1 of 8 | The recessional leaves Washington National Cathedral following the funeral service for former Vice President Dick Cheney Thursday. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo
Former Vice President Dick Cheney’s funeral was in Washington, D.C., attended by former presidents and vice presidents, though President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were not invited.
The funeral began at 11 a.m. at Washington National Cathedral with full military honors. Former President George W. Bush and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Dick Cheney’s daughter, made remarks.
Bush, with whom Cheney served two terms, delivered the eulogy.
He mentioned the moment he chose Cheney as his running mate.
“At such a moment, most in this position would have jumped at the chance. But Dick stayed detached, and he analyzed it. Before I made my decision, he insisted on giving me a complete rundown of all the reasons I should not choose him,” Bush said.
“In the end, I trusted my judgment. I remember my dad’s words when I told him what I was planning. He said, ‘Son, you couldn’t pick a better man.'”
After his first term, Cheney offered to resign so that Bush could choose another running mate.
Bush said he thought about it, but “after four years of seeing how he treated people, how he carried responsibility, how he handled pressure and took the hits, I arrived back at the conclusion that they do not come any better than Dick Cheney.”
Liz Cheney said former President John F. Kennedy inspired him to public service.
“Dick Cheney became a Republican, but he knew that bonds of party must always yield to the single bond we share as Americans,” she said. “For him, a choice between defense of the Constitution and defense of your political party was no choice at all.”
Though a staunch Republican, Cheney endorsed Harris for president in 2024. He said “there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump.”
While Trump hasn’t mentioned Cheney since his death, Vance offered his condolences Thursday during a fireside chat on Breitbart News.
“My condolences go to Dick Cheney and his family,” Vance said. “Obviously there’s some political disagreements there, but he was a guy who served his country, and we certainly wish his family the best in this moment of grieving.”
Cheney, 84, died on Nov. 3 from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. He was the 46th vice president under George W. Bush.
More than 1,000 people attended the invitation-only event, including all four living former vice presidents and two former presidents, including former President Joe Biden.
Former vice presidents Kamala Harris, Mike Pence, Al Gore and Dan Quayle attended. Several Supreme Court justices were there, including Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan. Past and present cabinet members and Congressional leaders from both parties attended.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.; and former leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; attended.
“His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed,” a statement from the family said when he died.
“Dick Cheney was a great and good man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country, and to live lives of courage, honor, love, kindness and fly fishing. We are grateful beyond measure for all Dick Cheney did for our country. And we are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”
Before becoming vice president, Cheney was the youngest White House chief of staff in history under President Gerald Ford.
Cheney then represented Wyoming’s only congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 1989. He was Secretary of Defense under President George H.W. Bush.
