Bob Dole, former U.S. senator and presidential candidate, has died. He was 98 years old.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole was remembered Sunday as the elder statesman of Kansas Republican politics, 1996 GOP nominee for president, American hero and the rock of his family.

Dole died peacefully in his sleep Sunday morning at 98 years old, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation announced. Dole was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer in February.

In a statement, Dole's family said they were appreciative of the outpouring of support in the wake of his passing, which included national and state political leaders alike.

"America has lost one of its heroes; our family has lost its rock. We will smile as we recall his gifted sense of humor. We will take comfort from the extraordinary moments of our lifetimes together.

A World War II veteran, Dole earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for valor after he and his unit came under heavy artillery and aerial fire in the Italian countryside. The injuries sustained during the conflict permanently affected his right arm, granting him limited movement and causing him to hold a pencil or pen during campaign stops to deter eager constituents from attempting to shake his hand.

More: Bob Dole's constant pen in hand a reminder of World War II wounds

His advocacy for veterans continued throughout his career in politics, as Dole was a major advocate for the World War II memorial in Washington, unveiled in 2004.

Dole was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1961, serving eight years before being elected to the U.S. Senate. He wouldn't leave that body until resigning in 1996 to focus on his presidential campaign, a race he eventually lost to Bill Clinton.

For the final decade of his Senate career, Dole served as the Republican floor leader, including three years as Senate majority leader. He also served as chair of the Republican National Committee from 1971 to 1973.

He has maintained a low public profile in recent years, although Dole was the lone former presidential nominee to attend the 2016 Republican National Convention and backed former President Donald Trump at the time.

More: Photos: Bob Dole, former presidential candidate, US senator and Kansas political icon

Joe Biden shares visit he had with Bob Dole this year

President Joe Biden, remembered Dole in a lengthy statement, recalling a visit he made with Dole shortly after being sworn in and saying he would remember fondly their years together in the U.S. Senate.

"Bob was an American statesman like few in our history," Biden said. "A war hero and among the greatest of the Greatest Generation. And to me, he was also a friend whom I could look to for trusted guidance, or a humorous line at just the right moment to settle frayed nerves. I will miss my friend.

Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush offered their condolences as well in statements. Bush remembered Dole's salute of his father, George H.W. Bush, while he was honored at the U.S. Capitol.

"Now we Bushes salute Bob and give thanks for his life of principled service," he said.

The flags at the U.S. Capitol will be flown at half-staff in Dole's honor, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office said. Flags in Kansas will also fly at half-staff until Thursday.

More: What was Bob Dole famous for? Here's his most influential moments.

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, who holds the seat once occupied by Dole, said in a tweet that he was " a statesman of the highest order" and "one of the greatest legislators of all time."

The list of legislation with Dole's imprimatur is lengthy, including the groundbreaking Americans with Disabilities Act and the establishment of an international aid program to fight hunger with Sen. George McGovern.

Former President Bill Clinton praised Dole as one of the few Republicans negotiating in good faith during a length government shutdown in 1995-96 but Dole was also known as a deficit hawk, including a 1982 tax bill to increase revenues in a bid to balance the federal government's books. And Dole was said to be particularly proud of 1983 legislation to overhaul Social Security, in a bid to ensure the fund remained solvent.

Nancy Landon Kassebaum, who served alongside Dole in the senate for two decades, noted in an interview that she didn't always agree with her counterpart but still found a way forward on many issues, notably on agriculture, as "it was always Kansans that was the center part of his thinking."

"He knew it would take working across the aisle," Kassebaum said. "Bob and I have talked about this, that it isn't happening today. You could disagree on issues but you respect those you were working with or against. It was the issue, not the person, and that respect for what you're trying to do."

More: Bob Dole spent 60 years in the political spotlight. His rise started in small-town Kansas.

Jerry Moran says Bob Dole reminder of what one person can do

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran praised Dole's legislative record and said he was "a steady reminder that a single person can make a difference and change the world."

"On the floor of the United States Senate, I use Senator Dole’s desk, and I am regularly reminded of his tireless commitment to Kansas values while being, first and foremost, a statesman who treated others with respect and kindness," Moran said in a statement. "I am honored to have known him, to have learned from him and to have considered him a good friend and mentor."

In a statement, Gov. Laura Kelly said Dole was "a man who embodied everything good and decent about Kansas and about America."

"Senator Dole’s legacy goes far beyond the walls of Congress," Kelly said. "He was a larger-than-life presence in our nation’s politics and demonstrated a decency, a humility, and a civility that should serve as a model for those of us in public life."

Dole's friendships routinely stretched across the aisle.

His relationship with former U.S Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, was particularly close. The pair fought serious war wounds in the same military hospital during World War II. When Innouye was lying in state in the U.S. Capitol after his death in 2012, Dole stood in salute, saying he wouldn't want his former friend to see him in a wheelchair.

Jim Slattery recalls friendship with Bob Dole

Former Congressman Jim Slattery, who represented the Second Congressional District as a Democrat from 1983 to 1995, said he and Dole became friends over the years, despite their partisan differences.

That stretched right up until Dole's passing — Slattery said his friend was urging President Joe Biden's office in recent weeks to bring Slattery into the administration.

"I thought 'How amazing is this, you know?'" Slattery said. "That is the Senator Dole that I got to know and love and deeply admire."

While Slattery worked to defeat Dole in the 1974 election, he said Dole stopped by his office on his first day in Congress and the pair "never spoke a harsh word to each other from that day forward."

They found each other to be kindred spirits on many issues, with both concerned about fiscal restraint and veterans affairs. And the pair worked to establish the Brown V. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka.

"Senator Dole, he was a giant of our time," Slattery said. "He was a great national leader, who loved our country even more than his political party."

'The most important legislator of the last half of the last century'

Dole's legacy spanned generations, said Bill Lacy, who worked as an adviser on Dole's two presidential campaigns and was President Ronald Reagan's director of political affairs and, later, a director of the Dole Institute at the University of Kansas.

Lacy pointed to a project the Dole Institute did earlier this year with the University Daily Kansan at KU, where student reporters examined Dole's legacy in the 25 years since he left the U.S. Senate.

Dole's history left an impression on the students, he said, even though they were not alive when he was running for president or served in Congress.

"He'll be known for being the most important legislator of the last half of the last century," Lacy said.

The Capital-Journal's Jason Tidd contributed reporting

Andrew Bahl is a senior statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 443-979-6100.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Republican Kansas Sen. Bob Dole died Sunday morning at 98 years old