Mary Cheney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Cheney
|
|
|---|---|
Cheney at President George W. Bush's second inauguration, January 20, 2005
|
|
| Born |
Mary Claire Cheney
March 14, 1969 Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
|
| Education | Colorado College (BA) University of Denver (MBA) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Heather Poe
(m. 2012) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Dick Cheney Lynne Cheney |
| Relatives | Liz Cheney (sister) |
Mary Claire Cheney (born March 14, 1969) is the younger daughter of Dick Cheney and Lynne Cheney. Her father was the 46th vice president of the United States. Mary Cheney has worked with several political groups. She married Heather Poe in 2012. She also supported same-sex marriage in a legal case in 2013.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mary Cheney was born in Madison, Wisconsin. She went to McLean High School in McLean, Virginia. She finished high school in 1987. After that, she attended Colorado College and graduated in 1991. In 2002, she earned a business degree from the University of Denver.
Career Highlights
In 1993, Mary Cheney was one of the first people to work for the Colorado Rockies baseball team. She helped with promotions when the team started playing in Denver. Later, she worked in public relations for the Coors Brewing Company. She also worked to improve relations between the company and the gay community.
She was a key helper and trusted advisor for her father's political campaigns. In July 2003, she became the Director of Vice Presidential Operations for the Bush re-election campaign in 2004. After that, Cheney was a vice president at AOL until 2007.
Family Life
Mary Cheney and Heather Poe have been together since 1992. Cheney has spoken in favor of marriage equality. She is also believed to have encouraged her father's support for it. He has publicly supported marriage equality since leaving his role as vice president.
In December 2006, news reported that Mary Cheney was expecting a baby. She and Poe were very happy about it. Her parents, Dick and Lynne Cheney, were also excited to welcome their sixth grandchild. Mary Cheney gave birth to her first child, Samuel, in May 2007.
In January 2007, Mary Cheney spoke about her child. She said, "This is a baby... This is a blessing from God. It is not a political statement." She also stated that "what matters is being raised in a stable, loving environment."
Cheney gave birth to her second child, Sarah, on November 18, 2009. Cheney and Poe were married on June 22, 2012, in Washington, D.C.. Their family lives in Great Falls, Virginia.
Family Discussions
In 2013, Mary Cheney's older sister, Liz, was running for a Senate seat. Liz said in an interview that she did not support same-sex marriage. Mary Cheney disagreed with her sister's comments. She wrote online, "Either you think all families should be treated equally or you don't." Mary said she would not support her sister's campaign.
Heather Poe, Mary's wife, also wrote online about the situation. She said Liz had visited their home and spent holidays with their children. Heather felt it was "offensive" that Liz now said she did not support their right to marry.
In 2015, Mary Cheney did not say if she and her sister had fixed their relationship. However, in 2021, Liz Cheney shared that they had made up. Liz admitted to Mary that she had been wrong about her views on marriage equality.
Political Involvement
Mary Cheney has been involved in politics for many years.
Campaign Work
During the 2000 presidential campaign, Mary Cheney's private life was not discussed by the campaign. However, her presence was seen as helping the Republican ticket. In 2002, Mary Cheney joined a group called the Republican Unity Coalition. She said that a person's sexual orientation should not be an issue for the Republican Party. She later left the group to work on the 2004 Bush-Cheney re-election campaign.
Marriage Equality Debate
In 2004, the Bush administration supported a proposed change to the United States Constitution. This change would have limited marriage to heterosexual couples. Mary Cheney did not speak publicly about her opinion on this at the time. In her 2006 book, Now It's My Turn, Cheney stated she was against the proposed change. She had remained silent earlier to support Bush's re-election.
During the 2004 presidential debates, Mary Cheney's role was mentioned. Democratic candidates John Kerry and John Edwards spoke about her openness regarding her personal life. In a debate, Vice President Dick Cheney was asked about his administration's support for the marriage amendment. He said the issue should be decided by individual states. He also noted that he supported President Bush's policies.
John Edwards praised Dick Cheney and his wife for loving their daughter. He said they were willing to talk about having a gay daughter. Dick Cheney thanked Edwards for his kind words about his family. At the end of the debate, Mary Cheney appeared on stage with her wife and the rest of her family.
In another debate, John Kerry said that Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, would say she was born that way. Dick Cheney responded that Kerry would "say and do anything in order to get elected." He added that he was "a pretty angry father."
Recent Political Work
In 2010, Mary Cheney became involved with several political groups. She was a member of BKM Strategies, a consulting firm. In 2010, Cheney and two other consultants started two nonprofit groups. They also created a Super PAC, which is a type of political action committee.
In 2014, Cheney's consulting firm, BKM Strategies, was involved in a campaign supporting the Keystone XL pipeline. Many comments sent to the U.S. State Department supporting the pipeline came from individuals linked to BKM Strategies.
Autobiography
Mary Cheney stayed out of the public eye after the 2004 election. On May 4, 2006, she was interviewed by Diane Sawyer for ABC News to promote her book, Now It's My Turn. In the book, published in 2006, Cheney talks about telling her parents about her life. She shared her father's first reaction: "You know, look, you're my daughter and I love you and I just want you to be happy." She also wrote about her relationship with Heather Poe.
Some people who support gay rights criticized her. They felt she waited too long after the 2004 election to speak out against the Bush administration's views on gay rights. When she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman in May 2006, David Letterman asked her about this. Cheney said she did not have input with the Bush administration on these issues. She added that it was not her job to do so.
Film Portrayal
Actress Alison Pill played Mary Cheney in the 2018 film Vice. This movie was about Dick Cheney's life. In the film, Mary's personal life is shown as a reason her father did not run for president. The movie suggests he wanted to protect her from attacks by political opponents. Neither Dick nor Mary Cheney commented on how accurate these parts of the film were.
