Following a presidential proclamation from President Joseph Biden recognizing Robert Joseph Dole, a World War II veteran who recovered from near-fatal wounds to become the U.S. Senate Republican leader and a three-time presidential candidate, the United States flags and the Alaska state flags be flown at half-staff from December 5 – 9, 2021.
Dole passed away on Sunday, December 5th, at the age of 98. He represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996, where he was the longest-serving Republican leader in history, including three years as Senate Majority Leader. In 1996, Dole was the Presidential nominee for the Republican Party but lost the election to Bill Clinton. He was the vice-presidential nominee in the 1976 election but Gerald Ford lost the election to Jimmy Carter. On January 17, 2018, Dole was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth Dole, former U.S. Senator of North Carolina. Read the proclamation here.
