George Herbert Walker Bush was an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Prior to assuming the presidency, Bush served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. As a member of the Republican Party, he had previously been a Congressman, Ambassador and Director of Central Intelligence. During his career in public service, he was known simply as George Bush; since 2001, he has often been referred to as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush 41", or "George Bush Sr." in order to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States.

A scion of the Bush family, he was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Bush postponed his university studies, 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 September 1945, then attended Yale University. Graduating in 1948, he moved his family to West Texas, where he entered the oil business and became a millionaire by the age of 40 in 1964. Soon after founding his own oil company, Bush became involved in politics. He was defeated in his first election, for the U.S. Senate in 1964 but won election to the House of Representatives from Texas' 7th district in 1966. He was re-elected in 1968 and was defeated for election to the Senate again in 1970. In 1971, President Richard Nixon appointed Bush as Ambassador to the United Nations, and in 1973, Bush became the Chairman of the Republican National Committee. The following year, President Gerald Ford appointed Bush as the ambassador to Chinaand later reassigned Bush to the position of Director of Central Intelligence. Bush ran for president in 1980 but was defeated in the Republican primary by Ronald Reagan. Reagan chose Bush as his running mate, and Bush became vice president after the Reagan–Bush ticket won the 1980 election. During his eight-year tenure as vice president, Bush headed administration task forces on deregulation and fighting the War on Drugs.

In 1988, Bush ran a successful campaign to succeed Reagan as President, defeating Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis. Foreign policy drove the Bush presidency: military operations were conducted in Panamaand the Persian Gulf; the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and the Soviet Union dissolved two years later. Although the agreement was not ratified until after he left office, Bush also signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which created a trade bloc consisting of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. 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 a weak recovery from an economic recession, along with continuing budget deficits and the diminution of foreign politics as a major issue in a post-Cold War political climate, he lost the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton.

Bush left office in 1993. His presidential library was dedicated in 1997, and was active—often alongside Bill Clinton—in various humanitarian activities. With George W. Bush's victory in the 2000 presidential election, Bush and his son became the second father–son pair to serve as president, following John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Bush's second son, Jeb Bush, served as the 43rd Governor of Florida and sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

Bush died on November 30, 2018, at the age of 94. At the time of his death, Bush was the longest-lived American president in history, followed closely by Jimmy Carter, who was born a few months later.

Personal life

Faith

Bush's Christian faith was shaped by his upbringing in the Episcopal Church, though by the end of his life his apparent religious beliefs have been considered more in line with Evangelical Christian doctrine and practices. Several key moments in Bush's life led to a deepening of his faith in Jesus Christ, including his narrow escape from Japanese forces in 1944 and the tragic death of his three-year-old child, Robin, in 1953. This strong faith would inspire many themes that later would become apparent in his public life, such as his Thousand Points of Light speech, his support for prayer in schools, and his strong support of the pro-life movement.

After his wife's death in April 2018, Bush released a statement through his spokesman, saying in part, "We have faith she is in heaven, and we know life will go on – as she would have it. So cross the Bushes off your worry list."

Health and longevity

In 1991, The New York Times revealed that Bush was suffering from Graves' disease, a non-contagious thyroid condition that his wife Barbara also had.

On February 24, 2000, Bush was standing at a reception for 90 minutes when he felt lightheaded. He was admitted to a hospital with an irregular heartbeat. When Bush was released three days later, his doctors said that he had retained the irregularity in his heartbeat. On March 11, 2007, Bush fainted on a golf course and was admitted to the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, but was released the following morning.

In July 2015, Bush suffered a severe neck injury. At age 91 in October that year, he was wearing a neck brace in his first public engagement since the accident when he threw the ceremonial first pitch for the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Bush wrote a letter to president-elect Donald Trump in January 2017 to inform him that because of his poor health, he would not be able to attend Trump's inauguration on January 20; he gave him his best wishes. On January 18, he was admitted to the intensive care unit at Houston Methodist Hospital, where he was sedated for a procedure to treat an acute respiratory problem that was stemming from pneumonia. Three months later, he experienced a recurrence of pneumonia and was hospitalized.

On November 25, 2017, Bush became the longest-lived U.S. president when he surpassed the 93 years and 165 days lifespan of Gerald Ford, who died in 2006. Bush became the nation's oldest living president as well as the oldest living vice president. He was also the first president to reach the age of 94, reaching that milestone on June 12, 2018. The longest-lived U.S. vice president is John Nance Garner, who died on November 7, 1967, 15 days short of his 99th birthday.

On April 22, 2018—the day after his wife's funeral—the former president was hospitalized with a blood infection. The infection led to sepsis. One month later, he was briefly hospitalized again, after experiencing fatigue and low blood pressure.

Sexual misconduct allegations

In October 2017, during the #MeToo movement, actress Heather Lind accused Bush of groping her and telling an inappropriate joke. Several other women subsequently made similar allegations, including Christina Baker Kline and Roslyn Corrigan (who was 16 years old at the time of the alleged incident). Bush apologized for these incidents through his spokesman, Jim McGrath. Both Parkinson's and anti-parkinsonian medication are associated with a lack of impulse control.

Death

Bush suffered from vascular parkinsonism, a form of Parkinson's disease that had forced him to use a motorized scooter or wheelchair since at least 2012.[343][344] Bush died on November 30, 2018, aged 94, at his home in Houston.[346] Tributes and condolences were offered by former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, along with the daughters of President Nixon. In a statement, President Donald Trump praised Bush's leadership and accomplishments.

Bush family 

The Bush family is an American family that is prominent in the fields of politics, sports, entertainment, and business, founded by Obadiah Bush and Harriet Smith.

Best known for its involvement in politics, the family has held various national and state offices spanning across four generations, including a U.S. Senator, Prescott Bush, a Governor, Jeb Bush, and two U.S. Presidents—one having also served as Vice President, George H. W. Bush, while the other was also a Governor, George W. Bush. Other family members include a National Football League (NFL) executive, Joe Ellis, and two nationally known TV personalities, Billy Bush and Jenna Bush Hager.

Peter Schweizer, author of a biography of the family, has described the Bushes as "the most successful political dynasty in American history". According to some online sources, the Bush family is of primarily English and German descent. The Bush family traces its European origin to the 17th century, with Samuel Bush being their first American-born ancestor, in 1647.

Relations

• James Smith Bush (1825–1889), father of Samuel P. Bush
  • Samuel Prescott Bush (1863–1948), father of Prescott Bush and son of James Smith Bush
  • Flora Sheldon Bush (1870–1920), wife of Samuel P. Bush (married June 20, 1894) and mother to Prescott Bush
    • Prescott Sheldon Bush (1895–1972), Samuel P. Bush's son, served as a U.S. Senator from Connecticut; former chairman of the USGA.
    • Dorothy Wear Walker Bush (1901–1992), wife of Prescott, was a daughter of George Herbert Walker of the well-connected Walker family of bankers and businessmen, served as informal First Mother from 1989, her son's inauguration during the beginning of his presidency until her death in 1992, in her son's final year of the presidency.
      • Prescott Sheldon "Pressy" Bush Jr. (1922–2010), Prescott Bush's eldest son, who served as chairman of the United States-China Chamber of Commerce; married to Elizabeth "Beth" Kauffman (1922–2014) on December 30, 1944
        • Prescott Sheldon Bush III (1945–2009), son of Prescott Bush Jr.; married to Francesca Emerson Farr on June 28, 1970
        • Kelsey Bush-Nadeau, daughter of Prescott Bush Jr.; married to Philip Gerald Nadeau on May 25, 1974
          • Elizabeth Nadeau, daughter of Kelsey Bush-Nadeau
          • Katherine Nadeau, daughter of Kelsey Bush-Nadeau
          • William F. Nadeau, son of Kelsey Bush-Nadeau, USMC Captain; married to Lydia Jean Strickland
            • Ellie Nadeau, daughter of William F. Nadeau
          • Prescott Nadeau, son of Kelsey Bush-Nadeau
        • James Laurence "Jamie" Bush, son of Prescott Bush Jr.; married to Susan C. "Sue" Bush
          • Sarah Bush Richey, daughter of James L. Bush; married to William "Drake" Richey
            • Draper Dennis Richey (born February 19, 2012)
            • George Laurence Richey (born May 26, 2014)
          • Samuel P. Bush, son of James L. Bush
      • George Herbert Walker Bush (1924–2018), Prescott Bush Sr.'s second son; 41st President of the United States, Vice President of the United States under Ronald Reagan, a Congressman from Texas, and Central Intelligence Agency director, among other political and diplomatic posts
      • Barbara Pierce Bush (1925–2018), wife of George H. W.; daughter of publisher Marvin Pierce, distant cousin of 14th U.S. President Franklin Pierce, Second Lady and later First Lady of the U.S.
        • George Walker Bush (born 1946), George H. W. Bush's eldest son, 43rd President of the United States and (earlier) 46th Governor of Texas 
        • Laura Lane Welch Bush (born 1946), wife of George W. and First Lady; earlier a teacher
          • Barbara Pierce Bush (born 1981), daughter of George and Laura Bush and twin sister of Jenna, health care activist and chair of Global Health Corps.; married to Craig Louis Coyne
          • Jenna Welch Bush Hager (born 1981), daughter of George and Laura and twin sister of Barbara, NBC News correspondent; married to Henry Chase Hager, son of former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia John H. Hager
            • Margaret Laura "Mila" Hager (born April 13, 2013), daughter of Jenna Bush Hager
            • Poppy Louise Hager (born August 13, 2015), daughter of Jenna Bush Hager
        • Pauline Robinson "Robin" Bush (1949–1953), George H. W. Bush's second child and first daughter; died of leukemia near school-age
        • John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born 1953), George H. W. Bush's second son, 43rd Governor of Florida; married to Columba Garnica Gallo
          • George Prescott Bush (born 1976), son of Jeb Bush, 28th commissioner of the Texas General Land Office in 2014; married to Amanda Williams
            • Prescott Walker Bush (born June 3, 2013), son of George P. Bush
            • John William Bush (born April 13, 2015), son of George P. Bush
          • Noelle Lucila Bush (born 1977), daughter of Jeb Bush
          • John Ellis "Jebby" Bush Jr. (born 1983), son of Jeb Bush; married to Sandra Mary Algudady
            • Georgia Helena Walker Bush (born 2011), daughter of Jebby Bush
            • Vivian Alexandra Columba Bush (born 2014), daughter of Jebby Bush
        • Neil Mallon Bush (born 1955), third son of George H. W. Bush and brother of Pres. George W. Bush; businessman; married Sharon Smith, & divorced in April 2003; married to Maria Andrews as of 2004
          • Lauren Pierce Bush Lauren (born 1984), daughter of Neil Bush and Sharon Smith; model for Tommy Hilfiger; married to David Lauren
            • James Richard Lauren (born November 21, 2015), son of Lauren Bush Lauren
            • Max Walker Lauren (born April 19, 2018), son of Lauren Bush Lauren
          • Pierce Mallon Bush (born 1986), son of Neil Bush and Sharon Smith; married to Sarah Beth Melton
          • Ashley Walker Bush (born 1989), daughter of Neil Bush and Sharon Smith
        • Marvin Pierce Bush (born 1956), fourth son of George H. W. Bush, and brother of George W. Bush; venture capitalist; married to Margaret Conway (née Molster); adopted children: daughter Marshall, and son Walker
        • Dorothy Walker Bush Koch (born 1959), second daughter of George H. W. Bush and sister of President George W. Bush; married to, and in 1990 divorced from, William LeBlond; married to Bobby Koch, wine lobbyist
          • Samuel Bush LeBlond (born 1984), son of Dorothy Bush Koch and William LeBlond
          • Nancy Ellis "Ellie" LeBlond (born 1986), daughter of Dorothy Bush Koch and William LeBlond; married to Nick Sosa
          • Robert David Koch (born 1993), son of Dorothy Bush Koch and Bobby Koch
          • Georgia Grace "Gigi" Koch (born 1996), daughter of Dorothy Bush Koch and Bobby Koch
      • Nancy Walker Bush Ellis (born 1926), Prescott Bush Sr.'s third child and only daughter, widow of Alexander Ellis II (1922-1989), an insurance executive
        • Alexander Ellis III (born 1949), son of Nancy Bush Ellis and Alexander Ellis II
        • John Prescott Ellis (born 1953), son of Nancy Bush Ellis and Alexander Ellis II; media consultant
        • Josiah "Joe" Ellis (born 1958), son of Nancy Bush Ellis and Alexander Ellis II; President, Chairman and CEO of the Denver Broncos, two-time Super Bowl champion as a member of the Broncos' front office
      • Jonathan James Bush (born 1931), Prescott Bush Sr.'s fourth child; banker; married to Josephine Bush (née Bradley)
        • Jonathan S. Bush (born 1969), son of Jonathan Bush, CEO of athenahealth
        • William Hall "Billy" Bush (born 1971), son of Jonathan Bush; a former Access Hollywoodhost; forced out of NBC-news job October 2016 in allegations about Donald Trump
      • William Henry Trotter "Bucky" Bush (1938—2018), Prescott Bush Sr.'s fifth child; banker and executive