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A timeline of iconic Kansan Bob Dole’s life of public service

Bob Dole shakes hands with supporters after voting in Russell, Kan. in 1996.

Former senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole died Sunday at the age of 98.

His life and legacy are marked by decades of public service, which began when he enlisted as a soldier in World War II, and continued through his time in the Kansas House of Representatives, the U.S. House and the Senate. He eventually won the Republican nominee for president before losing the presidency to Bill Clinton in 1996.

Here’s a look at the timeline of the iconic Kansan’s life:

July 22, 1923: Robert Joseph Dole is born to Bina and Doran Dole in Russell, Kansas.

1941-1943: Dole attends the University of Kansas.

June 1943: Called to active duty in U.S. Army, Dole receives training at several bases and is eventually commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant.

April 14, 1945: Dole is hit by German fire trying to lead members of the 10th Mountain Division to retake Hill 913 in northern Italy. He is badly wounded, with damage to his right arm, vertebra trauma and partial paralysis. He later earns two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star with two clusters for his gallantry.

June 1945: Dole is shipped home in body cast to Topeka’s Army Hospital, where his condition at times becomes life-threatening.

November 1945: The wounded soldier leaves Topeka army hospital and faces more than two years of treatment and therapy at Percy Jones Army Medical Center in Battle Creek, Mich., where he regains use of his legs and left arm.

June 1947: Dole undergoes a major operation that improves his right arm but doesn’t restore much function.

June 1948: Dole marries Phyllis Holden of New Hampshire, an occupational therapist at Percy Jones.

1950 - 1952: Dole attends the University of Arizona and Washburn Municipal University.

1950: While studying law at Washburn in Topeka, Dole is elected to the Kansas House of Representatives.

1952: After passing the Kansas bar, Dole begins practicing law in Russell and is elected Russell County attorney.

Oct. 18, 1954: Dole and his wife welcome their daughter and only child, Robin.

November 1960: Dole is first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas’s 6th district (later 1st District).

November 1968: Dole succeeds retiring Sen. Frank Carlson after winning 60% of the Kansas vote.

April 14, 1969: The senator delivers his maiden speech on the floor of the Senate, speaking about the status of disabled Americans and government efforts to assist them. Dole delivers the annual speech on disabilities on this date thereafter.

January 1971: Dole becomes chairman of the Republican National Committee, although he’s never a favorite of the Nixon White House.

January 1972: Phyllis Holden and Dole divorce.

January 1973: Dole is replaced at the Republican National Convention by then-U.N. Ambassador George H.W. Bush.

November 1974: Wounded by his association with Nixon, who resigned after the Watergate scandal, Dole barely wins re-election in a tough fight against Democratic Rep. Bill Roy.

Dec. 6, 1975: Dole marries Elizabeth Hanford, of Salisbury, N.C., a member of the Federal Trade Commission.

Aug. 19, 1976: President Gerald Ford asks Dole to be his vice-presidential candidate at GOP convention in Kansas City.

Nov. 2, 1976: The Ford-Dole ticket loses to Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale.

May 17, 1979: Dole begins what will be a quickly smothered presidential campaign that leaves Ronald Reagan as the GOP nominee.

January 1981: Dole assumes Finance Committee chairmanship after Reagan’s coattails carry the Republicans to a Senate majority.

1983: Dole leads in the reform of the Social Security system.

Nov. 29, 1984: On his fourth ballot, Dole is elected Senate majority leader.

Nov. 4, 1986: The GOP loses the Senate majority, dropping Dole to minority leader.

1988: Dole wins the Iowa caucuses in his second White House bid, but loses the New Hampshire primary to Vice President George H.W. Bush, who goes on to win the presidency.

December 1991: Dole undergoes surgery to remove a cancerous prostate gland.

November 1994: A Republican landslide gives Dole Senate the majority leader post again.

April 10, 1995: Dole officially declares his third presidential candidacy; he goes on to beat eight other candidates in the bid to run against incumbent President Bill Clinton.

May 15, 1996: After securing the GOP nomination at the age of 73, Dole resigns his Senate seat.

Aug. 9, 1996: Dole chooses supply-side economics advocate Jack Kemp as his running mate.

Nov. 5, 1996: - After winning 41% of the popular vote and carrying 19 states, Dole is defeated by Clinton.

January 1997: Dole begins humorous appearances in TV ads, highlighted by Super Bowl commercials for Visa and Pepsi.

March 1997: Dole takes on a leadership role in fundraising for the World War II Memorial to be constructed on the National Mall.

May 1997: Dole joins the powerful D.C. law and lobbying firm, Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard and Hand.

January 1998: The former presidential hopeful makes his Kansas “Thank You” tour.

May 1998: The Federal courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas is named for the former senator; Also, Dole, a prostate cancer survivor, reveals to Larry King that he was one of first to use Viagra.

March 1999: Dole serves as the Clinton administration’s envoy to the Balkans in an attempt to break an impasse between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians.

January 2003: Elizabeth is sworn in to the U.S. Senate after a November victory in North Carolina. Dole Assumes a new role in Washington: spouse of a U.S. senator.

February 2003: Dole joins new law firm, Atlanta’s Alston & Bird, which has offices in North Carolina.

March 2003: Dole begins joining former President Bill Clinton in regular face-offs on “60 Minutes.

July 2003: The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas is dedicated in Lawrence, with Dole present.

May 2004: Dole attends the dedication of the National World War II Memorial, which he played a significant role in raising funds for.

2011: Dole’s efforts are honored with the unveiling of a small bronze plaque at the memorial.

2012: Despite an attempt by Dole to sway his former colleagues, a majority of Republicans in the Senate opposed a United Nations treaty on disability rights.

July 2016: Dole is the only former Republican nominee for president to attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland where Donald Trump accepts the nomination for president.

January 2018: Dole is awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, its highest civilian honor, after Congress recognizes his decades of public service.

2020: Dole provides crucial support to Kansas Republican Roger Marshall’s 2020 Senate campaign.

February 2021: Dole announces that he has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer.

Dec. 5, 2021: Dole died in his sleep at the age of 98, family says.