Lynne V. Cheney

En Español

Lynne V. Cheney, wife of Vice President Richard B. Cheney, has loved history for as long as she can remember, and she has spent much of her professional life writing and speaking about the importance of knowing history and teaching it well.

As chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 1986 to 1993, she published American Memory, a report that warned about the failure of schools to transmit knowledge of the past to upcoming generations. "A system of education that fails to nurture memory of the past denies its students a great deal," Mrs. Cheney wrote: "the satisfactions of mature thought, an attachment to abiding concerns, a perspective on human existence." Currently, as a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, she particularly emphasizes the value of knowing our nation's history. "One of the important lessons we can learn is that freedom isn't inevitable," she says. "This realization should make the liberty we enjoy all the more important to us, all the more worth defending."

Mrs. Cheney recently announced a new initiative to encourage historical knowledge. In April 2003, she launched the James Madison Book Award Fund, which will present a yearly award of $10,000 to the book that best represents excellence in bringing knowledge and understanding of American history to young people. The inaugural award will be presented July 1, 2003.

Mrs. Cheney has written articles about history for numerous publications on topics ranging from woman suffrage in the West and the way Americans celebrated the country's centennial to more tongue-in-cheek assessments, such as the impact of technological advances like air conditioning, the Xerox machine, and the paper shredder on life in Washington, D. C. She was a member of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution and, more recently, served on Texas Governor George W. Bush's education team. She was part of a group that revised Texas standards for the study of history.

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She is author or co-author of six books, including Kings of the Hill (second edition, 1996), a book about figures from Henry Clay to Sam Rayburn who played powerful roles in the House of Representatives. She wrote this book with her husband, who was a Congressman from Wyoming from 1979 to 1989. Mrs. Cheney's 1995, Telling the Truth) (Simon & Schuster, paperback, 1996), analyzed the effect of postmodernism on study in the humanities.

Mrs. Cheney’s most recent book is America: A Patriotic Primer, an alphabet book for children of all ages and their families. The book, released May 21, 2002, celebrates the ideas and ideals that are the foundations of our country. Mrs. Cheney is presently at her work on a second children's book on American history, A Is for Abigail Adams, to be published this fall. Mrs. Cheney's net proceeds from both children's books are being donated to charity.

Mrs. Cheney currently serves as a director of the Reader's Digest Association.

Mrs. Cheney earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors from Colorado College, her Master of Arts from the University of Colorado, and her Ph.D. with a specialization in 19th century British literature from the University of Wisconsin. She is the recipient of awards and honorary degrees from numerous colleges and universities.

Vice President and Mrs. Cheney were married in 1964. They have two grown daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, and three grandchildren, Kate, Elizabeth, and Grace.

Family
Married to Vice President Richard B. Cheney

Daughters
Grown daughters Elizabeth and Mary

College
Colorado College, bachelor's degree in English with highest honors

Graduate School
University of Colorado, Master of Arts

University of Wisconsin, Ph.D.

Career and Public Service
	Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities
	Author and columnist
	Co-host of Crossfire Sunday
	Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
Events
	Constitution Day: Celebrating American History
Selected Remarks
	"Constitution Day" - Fairfax County (VA) Public Library, Sept. 17, 2002
	“Why History Shouldn't Be a Mystery” – National Press Club, July 2, 2002
	“Service: An Enduring American Strength”-- Volunteerism Awards, New York City, April 24, 2002
	“Teaching for Freedom” – Princeton University, Nov. 29, 2001
	“Women and the West” -- National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, Fort Worth, Texas, Nov. 2, 2001
	“Teaching Our Children About America” – Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, Dallas, Texas, Oct. 5, 2001