure in American politics, but to his family, he was simply a devoted father and grandfather. His legacy is carried forward not just through his political impact but through his two daughters, Liz and Mary Cheney. While the world knew him as a powerful statesman, his children knew him as the man who taught them to love their country and to live with courage, honor, and kindness. The Cheney family, including his wife of 61 years, Lynne, announced his passing, noting that they were all by his side.
The Cheney sisters, Liz and Mary, have both led remarkable and highly visible lives, though their paths have diverged in significant ways. From the halls of Congress to advocacy and business, they have each carved out their own identities, often finding themselves at the center of the nation’s most heated political and social debates. Their bond, while tested publicly at times, reflects the complex dynamics of a family operating in the public eye. Through it all, they were united as their father’s daughters, and in the days following his death, they have been remembered for the deeply personal loss they are experiencing.
A Political Heir and a Personal Advocate
Liz Cheney has perhaps the most direct political lineage to her father. She served as the U.S. Representative for Wyoming and rose to become the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives. Her political career was marked by a staunchly conservative record, but she gained national prominence for her forceful opposition to former President Donald Trump following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
This stance led to her being ostracized by much of her party, and she was ultimately defeated in her 2022 re-election bid. Throughout this challenging period, her father was a steadfast supporter, even appearing on Capitol Hill with her on the one-year anniversary of the riot and cutting a campaign ad defending her. Liz is married and has five kids, making Dick Cheney a grandfather many times over.
Mary Cheney, the younger daughter, has also been deeply involved in politics, but often from the role of a trusted behind-the-scenes advisor and confidante to her father. She served as the Director of Vice Presidential Operations for the Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election campaign. Her personal life, however, has placed her in a different kind of spotlight.
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Mary is openly gay and has been with her wife, Heather Poe, since 1992; the couple married in 2012 in Washington, D.C.. They have two children together: a son, Samuel, born in 2007, and a daughter, Sarah, born in 2009. Her family life has directly influenced the political positions of those around her, with her father publicly disagreeing with the Bush administration’s support for a constitutional amendment banning same-s-x marriage, arguing the matter should be left to individual states.
Family Bonds and Public Disagreements
The Cheney family’s internal dynamics have occasionally played out in public, most notably over the issue of same-s-x marriage. In 2013, when Liz Cheney stated she did not support same-s-x marriage during her Senate campaign, Mary publicly denounced her sister’s position, writing on Facebook that “Liz’s position is to treat my family as second-class citizens.”
Mary’s wife, Heather Poe, also expressed how hurtful the comments were, noting that Liz had previously shared holidays with their kids and celebrated their marriage. The disagreement led to a reported rift, with Mary stating she would not support her sister’s candidacy. However, by 2021, Liz revealed that they had reconciled after she admitted to Mary that she had been wrong in her views.
In the wake of their father’s passing, the focus has returned to the personal love within the family. Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George W. Bush, spoke on the Today show, offering her support to Mary and Liz. She shared that her first thoughts were of the man they were missing—not the politician who cast votes, but the dad who raised them. She reached out to send her love, a sentiment she said her own parents shared, highlighting that public grieving can be difficult when the focus is on a person’s political life rather than their role as a father, granddad, and husband.
This personal tribute underlines that, beyond the powerful titles and political battles, Dick Cheney’s most enduring role was as the head of a close, if sometimes divided, family.
