Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and lawyer. Dole was the United States Senator from Kansas between 1969 and 1996. He was a member of the Republican Party. He was the Republican Leader of the United States Senate from 1985 until 1996. Before Dole's Senate career, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969. Dole was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 1976 election and for President in the 1996 election.