Former U.S. Presidential Candidate and Republican Giant Bob Dole Passes Away

▲Former Republican Senator Bob Dole [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Bob Dole, a prominent politician and former Republican presidential candidate, passed away on the 5th (local time) at the age of 98.

According to CNN, CNBC, and others on the day, Dole publicly revealed in February that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.

Dole was born in Kansas in 1923. During World War II, Dole, who dreamed of becoming a doctor, registered as a reservist in 1942 and was called to active duty the following year.

In 1945, while trying to move a fellow soldier to a safe place in Italy, his right arm was permanently disabled, and his left arm was severely injured to the point of minimal functionality. He narrowly survived and received hospital treatment for over three years.

Because of this experience, Dole was regarded as a symbolic figure for World War II veterans. After retiring from politics, he devoted great attention to veteran and war casualty memorial projects.

Dole entered politics in 1951 as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives. From 1961, he served four terms as a federal House representative. He also served as a U.S. Senator representing Kansas from 1969 to 1996.

From 1985 to 1996, he served as the Republican Senate Majority Leader, pushing forward major legislation such as Social Security reform and the Americans with Disabilities Act, earning recognition for his negotiation skills that fostered bipartisan cooperation. He was also remembered for his humor and wit in the often harsh political arena.

While serving as the Republican Majority Leader in 1993, when the first North Korean nuclear crisis occurred during the Bill Clinton administration, he criticized the administration's negotiation strategy toward North Korea and took a hardline stance that economic aid should not be given to North Korea until it confirmed it had no nuclear weapons and halted its nuclear program.

However, luck did not favor him in presidential elections. He failed to pass the Republican primary threshold in 1980 and 1988, and although he became the Republican presidential candidate in 1996, he was defeated by then-Democratic President Bill Clinton, who was seeking re-election. Earlier, in 1976, he was Gerald Ford’s vice-presidential running mate but also faced defeat.

President Joe Biden, who served alongside Dole in the Senate for 24 years, showed bipartisan friendship by visiting him after news of Dole’s lung cancer diagnosis became known in February.