Biography
Elizabeth Lynne "Liz" Cheney Perry served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Wyoming's at-large congressional district from 2017-2023. She is the first woman elected to a House seat previously held by her father. Dick Cheney, the 46th vice president of the United States, held the seat from 1979 to 1989. One of the ten Republican House members who voted to impeach President Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Cheney was defeated in her primary in 2022.
Cheney was born July 28, 1966, in Madison, Wisconsin. She received her bachelor's degree from Colorado College in 1988 and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1996. Before attending law school, she worked for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development. She then worked at Armitage Associates LLP, the consulting firm founded by Richard Armitage, a former Defense Department official and Iran-Contra operative who later served as deputy secretary of state. After law school, Cheney practiced law in the private sector. She has also served as special assistant to the deputy secretary of state for assistance to the former Soviet Union and as a USAID officer in U.S. embassies in Budapest and Warsaw.
In 2002, Cheney was appointed deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs. She left that position in 2003 to serve in her father's vice presidential re-election campaign. In February 2005, she was appointed principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs and coordinator for broader Middle East and North Africa initiatives at the State Department. She also headed the Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group (ISOG), a unit within the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. In 2007, Cheney served as co-chair for Fred Thompson's 2008 presidential campaign and then in 2008, she served as senior foreign policy advisor for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. From 2009 to 2013, she was the chairman of the non-profit organization Keep America Safe. She is also the co-founder of the non-profit organization Alliance for a Strong America. From January 2012 to July 2013, Cheney was a contributor for Fox News, losing that position when she announced her intention run for the Senate in Wyoming. She withdrew from the race in January 2014.
In July 2021, Cheney was appointed to serve on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, serving through January 2023. She is currently a professor of practice at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
For information on Cheney's policy subject areas, committee appointments and sponsored/co-sponsored legislation during her in the U.S. House of Representatives, please visit her profile on https://www.congress.gov.
Sources:
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2022, August 17). "Liz Cheney" Britannica. Retrieved September 26, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Liz-Cheney
Congresswoman Liz Cheney (n.d.) "Biography" Congresswoman Liz Cheney. Retrieved September 26, 2022. https://cheney.house.gov/biography
Speeches
- Eulogy at the Funeral of Vice President Dick Cheney - Nov. 20, 2025
- Introducing Kamala Harris at Ripon, Wisconsin - October 3, 2024
- Colorado College Commencement Address - May 28, 2023
- Opening Statement at the Tenth Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – Dec. 19, 2022
- Opening Statement at the Ninth Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – Oct. 13, 2022
- Concession Speech - Aug. 16, 2022
- Closing Statement at the Eighth Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – July 21, 2022
- Opening Statement at the Eighth Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – July 21, 2022
- Closing Statement at the Seventh Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – July 12, 2022
- Opening Statement at the Seventh Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – July 12, 2022
- A Time For Choosing - June 29, 2022
- Opening Remarks at the Sixth Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – June 28, 2022
- Opening Remarks at the Fifth Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – June 23, 2022
- Opening Remarks at the Fourth Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – June 21, 2022
- Opening Remarks at the Third Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – June 16, 2022
- Opening Statement at the Second Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – June 13, 2022
- Opening Statement at the First Public Hearing of the January 6th Select Committee – June 9, 2022
- Remarks at the 2022 Profile In Courage Award Ceremony - May 22, 2022
- Remarks At Loeb School First Amendment Event - Nov. 9, 2021
- House Floor Speech - May 11, 2021
- CPAC - February 18, 2010