Liz Cheney

Elizabeth Lynne Cheney, born on July 28, 1966, in Madison, Wisconsin, is the elder daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Second Lady Lynne Cheney. She attended McLean High School and earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Colorado College in 1988, followed by a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1996. Before her legal studies, Cheney worked with the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development from 1989 to 1993, and later at Armitage Associates LLP. Her early career also included practicing international law at White & Case and the International Finance Corporation.

Cheney’s public service deepened with her appointment as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs in 2002, where she focused on promoting democracy and economic progress in the Middle East. She later served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern affairs in 2005 and headed the Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group in 2006. In 2016, Cheney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Wyoming’s at-large congressional district, a seat previously held by her father. She quickly rose to become the Chair of the House Republican Conference in 2019, holding the third-ranking Republican position in the chamber. She was reelected to the House in 2018 and 2020.

During her tenure in Congress from 2017 to 2023, Cheney was recognized for her strong conservative views and hawkish foreign policy, consistently supporting the overall agenda of President Donald Trump. A significant turning point in her career was her vocal opposition to Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, leading to her support for his second impeachment and subsequent removal from Republican leadership in May 2021. She was appointed Vice Chair of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack in 2021. Despite losing her renomination bid in 2022, Cheney continues to be an influential figure, advocating for a return to traditional Republican values and a staunch defender of democracy. In 2025, she was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal and has engaged in academic pursuits as a professor of practice at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.