Former senator and former Republican candidate for the presidency, Bob Dole, one of the main figures of the Republican party in the United States in the second half of the 20th century, died this Sunday at the age of 98, according to his family.
"Senator Robert Joseph Dole
died first thing in his sleep this morning
. With his death at 98, he has served America faithfully for 79 years," the family statement said.
In February of this year, Dole announced that he was being treated for stage 4 lung cancer.
After hearing the news, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, ordered the flags of the Capitol to be lowered to half mast as a sign of respect.
Candidate in 1996
Dole was a senator from Kansas, his home state, for 27 years and in 1996 he was the Republican presidential candidate in the elections in which Democrat Bill Clinton won re-election.
Clinton reacted to Dole's death by stressing that he stressed "all his life to serve Americans. After the war he didn't have to give more, but he did. His example should inspire people today and also future generations.
Previously, in 1976 he had been the vice presidential candidate with Republican Gerald Ford, a contest he lost to Democrat Jimmy Carter.
During World War II he was seriously wounded in Italy, and he lost the use of his right arm.
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In his 36-year career on Capitol Hill, Dole became one of the Senate's most influential legislators and party leaders, combining a talent for compromise with a caustic wit, which he often used against himself but did not hesitate. to use against others as well.
It shaped fiscal policy, foreign policy,
agriculture and nutrition programs, and disability rights,
enshrining protections against discrimination in employment, education, and public services in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
He dedicated his final years to the cause of wounded veterans
, to the memory of those who perished, and to honoring the generation of World War II veterans.
He was married to Elizabeth Dole, who was a North Carolina senator from 2003 to 2009.
With information from AP and EFE