George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush
David Valdez · Public domain · source
Name	George H. W. Bush
Birth date	June 12, 1924
Birth place	Milton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Death date	November 30, 2018
Death place	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Party	Republican Party
Spouse	Barbara Pierce
Children	George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Neil Bush, Marvin Bush, Dorothy Bush Koch
Office	41st President of the United States
Term start	January 20, 1989
Term end	January 20, 1993
Predecessor	Ronald Reagan
Successor	Bill Clinton

Contents

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush served as the 41st President of the United States. Born into a lineage tied to the Walker family (American) and the Bush family, he combined a career spanning Naval aviation, oil industry entrepreneurship in Texas, and extensive service in federal roles including United States House of Representatives, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, and Director of Central Intelligence. His presidency encompassed major international events such as the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf War, and the negotiation of NAFTA precursor talks.

Early life and education

Born in Milton, Massachusetts to Prescott Sheldon Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush, he was raised in a milieu connected to Yale University alumni networks and the New England Yankees. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and matriculated at Yale University, where he was a member of Skull and Bones and played for the Yale Bulldogs football team, interacting with classmates who later joined institutions like the United States Congress, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Central Intelligence Agency. His familial ties included relatives active in Republican Party organizing, Brown Brothers Harriman, and transatlantic finance linked to London banking families.

After graduating from Phillips Academy, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served as a naval aviator in the Pacific War during World War II, flying from USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) and participating in actions related to Leyte Gulf operations. Postwar, he moved to Texas and entered the oil industry, founding the company Zapata Petroleum with partners including H. L. Hunt associates and engaging regional operations near West Texas oil fields and the Gulf Coast. His business network connected him to figures in Houston finance, the Texas oil boom, and energy policy circles that later intersected with federal entities such as the Department of Commerce and the National Petroleum Council.

Bush's public career began with election to the United States House of Representatives from Texas's 7th congressional district, after which he served in appointed roles including Chairman of the Republican National Committee and Ambassador to the United Nations under the Richard Nixon administration. He served as Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China during rapprochement efforts tied to Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger diplomacy, and later as Director of Central Intelligence under Gerald Ford, overseeing interactions with the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Council, and Congressional oversight committees such as the Church Committee successors. Elected Vice President of the United States with Ronald Reagan, he presided over policy initiatives involving the Cold War, arms control talks with the Soviet Union, and diplomatic exchanges with leaders like Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, and Helmut Kohl.

His presidency coincided with the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the German reunification process, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, requiring coordination with institutions such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the United Nations Security Council, and the European Community. In foreign affairs he authorized Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War to expel Iraq from Kuwait following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. He signed or advanced legislation and agreements involving North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations, sanctions regimes tied to Panama and South Africa apartheid-era policies, and arms control agreements like the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty framework. Domestically he confronted issues involving the Savings and Loan crisis, enacted measures under the Budget Enforcement Act, and faced political challenges over tax policy culminating in the controversial pledge and subsequent agreement to raise revenue, which affected relations with the United States Congress and the Republican Party base.

After leaving office he engaged in humanitarian and diplomatic work with institutions such as Points of Light Foundation, the Bush Presidential Library, and collaborated with former presidents including Bill Clinton on disaster relief and humanitarian missions to places like Hurricane Katrina-affected regions and areas affected by the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Sandy. His legacy is examined in scholarship from historians at Harvard University, Yale University, Georgetown University, and research published in journals such as Foreign Affairs and The Journal of American History, and is commemorated at sites including the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and the Library of Congress. Family members including George W. Bush and Jeb Bush continued political careers at the Governor of Texas and Governor of Florida levels, influencing debates within the Republican National Committee and national politics, while international leaders like François Mitterrand, Václav Havel, and Shimon Peres acknowledged his role in late-20th-century transitions. He received honors from institutions including the Presidential Medal of Freedom recognitions and state funerary observances at National Cathedral (Washington, D.C.).