Dec. 5 (UPI) — Former U.S. senator and Republican presidential and vice presidential candidate Bob Dole died on Sunday. He was 98 years old.
The Elizabeth Dole Foundation, named after his wife, announced that Dole died in his sleep early Sunday morning, a cause of death was not immediately revealed.
“At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years,” the statement read.
In February, Dole announced that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and would undergo treatment.
Dole was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1968 and represented Kansas in the Senate for 27 years, the last 11 as the Republican leader.
Before his election to the Senate, Dole served in the House as a representative from Kansas between 1961 and 1969.
In 1976, Dole was the vice presidential nominee on the Republican ticket with incumbent President Gerald Ford. They ultimately lost in the general election to Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale.
He resigned from the Senate in 1996 to make a bid for president winning the Republican nomination but ultimately lost to incumbent President Bill Clinton.
Dole served in the U.S. Army during World War II and survived serious injuries in battle in Italy. He earned two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars for valor during his service.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Clinton in 1997 and received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2018.
