Lynne Cheney's American History

Lynne Cheney may be best known for being the wife of Vice President, Dick Cheney, but there is so much more to her than that! Lynne Ann Vincent Cheney was born on August 14, 1941 in Casper, Wyoming to Wayne Vincent, an engineer, and Edna Lybyer, a deputy sheriff. Few know that Mrs. Cheney is very educated. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado College, her Master of Arts degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Ph.D in British Literature from the University of Wisconsin. She has also received a number of awards and honorary degrees from numerous other colleges and universities.

Cheney married the Vice President in 1964. Two years later, they had a daughter, Elizabeth, and three years after that, another daughter, Mary was born. The Cheney's have six grandchildren, Samuel, Kate, Elizabeth, Grace, Philip, and Richard.

Mrs. Cheney's love of history has been a strong force that has guided her career. From 1986-1993, Cheney served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. During that time she published a report that warned about the failure of schools to teach history. The report stated that,

"A system of education that fails to nurture memory of the past denies its students a great deal: the satisfactions of mature thought, an attachment to abiding concerns, a perspective on human existence."

She also served as a member of the Commission of the Bicentennial of the Constitution and served on George W. Bush's education team when he was the Governor of Texas, revising Texas standards for studying history. She also founded the American Council of Trustees and Alumni in an effort to reform higher education in America.

The desire to teach children more about history is perhaps what led Mrs. Cheney to write six best-selling books about American history for children including America: A Patriotic Primer (2002), A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women (2003), When Washington Crossed the Delaware: A Wintertime Story for Young Patriots (2004), A Time for Freedom: What Happened When in America (2005), Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America (2006), and We the People: The Story of Our Constitution (2008). Mrs. Cheney donated some of the proceeds from the books to charity but also established the James Madison Book Award in an effort to encourage historical knowledge. The award is given each year to an author who "represents excellence in bringing knowledge and understanding of American history to young people."

But Mrs. Cheney writes more than children's books. Throughout her life, she has written numerous articles on topics such as woman suffrage in the West to the way Americans celebrated the country's centennial for several popular publications. She has also written and co-written several other books including both fiction and non-fiction on the subjects of politics and history, and a memoir.

Mrs. Cheney's expansive career hasn't just center on writing. She served as co-host of the CNN program "Cross-fire" from 1995 to 1998. From 1994-2001, she served on Lockheed Corporation's Board of Directors. In 2000, her name was tossed around as potential running mate for President George W. Bush, losing the honor to her husband. Cheney has talked about running for the Senate in her home state of Wyoming but has yet to do so. She currently serves as a senior fellow in education and culture at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.