Liz Cheney is an attorney and currently represents the state of Wyoming as a Congresswoman. She is the daughter of former Vice-President Dick Cheney, and while she is a member of the Republican Party, she is known for breaking rank and voting as she sees fit. Liz spent many years in politics prior to her time in Congress. She served in the George W. Bush Administration in a number of positions.
| Celebrated Name: | Liz Cheney |
| Real Name/Full Name: | Elizabeth Lynne Cheney |
| Gender: | Female |
| Age: | 56 |
| Birthdate: | July 28, 1966 |
| Birthplace: | Madison, WI |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 5 ft. 3 in. |
| Weight: | 124 lb. |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Husband /Spouse | Philip Perry |
| Children/Kids: | Two sons: Philip and Richard; Three Daughters: Grace, Kate, and Elizabeth |
| Dating/Boyfriend Name: | N/A |
| Is Liz Cheney Gay? | No |
| Highest Political Office: | United States House of Representatives, Wyoming’s At-large District |
| Profession: | Attorney and Politician |
| Colleges Attended: | Colorado College; University of Chicago |
| Degrees: | Bachelor of Arts; Juris Doctor |
| Salary: | $174,000 |
| Net Worth in 2022: | $7 million |
Biography: Early Life and Family
Elizabeth “Liz” Cheney was born on July 28, 1966 in Madison, WI. Her parents are former Vice President Dick Cheney (under George W. Bush) and his wife, Lynne.
Liz is the elder daughter of her parents; her younger sister, Mary, has worked in politics as well.
When Liz was born, her parents were still college students. Her younger sister was born in Wisconsin as well; however, the family would eventually move to Wyoming.
Dick Cheney, Liz’ father, had campaigned for political office in Wyoming, and, as a result, the family split its time between Casper, Wyoming and Washington, D.C. Dick Cheney was a Congressman, so the family traveled often due to his job. However, as the girls grew older, their mother tended to keep them in Wyoming more often.
Liz graduated from McLean High School in 1984. She would then enroll at Colorado College, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Liz chose Colorado College as her mother Lynne had also studied there.
Liz would later decide to attend the University of Chicago Law School, where she would pursue a Juris Doctor degree. During her time at the University of Chicago, she would also take classes in Middle Eastern history.
Personal Life
Liz Cheney is married to Philip Perry, who is also an attorney. He is a partner with the Latham and Watkins firm in Wyoming. The pair married in 1993. Together, the couple have five children – Richard, Philip, Grace, Kate, and Elizabeth.
Age, Height, and Weight
Liz Cheney is 56 years old. She is 5’3″, and she weighs approximately 124 lbs.
Net Worth
Liz Cheney is reported to have a net worth of $7 million.
When Liz graduated from the University of Chicago School of Law, she worked for five years in the State Department of the United States Government. Then, she worked at the United States Agency of International Development. With these types of jobs, Cheney is likely to have amassed some pension wealth that accounts for part of her current net worth.
She left the governmental jobs listed previously to become a consultant for Armitage Associates. However, when President George W. Bush was in office, she worked as an Assistant Secretary of State in one of the foreign affairs offices. She would remain in this position until she decided to run for office in Wyoming.
It is likely that in addition to being paid well in these governmental jobs, Cheney also garnered some wealth from her husband’s position as a successful attorney as well. Philip has worked as an associate general for the Department of Justice and for the Office of Management and Budget. Today, he is a partner at his law firm.
Career Outside of Politics
Liz has chiefly followed in her father’s footsteps in the political realm. There is very little Cheney has done in the private sector. She worked as a consultant for Armitage Associates, but most of her career has been spent in some form of public service.
Career in Politics
Liz’ father, Dick Cheney, became the Vice-President in 2001. Liz would be appointed to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs in 2002. This position was vacant at the time Cheney was appointed to the job; the job carried with it an “economic portfolio.” This meant that part of Cheney’s job was to “promote investment” in the area.
There were reports that the job was created for Ms. Cheney, but, a State Department official said that Colin Powell, who was the Secretary of State for the George W. Bush Administration at the time of Cheney’s appointment, recommended Dick Cheney’s daughter for the job. This statement followed the publication of an op-ed piece written by Paul Krugman in The New York Times.
Other news outlets would follow with suspicion as to how Liz Cheney came to obtain the position. One paper said that Cheney’s nomination to the position was “the most intriguing sign that America was getting serious about Middle East reform.” Cheney was appointed to the position shortly after published policies show a division between Dick Cheney’s office and the State Department where Middle Eastern policy was concerned.
Liz’ appointment to the position gave her power over the Middle East Partnership Initiative. The position chiefly had to do with economic growth in the region. In 2002, Cheney’s first year at the helm of the program, the Initiative spent $29 million; however, in 2003, the program would increase spending up to $129 million. As a part of her responsibilities, Cheney was tasked with funneling some of this spending to prescreened groups. By 2004, Cheney’s third year over the program, the budget was increased to $145 million.
Liz Cheney would leave her appointed position in 2004 to work for George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign. Cheney spent most of her energy working with the “W is for Women” initiative. The goal of the group was to garner female voter support for the Bush-Cheney campaign.
George W. Bush would be re-elected to the presidency in November 2004.
In 2004, Cheney would return to work for the Bush-Cheney Administration in much the same position she had before. Now she would be the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Her job also included being a coordinator for initiatives in both the Middle East and North Africa as well as her “Near East” duties. Her chief responsibility with this position was not to funnel money to prescreened groups, but to support democracy in those areas as well as promote education and provide economic opportunities for those areas in the world.
Part of Cheney’s duties included the oversight of the Fund of the Future and the Foundation of the Future. Both of these entities were set up to offer funding for small businesses as well as support democratic efforts in those areas of the world. Cheney assisted in the establishment of an Iraqi constitution.
While Cheney was still a part of the Near East Affairs when she assumed responsibility for the ISOG (the Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group). ISOG was a program under the State Department, monitored by Cheney’s Bureau.
The ISOG came under great scrutiny, particularly where Cheney’s work with Iran was concerned. Media outlets published articles which criticized the International Republican Institute. Newspapers such as The New York Times questioned whether the work Cheney was doing could lead to a war with Middles Eastern states such as Iran and Syria. Shortly after, the Iran Syria Policy and Operations organization was disbanded, but not before Condoleeza Rice worked to stabilize relations in Iraq, Iran, and Syria.
By 2007, Cheney had decided to work on Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign. Thompson was a former Congressman and an actor. He was also a conservative who was a regular on the Fox News Network. Cheney was a co-chairman of his campaign. However, Thompson would eventually leave the presidential race in 2008. Soon after, Liz Cheney decided to work as a senior foreign policy advisor for the eventual Republican nominee for the 2012 presidential election, Mitt Romney.
Romney also dropped out of the race; John McCain would be the Republican nominee in 2008.
By 2009, Cheney was working as one of the board members of a non-profit group, Keep America Safe. This group was meant to provide information to the American public regarding national security. Conservative attorneys criticized the establishment of the organization, particularly after the group brought to light information regarding “The Al Qaeda Seven,” who were a group of attorneys hired to work as a part of the Obama Administration. Prior to their employment in this area, the group were defense attorneys for detainees being held at Gitmo.
For several years, Cheney was out of public spotlight. In 2012, she began appearing on Fox News as a contributor. This employment ended in 2013 when she decided to run for a Wyoming Senate seat. However, Cheney would eventually withdraw from the campaign.
In 2016, Cheney would announce her intention to run for a United States Representative seat in Wyoming. She won the seat with about sixty percent of the vote. She was re-elected in 2018.
