Bob Dole, ex-Kansas senator, presidential candidate, dies at 98

Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Former U.S. senator and Republican presidential and vice presidential candidate Bob Dole died on Sunday. He was 98 years old.

The Elizabeth Dole Foundation, named after his wife, announced that Dole died in his sleep early Sunday morning. A cause of death was not immediately revealed.

"At his death, at age 98, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years," the statement read.

In February, Dole announced that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and would undergo treatment.

Born Robert Joseph Dole in Russell, Kansas on July 23, his political career began in 1951 when he served in the House of Representatives in his home state of Kansas until 1953 before serving as a prosecutor in Russell County.

Dole served in the U.S. House as a representative from Kansas between 1961 and 1969.

He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1968 and represented Kansas in the Senate for 27 years, the last 11 as the Republican leader.

In 1976, Dole was the vice presidential nominee on the Republican ticket with incumbent President Gerald Ford. They ultimately lost in the general election to Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale.

He resigned from the Senate in 1996 to make a bid for president winning the Republican nomination but he received 159 of 538 Electoral College votes and 41% of the popular vote in the general election ultimately losing to incumbent President Bill Clinton.

Dole served in the U.S. Army during World War II and survived serious injuries in battle in Italy. He earned two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars for valor during his service.

Following his run for president Dole began serving as special counsel with the law firm Alston and Bird in Washington and was appointed by then-President George W. Bush to co-head a bipartisan commission that delivered suggestions on improving the military's health care system in 2008.

He was a vocal advocate for men's health issues including prostate exams since he underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 1991.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Clinton in 1997 and received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2018.