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Obituaries

Gallery

Remembering Bob Dole, 1923-2021

Stars and Stripes •
Senator Dole speaking to the Senate; June 1992

Senator Dole speaking to the Senate; June 1992 (Courtesy of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive & Special Collections, University of Kansas)

Throughout his long public career, Bob Dole championed veterans’ issues and was a driving force behind construction of the World War II Memorial, where he spent his final years greeting fellow veterans.

Dole died Sunday at age 98.

“It is with heavy hearts we announce that Senator Robert Joseph Dole died early this morning in his sleep,” according to a statement from the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. “At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years.”

The plaque honoring former Sen. Bob Dole, a World War II veteran, at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The plaque honoring former Sen. Bob Dole, a World War II veteran, at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Astrid Riecken)

Bob Dole in 1928.

Bob Dole in 1928. (Courtesy of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives)

Bob Dole with his siblings in 1930.

Bob Dole with his siblings in 1930. (Courtesy of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives)

Bob Dole, third from right, and fellow Army trainees at the Empire State Building in 1943.

Bob Dole, third from right, and fellow Army trainees at the Empire State Building in 1943. (Courtesy of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives)

Bob Dole as a young soldier in an undated photo.

Bob Dole as a young soldier in an undated photo. (Courtesy of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives)

Congressman Bob Dole with four Air Force cadets at the Air Force Academy in an undated photo.

Congressman Bob Dole with four Air Force cadets at the Air Force Academy in an undated photo. (Courtesy of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives)

Bob Dole with two veterans in the 1960s.

Bob Dole with two veterans in the 1960s. (Courtesy of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives)

Bob Dole talks with Kansas farmers in 1974.

Bob Dole talks with Kansas farmers in 1974. (Courtesy of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives)

Bob and Elizabeth Dole dance at their wedding reception on Dec. 6, 1975 in Washington, D.C.

Bob and Elizabeth Dole dance at their wedding reception on Dec. 6, 1975 in Washington, D.C. (Courtesy of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives)

Elizabeth and Bob Dole at a Ford-Dole presidential rally in Clinton County, Ohio, on Sept. 29, 1976.

Elizabeth and Bob Dole at a Ford-Dole presidential rally in Clinton County, Ohio, on Sept. 29, 1976. (Courtesy of the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives)

President Bill Clinton and his opponent in the previous year's election, former Sen. Bob Dole, meet American servicemembers at Eagle Base, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Dec. 22, 1997.

President Bill Clinton and his opponent in the previous year's election, former Sen. Bob Dole, meet American servicemembers at Eagle Base, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on Dec. 22, 1997. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., meets with Honor Flight participants at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2007.

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., meets with Honor Flight participants at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2007. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)

Former U.S. Senator and World War II veteran Bob Dole speaks at the dedication of the World War II Memorial on May 29, 2004, in Washington.

Former U.S. Senator and World War II veteran Bob Dole speaks at the dedication of the World War II Memorial on May 29, 2004, in Washington. (George Bridges/KRT)

United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, left, Vice president Joseph Biden, third from right, Senator Pat Roberts, second from right, Donna Edna Shalala, former Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton, right, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, third from left, applaud former Sen. Bob Dole, a World War II veteran, at an Interior Department ceremony to dedicate a plaque honoring him at the World War II Memorial on April 12, 2011.

United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, left, Vice president Joseph Biden, third from right, Senator Pat Roberts, second from right, Donna Edna Shalala, former Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bill Clinton, right, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, third from left, applaud former Sen. Bob Dole, a World War II veteran, at an Interior Department ceremony to dedicate a plaque honoring him at the World War II Memorial on April 12, 2011. (Astrid Riecken)

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., visits with veterans at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2012.

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., visits with veterans at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2012. (Meredith Tibbetts/Stars and Stripes)

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and his wife, Elizabeth, at a ceremony at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in May, 2014.

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and his wife, Elizabeth, at a ceremony at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in May, 2014. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., at a Veterans Day ceremony at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2016.

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., at a Veterans Day ceremony at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2016. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., meets with Honor Flight participants at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2007.

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., meets with Honor Flight participants at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2007. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., at a Senate hearing in January 2017.

Former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., at a Senate hearing in January 2017. (Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes)

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