Senate leader, presidential candidate Bob Dole dies at 98

TOPEKA, Kan. — Bob Dole, who overcame disabling warfare wounds to go a sharp-tongued Senate person from Kansas, a Republican statesmanlike campaigner and past a awesome and celebrant of his dwindling procreation of World War II veterans, has died. He was 98.

His wife, Elizabeth Dole, said successful an announcement posted connected societal media that helium died aboriginal Sunday greeting successful his sleep.

Dole announced successful February 2021 that he’d been diagnosed with signifier 4 lung cancer. During his 36-year vocation connected Capitol Hill, Dole became 1 of the astir influential legislators and enactment leaders successful the Senate, combining a endowment for compromise with a caustic wit, which helium often turned connected himself but didn’t hesitate to crook connected others, too.

He shaped taxation policy, overseas policy, workplace and nutrition programs and rights for the disabled, enshrining protections against favoritism successful employment, acquisition and nationalist services successful the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Today’s accessible authorities offices and nationalist parks, sidewalk ramps and the sign-language interpreters astatine authoritative section events are conscionable immoderate of the much disposable hallmarks of his bequest and that of the chap lawmakers helium rounded up for that sweeping civilian rights authorities 30 years ago.

Dole devoted his aboriginal years to the origin of wounded veterans, their fallen comrades astatine Arlington National Cemetery and remembrance of the fading procreation of World War II vets.

Thousands of aged soldiers massed connected the National Mall successful 2004 for what Dole, speaking astatine the dedication of the World War II Memorial there, called “our last reunion.” He’d been a driving unit successful its creation.

“Our ranks person dwindled,” helium said then. “Yet if we stitchery successful the twilight it is brightened by the cognition that we person kept religion with our comrades.”

Long gone from Kansas, Dole made his beingness successful the capital, astatine the halfway of powerfulness and past successful its shadiness upon his retirement, surviving each the portion astatine the storied Watergate complex. When helium near authorities and joined a instrumentality steadfast staffed by salient Democrats, helium joked that helium brought his canine to enactment truthful helium would person different Republican to speech to.

He tried 3 times to go president. The past was successful 1996, erstwhile helium won the Republican information lone to spot President Bill Clinton reelected. He sought his party’s statesmanlike information successful 1980 and 1988 and was the 1976 GOP vice statesmanlike campaigner connected the losing summons with President Gerald Ford.

Through each of that helium carried the people of war. Charging a German presumption successful bluish Italy successful 1945, Dole was deed by a ammunition fragment that crushed 2 vertebrae and paralyzed his arms and legs. The young Army platoon person spent 3 years recovering successful a infirmary and ne'er regained usage of his close hand.

To debar embarrassing those trying to shingle his close hand, Dole ever clutched a pen successful it and reached retired with his left.

Dole could beryllium merciless with his rivals, whether Democrat oregon Republican. When George H.W. Bush defeated him successful the 1988 New Hampshire Republican primary, Dole snapped: “Stop lying astir my record.” If that pales adjacent to the scorching insults successful today’s governmental arena, it was shocking astatine the time.

But erstwhile Bush died successful December 2018, aged rivalries were forgotten arsenic Dole appeared earlier Bush’s casket successful the Capitol Rotunda. As an adjutant lifted him from his wheelchair, an ailing and sorrowful Dole dilatory steadied himself and saluted his one-time nemesis with his near hand, his chin quivering.

In a vice statesmanlike statement 2 decades earlier with Walter Mondale, Dole had famously and audaciously branded each of America’s wars that period “Democrat wars.” Mondale changeable backmost that Dole had conscionable “richly earned his estimation arsenic a hatchet man.”

Dole astatine archetypal denied saying what helium had conscionable said connected that precise nationalist stage, past backed down, and yet acknowledged he’d gone excessively far. “I was expected to spell for the jugular,” helium said, “and I did — my own.”

For each of his bare-knuckle ways, helium was a heavy believer successful the Senate arsenic an instauration and commanded respect and adjacent affection from galore Democrats. Just days aft Dole announced his dire crab diagnosis, President Joe Biden visited him astatine his location to privation him well. The White House said the 2 were adjacent friends from their days successful the Senate.

Biden recalled successful a connection Sunday that 1 of his archetypal meetings extracurricular the White House aft being sworn-in arsenic president was with the Doles astatine their Washington home.

“Like each existent friendships, careless of however overmuch clip has passed, we picked up close wherever we near off, arsenic though it were lone yesterday that we were sharing a laughter successful the Senate eating country oregon debating the large issues of the day, often against each other, connected the Senate floor,” Biden said. “I saw successful his eyes the aforesaid light, bravery, and determination I’ve seen truthful galore times before.”

Dole won a spot successful Congress successful 1960, representing a occidental Kansas House district. He moved up to the Senate 8 years aboriginal erstwhile Republican incumbent Frank Carlson retired.

There, helium antagonized his Senate colleagues with fiercely partisan and sarcastic rhetoric, delivered astatine the behest of President Richard Nixon. The Kansan was rewarded for his loyalty with the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee successful 1971, earlier Nixon’s presidency collapsed successful the Watergate scandal.

He served arsenic a committee chairman, bulk person and number person successful the Senate during the 1980s and ’90s. Altogether, helium was the Republicans’ person successful the Senate for astir 11½ years, a grounds until Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell broke it successful 2018. It was during this play that helium earned a estimation arsenic a shrewd, pragmatic legislator, tireless successful fashioning compromises.

After Republicans won Senate control, Dole became president of the tax-writing Finance Committee and won acclaim from shortage hawks and others for his handling of a 1982 taxation bill, successful which helium persuaded Ronald Reagan’s White House to spell on with expanding revenues by $100 cardinal to easiness the national fund deficit.

“When Bob asked you to bash something, that was it. I tin archer you truthful galore things we were capable to lick by invoking Bob’s name,” said erstwhile GOP Sen. Pat Roberts, who served alongside Dole successful Kansas’ legislature delegation.

But immoderate much blimpish Republicans were appalled that Dole had pushed for higher taxes. Georgia Rep. Newt Gingrich branded him “the taxation collector for the payment state.”

Dole became Senate person successful 1985 and served arsenic either bulk oregon number leader, depending connected which enactment was successful charge, until helium resigned successful 1996 to give himself to pursuit of the presidency.

That campaign, Dole’s last, was fraught with problems from the start. He ran retired of wealth successful the spring, and Democratic ads painted the GOP campaigner and the party’s divisive House speaker, Gingrich, with the aforesaid brush: arsenic Republicans retired to destruct Medicare. Clinton won by a ample margin.

He besides faced questions astir his property due to the fact that helium was moving for president astatine property 73 — good earlier Biden was elected weeks earlier turning 78 successful 2020.

Relegated to backstage life, Dole became an elder statesman who helped Clinton get a chemical-weapons pact passed. He besides tended his wife’s governmental ambitions. Elizabeth Dole ran unsuccessfully for the Republican statesmanlike information successful 2000, past served a word arsenic legislator from North Carolina.

Dole besides endeared himself to the nationalist arsenic the self-deprecating pitchman for the anti-impotence cause Viagra and different products.

He besides continued to remark connected issues and endorse governmental candidates.

In 2016, Dole initially backed erstwhile Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for the GOP statesmanlike nomination. He aboriginal warmed to Donald Trump and yet endorsed him.

But six weeks aft the 2020 election, with Trump inactive refusing to concede and promoting unfounded claims of elector fraud, Dole told The Kansas City Star, “The predetermination is over.”

He said: “It’s a beauteous bitter pill for Trump, but it’s a information helium lost.”

In September 2017, Congress voted to grant Dole its highest look of appreciation for distinguished contributions to the nation, a Congressional Gold Medal. That came a decennary aft helium received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Congress honored Dole again successful 2019 by promoting him from Army skipper to colonel, successful designation of the subject work that earned him 2 Purple Hearts.

Robert Joseph Dole was calved July 22, 1923, successful Russell, a occidental Kansas farming and lipid community. He was the eldest of 4 children. His begetter ran a pick and ovum concern and managed a atom elevator, and his parent sold sewing machines and vacuum cleaners to assistance enactment the household during the Depression. Dole attended the University of Kansas for 2 years earlier enlisting successful the Army successful 1943.

Dole met Phyllis Holden, a therapist astatine a subject hospital, arsenic helium was recovering from his warfare wounds successful 1948. They were joined and had a daughter, Robin. The mates would divorcement successful 1972.

Dole began his governmental vocation portion a pupil astatine Washburn University, winning a spot successful the Kansas House of Representatives.

He met his 2nd wife, Elizabeth Dole, portion she was moving for the Nixon White House. She besides served connected the Federal Trade Commission and arsenic proscription caput and labour caput portion Dole was successful the Senate. They joined successful 1975.

Dole published a memoir astir his wartime experiences and recovery, “One Soldier’s Story,” successful 2005. The Dole Institute of Politics connected the University of Kansas keeps an archive of World War II veterans from Kansas.

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Woodward contributed from Washington. Associated Press writers Jennifer C. Kerr and Candace Smith contributed to this report.