Senator Bob Dole, a former presidential candidate, died on Sunday, December 5, 2021. Dole had announced in February 2021 that he was being treated for lung cancer. He was 98 years old.

His family issued a statement saying, “Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep. At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years,” according to a statement from his family.

After Dole’s passing, President Joe Biden issued a statement, “Bob was an American statesman like few in our history. A war hero and among the greatest of the Greatest Generation. And to me, he was also a friend whom I could look to for trusted guidance, or a humorous line at just the right moment to settle frayed nerves. I will miss my friend. But I am grateful for the times we shared, and for the friendship Jill and I and our family have built with Liddy and the entire Dole family.”

On Sunday, Biden also ordered that flags at the White House and other public buildings be flown at half-staff in Dole’s honor.

During his political career, Dole represented Kansas in the US House of Representatives in 1961-1969 and US Senate in 1969-1996. He was the Republican party’s presidential candidate in the 1996 election.

Born July 22, 1923, in Russell, Kansas, Dole grew up during the Great Depression, learning lessons about sacrifice and hard work from his parents. After graduating high school, he began attending the University of Kansas with the intention of becoming a doctor. This was cut short when the US entered World War II and Dole enlisted.

Serving in Italy, he rescued a fellow soldier and was nearly mortally injured, suffering a shattered right shoulder, fractured vertebrae in his neck and spine, a damaged kidney, and shrapnel throughout his body. Following three years of surgery and recovery, he used the GI Bill to return to college, studying law at Washburn Municipal College in Topeka, Kansas.

Dole entered politics in the Kansas state legislature in 1951-1953, then later was a four-term prosecuting attorney for Russell County. When the House of Representatives seat opened in ’61, he won the seat by a comfortable margin. He was reelected twice during this period, establishing himself as a conservative republican.

After his third term, he aimed at a US Senate seat, which he won in ’68. Remaining there until ’96, he chaired multiple committees and became known for his animated speeches against proposals and policies he opposed.

Early in his Senate career he ran for Vice President as Gerald Ford’s running mate, but they lost the race to democratic candidate Jimmy Carter. Dole was the Senate majority leader in 1985-1987 and minority leader in 1987-1995. He resigned from the Senate in ’96 to focus on the presidential race, which he lost to Bill Clinton.

Since he retired from politics, Dole practiced law, wrote several books (including One Soldier’s Story), and was a spokesperson for some consumer products.