George H. W. Bush
Details
- Also Known As:
- George H. W. Bush, Bush 41, Bush the Elder, George Bush, Sr.
- Date of Birth:
- June 12, 1924
- Height:
- 6' 2"
- Hometown:
- Milton
Bio:
George Bush (born George Herbert Walker Bush in Milton, Massachusetts on June 12, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States (1989–93). A Republican, he had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States (1981–89), a congressman, an ambassador, a Director of Central Intelligence, and is currently the oldest surviving president.
He was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to Senator Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Bush postponed going to college, enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday, and became the youngest aviator in the U.S. Navy at the time. He served until the end of the war, then attended Yale University. Graduating in 1948, he moved his family to West Texas and entered the oil business, becoming a millionaire by the age of 40.
He became involved in politics soon after founding his own oil company, serving as a member of the House of Representatives, among other positions. He ran unsuccessfully for president of the United States in 1980, but was chosen by party nominee Ronald Reagan to be the vice presidential nominee, and the two were subsequently elected.
In 1988, Bush launched a successful campaign to succeed Ronald Reagan as president, defeating Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis.Foreign policy drove the Bush presidency; military operations were conducted in Panama and the Persian Gulf at a time of world change; the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Soviet Union dissolved two years later. Domestically, Bush reneged on a 1988 campaign promise and after a struggle with Congress, signed an increase in taxes that Congress had passed. In the wake of economic concerns, he lost the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton.
Bush is the father of George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States, and Jeb Bush, former Governor of Florida.
Best Known For:
Being the 41st President of the United States.
Personal Life:
He is married to Barbara Bush, and they have six children — George, Robin (deceased), Jeb, Neil, Marvin and Dorothy. He has 17 grandchildren and one great grand child. In November 2012, he was admitted to hospital with a bronchitis like cough, and he spent Christmas 2012 in the Intensive Care Unit of a Houston, TX hospital.
