Honoring Dick Cheney
A FAITHFUL FRIEND AND PUBLIC SERVANT
It was with a sad heart that I learned of the passing of a great man and faithful servant–Dick Cheney. He was a dear family friend for many years and had a significant impact on my life and the life of our nation.
It is no secret that many in the conservative movement have had meaningful and significant differences with the Vice President. Those differences, serious as they may be, are not the whole story. I have grace, respect, admiration, and appreciation for the soft-spoken, dedicated public servant who was a devoted friend to the Steiger family for nearly 60 years -- and who served his country so tirelessly.
Without addressing all the accusations and criticisms about the role that the first Bush Administration played in the post 9-11 years, I will only say that these American men were charged with leading our response to one of the most vicious and evil attacks that America had ever experienced. Their deeply held Judeo Christian values guided them as they did their best, in a perilous moment, to act in the national interest. As he had always been, in his time as George W. Bush’s Vice-President, Dick Cheney was a man of integrity and a patriotic servant of the people. It was my honor and privilege to have known him.
In 1966, my father’s younger brother, William A. Steiger, was elected at age 28 to Congress as a Republican representing the 6th District of Wisconsin. One of his interns was a bright young man from Wyoming, my own home state. I loved and admired my Uncle Bill, and so did that intern, Dick Cheney.
As a young 28-year-old PhD student from the University of Wisconsin, Cheney had joined my uncle’s staff in 1968 intending to complete his doctoral studies with a fellowship. That was not meant to be. Deeply inspired by my late uncle’s compelling example of principled public service, Cheney found himself captivated by the inner workings of Congress (especially the House of Representatives) — so much so that he left his plans to become a history professor to pursue a lifelong career in government, following in the footsteps of a man whose dedication and influence left an indelible mark on him.
When my uncle – only forty years old -- died of a sudden heart attack in 1978, I was a student at Texas A&M. I flew to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for my Uncle Bill’s funeral service. This is where I first met Cheney – then a newly elected freshman Congressman from Casper, Wyoming. Dick was so kind in his words about Uncle Bill. That first meeting proved providential. It would change the course of my life.
Not long thereafter, I got a letter from Cheney asking me if I would like to come to work for him in his DC office as a legislative aide. I had just been hired by Sam Walton to start the Walmart Foundation and declined his offer. I told him my plan was to stay in Northwest Arkansas and build a base of support and then perhaps follow in my uncle’s and his footsteps and run for Congress myself – when and if the time was right. I was only 24.
While working on an oral history project about my uncle’s life, my cousin Bill Steiger, and I had an opportunity to interview the former Vice President of the United States in 2009 about his relationship with his former boss. It was a fascinating story about how they met and worked together, but the most interesting comment he made was that “Had it not been for your uncle, I would not have stayed in Washington, DC to pursue a career in government service. Bill Steiger inspired me to serve. He was my hero.”
Years later when I had ended up in San Antonio working with a physician and businessman, Dr. James R. Leininger, a man who wanted to “make a difference” in Texas, I went to Washington, DC in January 1989 to see what I could learn about opportunities to impact government policy at the state level. The first person I went to see on Capitol Hill was the Congressman from Wyoming who told me about a Cheyenne based nonprofit aimed at impacting state government. When I inquired about it, Dick told me that it was a conservative think tank that published papers and brought in influencers and policy experts to speak with legislators and the media about issues of concern. He suggested that I should go across the street and meet with Adam Meyerson at the Heritage Foundation and learn about their efforts to start state think tanks across America.
That introduction by Dick Cheney would lead to the establishment of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) shortly thereafter. What started out as a suggestion by a family friend and policy maker resulted in an organization that would grow to become one of the most influential conservative think tanks in America today. TPPF would recruit, train, and promote people like the Honorable Brooke Rollins, the current United States Secretary of Agriculture and Dr. Kevin Roberts, the President of the Heritage Foundation–both of whom served as CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. TPPF would also play a major role in advancing the idea of school choice in Texas, and beyond, thanks to Jeanne Allen, the education director at the time for Heritage giving me a policy paper on the concept and suggesting that it be one of our primary issues. Those efforts then led to the creation of a national organization in 1994 that I was privileged to lead called Children First America. Included as a part of it’s founding board were John Walton, Peter Flanigan, Jimmy Mansour, and Betsy DeVos. All of this fruit as a result of one man’s connection to the Heritage Foundation.
One of the great memories I have of Dick Cheney dates from November 2008. Knowing he would be leaving the White House as Vice President of the United States, Cheney’s office reached out and said that he wanted me to come and visit him in the West Wing of the White House before his departure. I was both honored and thrilled at this invitation. His office told me that I would have one hour to meet with the Vice President, so I made a special trip to see him. When I arrived at the White House, I was told — much to my chagrin — that I would only have 15 minutes for the meeting. But, when his aide came in at the 15-minute mark, the vice-president told her that he needed 15 more minutes. A second time… and the same response–much to my pleasure! Dick Cheney just wanted to keep reminiscing and discussing the politics of the day.
The Honorable Richard B. Cheney served as the Vice President of the United States, the United States Secretary of Defense, Chief of Staff to United States President Gerald Ford, United States Congressman from the great state of Wyoming, was a faithful husband to his wife Lynne of over 50 years -- and a wonderful father and awesome grandfather. Dick Cheney deeply cared for and loved America, along with his family. He may not have always been right, but he will always be great in my mind. He was a cowboy and a straight shooter, like many a Wyoming man. May he be remembered for all the good things that he accomplished in his life and let the Almighty judge him for those things that he might have done wrong–something that we should all be prepared to face one day.
God bless Dick Cheney and may he rest in peace