Robert Joseph Dole, a Republican politician and World War II veteran, has died of lung cancer at the age of 98. Dole was the Republican nominee in the 1996 United States Presidential elections but lost to opponent Bill Clinton. Born on July 22, 1923, in Russell, Kansas, Dole enrolled at the University of Kansas in 1942, where he played for the basketball team, the track team, and the football team. He enlisted in the United States Army during World War II, becoming a second lieutenant in the 10th Mountain Division.Robert Dole, GOP's former presidential nominee and Senate leader, dies at 98 In April 1945, he was seriously wounded during combat near Castel d'Aiano in Italy, by a German shell that shattered his collarbone and part of his spine. I lay face down in the dirt, Dole would recall later. I could not see or move my arms. I thought they were missing.Dole attended the University of Arizona from 1948 to 1949, and graduated with both undergraduate and law degrees in 1952 from Washburn University. Edward Shames, last remaining member of World War II's 'Band of Brothers,' dies Dole was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1950. During his two-year term, Dole served on the Assessment and Taxation, Gas and Oil, Military Affairs and Soldiers Compensation committees. In 1960, Dole was elected to the United States House of Representatives and served two Kansas districts from 1961 to 1969, voting in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1969, Dole was elected to the US Senate and served until 1996 as Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chairman of the Finance Committee, Senate Minority Leader, and Senate Majority Leader. Dole was a key figure in the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. After his appointment as Majority Leader, Dole set the record as the nation’s longest-serving Republican Leader in the Senate. President Ronald Reagan awarded Dole the Presidential Citizens Medal in 1989. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1997 by President Clinton.