Liz Cheney
Liz Cheney (born 1966) is an American politician and lawyer who served as a deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and, from 2017 to 2023, as a U.S.United StatesThe United States is a federal country in North America made up of 50 states, the District of Columbia as the seat of government, and territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam; its capital is Washington, D.C. The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The 2020 census (April 1, 2020) counted a resident population of 331,449,281, and the 435 seats of the House of Representatives are apportioned among the states on the basis of the census.Open the full entry representative from WyomingWyomingWyoming is a U.S. state, the ninth largest by area, with its capital at Cheyenne. Wyoming was admitted to the Union on July 10, 1890, as the 44th state, and the 2020 census (April 1, 2020) counted 576,851 residents.Open the full entry.
Contents15 sections
Key facts
July 28, 1966Born in Madison, Wisconsin
Liz Cheney (full name Elizabeth Lynne Cheney Perry) was born on July 28, 1966, in Madison, WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a state in the north-central United States; its capital is Madison and its largest city is Milwaukee. Wisconsin was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848, as the 30th state, and the 2020 census (April 1, 2020) counted 5,893,718 residents.Open the full entry, to Dick Cheney and Lynne Vincent Cheney. At the time of her birth her father was a congressional fellow; he later represented Wyoming in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 1989 and served as Vice President of the United States from 2001 to 2009.[1]
1984–1988High School and Colorado College
She graduated from McLean High School in 1984 and received a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College in 1988.[1]
From 1988Early Career, Law School and White & Case
After college she worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of State and the consulting firm Armitage Associates, and then attended the University of Chicago Law School, graduating in 1996, after which she worked at the law firm White & Case in Washington, D.C.[1][2]
From 2002Near Eastern Affairs Posts at the State Department
In 2002 she returned to the U.S. Department of State as deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs, later becoming principal deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs.[1]
2013–2014Bid for a Senate Nomination
In 2013 she announced a bid for the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat from Wyoming, and she withdrew in January 2014.[1]
2016Elected to the U.S. House
She announced her House campaign in early 2016, won the Republican primary and won the general election in November 2016.[1]
2017–2023U.S. Representative
On January 3, 2017, she was sworn in as a member of the 115th Congress representing Wyoming; she was reelected in 2018 and 2020, and her service ended in January 2023.[1]
2019–2021Chair of the House Republican Conference
She was elected chair of the House Republican Conference in 2018, taking up the post in 2019, and was removed from it in May 2021.[1]
2021–2022Vice Chair of the January 6th Select Committee
In July 2021 she was appointed to the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, and in September of that year she was named its vice chair. The committee’s chairman was Bennie G. Thompson.[1][3]
On December 22, 2022, the committee submitted its final report (H. Rept. 117-663).[3]
August 16, 2022Defeat in the Republican Primary
In the Republican primary for Wyoming’s House seat held on August 16, 2022, she was defeated by Harriet HagemanHarriet HagemanHarriet Hageman is an American Republican politician and lawyer whose legal career centered on water, land and natural-resources litigation, and who has represented Wyoming’s at-large congressional district in the U.S. House since 2023. She was the Republican nominee in Wyoming’s 2026 U.S. Senate election and won the November 3 general election.Open the full entry.[1]
March 1, 2023Professor of Practice at the University of Virginia
On March 1, 2023, the University of Virginia Center for Politics announced her appointment as a professor of practice, effective immediately and running through the end of the fall 2023 semester, with the possibility of renewal.[2]
January 2, 2025Presidential Citizens Medal
On January 2, 2025, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal at the White House; the White House citation refers to her service as a congresswoman for Wyoming and as vice chair of the committee on the January 6 attack.[4]
Writings
In 2023 she published the memoir Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning.[1]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol (final report): Web page: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-J6-REPORT/html-submitted/index.html (opens in a new window).[3]
Sources
- Liz Cheney (opens in a new window)
- Liz Cheney, ’96, to Serve as Professor of Practice at UVA Center for Politics (opens in a new window)
- Final Report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol (opens in a new window)
- President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Citizens Medal (opens in a new window)