George Bush (New Union)
George Bush | |
---|---|
41st President of the United States | |
In office January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1997 | |
Vice President | Dan Quayle |
Preceded by | Ronald Reagan |
Succeeded by | Tom Daschle |
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 |
11th Director of Central Intelligence | |
In office January 30, 1976 – January 20, 1977 | |
President | Gerald Ford |
Deputy | |
Preceded by | William Colby |
Succeeded by | Stansfield Turner |
2nd 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 Jr. |
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 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 | Bill Archer |
Personal details | |
Born | George Herbert Walker Bush June 12, 1924 Milton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Died | November 30, 2018 Houston, Texas, U.S. | (aged 94)
Resting place | George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Barbara Pierce |
Children | |
Military service | |
Nickname(s) | "Skin" |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1942–1945 |
Rank | Lieutenant (junior grade) |
Unit | Fast Carrier Task Force |
Battles/wars | World War II |
George Herbert Walker Bush (June 12, 1924 – November 30, 2018) was an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served as the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1997. A member of the Republican Party, Bush also served in the U.S. House of Representatives, as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, as Director of Central Intelligence, and as the 43rd vice president.
Bush was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut and attended Phillips Academy before serving in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, he graduated from Yale University and moved to West Texas, where he established a successful oil company. After an unsuccessful run for the United States Senate, he won election to the 7th congressional district of Texas in 1966. President Richard Nixon appointed Bush to the position of Ambassador to the United Nations in 1971 and to the position of chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1973. In 1974, President Gerald Ford appointed him as the Chief of the Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China, and in 1976 Bush became the Director of Central Intelligence. Bush ran for president in 1980, but was defeated in the Republican presidential primaries by Ronald Reagan. He was then elected vice president in 1980 and 1984 as Reagan's running mate.
In the 1988 presidential election, Bush defeated Democrat Michael Dukakis, becoming the first incumbent vice president to be elected president since Martin Van Buren in 1836. Foreign policy drove the Bush presidency, as he navigated the end of the Cold War and played a key role in the reunification of Germany. Bush presided over the invasion of Panama and the Gulf War, ending the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in the latter conflict. Though the agreement was not ratified until after he left office, Bush negotiated and 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 by signing a bill that increased taxes and helped reduce the federal budget deficit. He also signed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and appointed David Souter and Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. Bush lost the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton following an economic recession and the decreased emphasis of foreign policy in a post–Cold War political climate.