Cheneys to Visit UW Feb. 17 for Discussion, Book Signing

Lynne Cheney and her husband, former Vice President Dick Cheney, will visit the University of Wyoming Tuesday, Feb. 17, for a public discussion and book signing in conjunction with her new book, “James Madison: A Life Reconsidered.”

The public discussion is scheduled at 4 p.m. in the Event Center of the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center, followed by a book signing in the McMurry Foundation UW Legacy Hall. Both events are free and open to the public.

A senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Lynne Cheney has been studying the nation’s fourth president since 1987, when she was a member of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution. She spent the past five years immersed in archival materials and uncovering new aspects of Madison’s story.

The book, released earlier this year, is described by Publishers Weekly as “a meticulously researched, richly detailed look at the life and times of Madison,” the intellectual power behind the Constitution and its ratification.

Similar discussions and book signings involving Lynne and Dick Cheney have taken place this year at locations including the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, the Richard Nixon Foundation Library in Yorba Linda, Calif., and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation in Simi Valley, Calif.

Lynne Cheney, who grew up in Casper, holds a Ph.D. with a specialization in 19th century British literature from the University of Wisconsin. She is the author or co-author of 12 books, including six bestsellers about American history for children and their families. She received the University of Wyoming’s highest honor, an honorary doctoral degree, in 1993.

She and Dick Cheney -- the former Wyoming congressman whose career in public service was capped by two terms as U.S. vice president under President George W. Bush -- have supported UW with gifts, matched by the state of Wyoming, totaling $6.4 million. That includes a $3.4 million endowment to fund study abroad scholarships and fellowships. UW’s Cheney International Center is named in their honor.

To date, more than 1,100 UW students have benefited from Cheney grants and fellowships, with more than $1 million awarded since 2008 to graduate and undergraduate students studying, doing research and interning abroad.

The Cheneys’ visit to UW will include a private lunch with Cheney scholarship recipients.

The visit is sponsored by the UW Global and Area Studies Program, International Programs Office, Office of the President and the UW Foundation. For more information, contact the Global and Area Studies Program at (307) 766-3415 or mhoferm1@uwyo.edu.