Former Republican Senator Bob Dole, a figure in American politics and unsuccessful White House candidate, died Sunday morning at the age of 98.
A World War II veteran and three-time candidate for the Republican nomination, he finally entered the presidential race in 1996, but was defeated by Bill Clinton.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole passed away early this morning in his sleep,” tweeted the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, which bears his wife’s name.
“He had faithfully served the United States for 79 years,” she added.
In February, he announced that he had advanced lung cancer.
“Senator Bob Dole was a great man who lived an extraordinary life in the service of America and he will be sadly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him,” responded former Vice President Mike Pence.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Senator Bernie Sanders, a figure on the left, hailed a man who had “served his country with courage on the battlefield, and with dignity in the Senate.”
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has ordered the flags of the Capitol to be half-masted, according to her chief of staff.
Precepts of rural America
Bob Dole, dismissed by Ronald Reagan in 1980 in the battle for the Republican candidacy, then by George Bush senior in 1988, persisted and finally won in 1996.
Faced with young Clinton, representing baby boomers fed on pop music and pacifism, Bob Dole embodied the precepts of rural America before the 1960s: family, religion, patriotism, integrity, modesty, work and respect for the word given.
But the outgoing Bill Clinton will easily win against the 73-year-old, who seemed outdated in the age of television politics.
Twenty years earlier, Bob Dole had already lost the 1976 presidential election, this time as a running mate, alongside Gerald Ford.
Born July 22, 1923, Robert Joseph Dole grew up in Russell, a small town in Kansas (center).
Returning a medalist but seriously injured from World War II, he underwent operation after operation for three years. At the cost of exceptional tenacity, he learns to walk again and regains control of his body, with the exception of his right arm.
The people of Russell joined together to pay for his operations, as they rallied around the young lawyer he became and who entered politics in 1952.
He entered Congress in 1961, first as a representative, then as a senator from Kansas, beginning a 35-year parliamentary career.
In the Senate, this slender and always tanned man, with a piercing black gaze, is known for his mastery of negotiation and the art of compromise, but also for his humor.
In retirement, Bob Dole continued to attack Democrats, notably fighting President Barack Obama’s health insurance reform plan.
He was married to Elizabeth Dole, who herself had a distinguished political career as Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Labor, and Senator from North Carolina.
Outside of politics, he did not hesitate to advertise Pepsi and… Viagra on television.