George H. W. Bush | |
---|---|
41st President of the United States | |
In office January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993 |
|
Vice President | Dan Quayle |
Preceded by | Ronald Reagan |
Succeeded by | Bill Clinton |
43rd Vice President of the United States | |
In office January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989 |
|
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | Walter Mondale |
Succeeded by | Dan Quayle |
Director of Central Intelligence | |
In office January 30, 1976 – January 20, 1977 |
|
President | Gerald Ford |
Deputy |
Vernon A. Walters E. Henry Knoche |
Preceded by | William Colby |
Succeeded by | Stansfield Turner |
Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China | |
In office September 26, 1974 – December 7, 1975 |
|
President | Gerald Ford |
Preceded by | David K. E. Bruce |
Succeeded by | Thomas S. Gates |
Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
In office January 19, 1973 – September 16, 1974 |
|
Preceded by | Bob Dole |
Succeeded by | Mary Smith |
10th United States Ambassador to the United Nations | |
In office March 1, 1971 – January 18, 1973 |
|
President | Richard Nixon |
Preceded by | Charles Woodruff Yost |
Succeeded by | John A. Scali |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 7th district |
|
In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971 |
|
Preceded by | John Dowdy |
Succeeded by | William Archer |
Personal details | |
Born |
George Herbert Walker Bush June 12, 1924 Milton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Barbara Pierce (m. 1945) |
Relations | See Bush family |
Children | |
Education | Yale University (BA) |
Signature | |
Website | Presidential Library |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1942–1945 |
Rank | Lieutenant |
Unit | Fast Carrier Task Force |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards |
Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal (3) Presidential Unit Citation |
George Herbert Walker Bush (born June 12, 1924) is an American politician who was the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the U.S. Republican Party, he was previously a congressman, ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence. He is the oldest living former President and Vice President. Since 2000, Bush has often been referred to as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush 41", "Bush the Elder", or "George Bush Senior" to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who became the 43rd President of the United States. Prior to his son's presidency, he was simply referred to as George Bush or President Bush.
Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 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 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.
Bush became involved in politics soon after founding his own oil company, serving as a member of the House of Representatives and Director of Central Intelligence, among other positions. He failed to win the Republican nomination for President in 1980, but was chosen as a running mate by party nominee Ronald Reagan, and the two were elected. During his tenure, Bush headed administration task forces on deregulation and fighting the "War on Drugs".