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{{Short description|41st president of the United States}}
{{about|the 41st U.S. president|his son and 43rd U.S. president|George W. Bush}}
{{about|the 41st president of the United States|his son, the 43rd president|George W. Bush|other people|George Bush (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable|The Honorable]]
|honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|country=GBR|GCB}}
|birth_name      = George Herbert Walker Bush
|name            = George H. W. Bush
|image            = George H. W. Bush presidential portrait (cropped).jpg
|caption          = Official portrait, 1989
|office          = [[List of presidents of the United States|41st]] [[President of the United States]]
|vicepresident    = [[Dan Quayle]]
|term_start      = January 20, 1989
|term_end        = January 20, 1993
|predecessor      = [[Ronald Reagan]]
|successor        = [[Bill Clinton]]
|office1          = [[List of vice presidents of the United States|40th]] [[Vice President of the United States]]
|president1      = [[Ronald Reagan]]
|term_start1      = January 20, 1981
|term_end1        = January 20, 1989
|predecessor1    = [[Walter Mondale]]
|successor1      = [[Dan Quayle]]
|office2          = [[Director of Central Intelligence]]
|president2      = [[Gerald Ford]]
|term_start2      = January 30, 1976
|term_end2        = January 20, 1977
|predecessor2    = William Colby
|successor2      = [[Stansfield Turner]]
|office3          = Chief of the Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China
|president3      = [[Gerald Ford]]
|term_start3      = September 26, 1974
|term_end3        = December 7, 1975
|predecessor3    = David Bruce
|successor3      = Thomas Gates
|office4          = Chairperson of the [[Republican National Committee]]
|term_start4      = January 19, 1973
|term_end4        = September 16, 1974
|predecessor4    = [[Bob Dole]]
|successor4      = Mary Smith
|office5          = [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations]]
|president5      = [[Richard Nixon]]
|term_start5      = March 1, 1971
|term_end5        = January 18, 1973
|predecessor5    = Charles Yost
|successor5      = John Scali
|state6          = Texas
|district6        = 7th
|term_start6      = January 3, 1967
|term_end6        = January 3, 1971
|predecessor6    = John Dowdy
|successor6      = [[William Reynolds Archer Jr.]]
|birth_date      = {{birth date|1924|6|12}}
|birth_place      = [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]], [[Massachusetts]], [[United States|U.S.]]
|death_date      = {{death date and age|2018|11|30|1924|6|12}}
|death_place      = [[Houston]], [[Texas]], U.S.
|resting_place    = [[George Bush Presidential Library]], [[College Station, Texas]], U.S.
|party            = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]
|spouse          = {{marriage|[[Barbara Bush|Barbara Pierce]]|1945|2018|reason=her death}}
|children        = [[George W. Bush|George]]<br />Pauline<br />[[Jeb Bush|Jeb]]<br />Neil<br />Marvin<br />Robin<br />[[Dorothy Bush Koch|Dorothy]]
|relations        = [[William H. T. Bush|William]] {{small|(Brother)}}
|alma_mater      = [[Yale University]]


{{pp|small=yes}}
|website         = [http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/ Presidential Library]
{{Use American English|date=February 2019}}
|signature       = George HW Bush Signature.svg
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
|signature_alt   = Cursive signature in ink
{{Infobox officeholder
|allegiance      = {{nowrap|{{flag|United States of America|1912}}}}
| name                = George H. W. Bush
|branch          = {{flagicon image|Flag of the United States Navy.svg}} [[United States Navy]]
| image              = George H. W. Bush presidential portrait (cropped).jpg
|serviceyears     = 1942–1945
| caption            = Official portrait, 1989
|rank             = [[File:US-O2 insignia.svg|5px]] Lieutenant (junior grade)
| alt                = George H. W. Bush's presidential portrait, circa 1989
|unit             = Fast Carrier Task Force
| order              = 41st
|battles         = [[World War II]]
| office              = President of the United States
|awards          = Distinguished Flying Cross<br />Air Medal (3)<br />Presidential Unit Citation
| term_start         = January 20, 1989
| term_end            = January 20, 1993
| vicepresident      = [[Dan Quayle]]
| predecessor        = [[Ronald Reagan]]
| successor          = [[Bill Clinton]]
| order1              = 43rd
| office1            = Vice President of the United States
| term_start1        = January 20, 1981
| term_end1          = January 20, 1989
| president1          = Ronald Reagan
| predecessor1        = [[Walter Mondale]]
| successor1          = Dan Quayle
| order2              = 11th
| office2            = Director of Central Intelligence
| term_start2        = January 30, 1976
| term_end2          = January 20, 1977
| president2          = [[Gerald Ford]]
| deputy2            = {{unbulleted list|[[Vernon A. Walters]]|[[E. Henry Knoche]]}}
| predecessor2        = [[William Colby]]
| successor2          = [[Stansfield Turner]]
| office3            = 2nd [[List of ambassadors of the United States to China#List of chiefs of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing|Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China]]
| term_start3        = September 26, 1974
| term_end3          = December 7, 1975
| president3          = Gerald Ford
| predecessor3        = [[David K. E. Bruce]]
| successor3          = [[Thomas S. Gates Jr.]]
| office4            = Chair of the [[Republican National Committee]]
| term_start4        = January 19, 1973
| term_end4          = September 16, 1974
| predecessor4        = [[Bob Dole]]
| successor4          = [[Mary Louise Smith (politician)|Mary Smith]]
| order5              = 10th
| office5            = United States Ambassador to the United Nations
| term_start5        = March 1, 1971
| term_end5          = January 18, 1973
| president5          = [[Richard Nixon]]
| predecessor5        = [[Charles Yost]]
| successor5          = [[John A. Scali]]
| state6              = [[Texas]]
| district6          = {{ushr|TX|7|7th}}
| term_start6        = January 3, 1967
| term_end6          = January 3, 1971
| predecessor6        = [[John Dowdy]]
| successor6          = [[Bill Archer]]
| birth_name          = George Herbert Walker Bush
| birth_date          = {{birth date |1924|6|12}}
| birth_place        = [[Milton, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|2018|11|30|1924|6|12}}}}
| death_place        = [[Houston, Texas]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum]]
| party              = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Barbara Bush|Barbara Pierce]]|1945|April 2018|end=died}}
| children            = {{hlist|[[George W. Bush|George]]|[[Pauline Robinson Bush|Robin]]|[[Jeb Bush|Jeb]]|[[Neil Bush|Neil]]|[[Marvin Bush|Marvin]]|[[Dorothy Bush Koch|Dorothy]]}}
| relatives          = [[Bush family]]
| parents            = {{plainlist|
* [[Prescott Bush]]
* [[Dorothy Walker Bush|Dorothy Walker]]
}}
| education          = [[Yale University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| occupation          = {{hlist|Politician|businessman}}
| awards              = [[List of honors and awards received by George H. W. Bush|List of honors and awards]]
| signature           = George HW Bush Signature.svg
| signature_alt       = Cursive signature in ink
| website            = {{official website|bushlibrary.tamu.edu|Presidential Library}}
<!--Military service-->| allegiance          = {{flagu|United States|1912}}
| nickname            = "Skin"
| branch              = [[File:Flag of the United States Navy.svg|25px]] [[United States Navy]]
| serviceyears       = 1942–1945
| rank               = {{Dodseal|USNO2|25}} [[Lieutenant (junior grade)]]
| unit               = [[Fast Carrier Task Force]]
| battles             = {{tree list}}
* [[Military history of the United States during World War II|World War II]]
** [[Pacific War]]
| mawards            = {{unbulleted list|{{Longitem|{{flagicon image|Distinguished Flying Cross ribbon.svg}} [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]}}|{{flagicon image|Air Medal ribbon.svg}} [[Air Medal]] (3)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-b/bush-george-h-w.html |title=George Herbert Walker Bush |access-date=January 12, 2020 |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |date=August 29, 2019}}</ref>|{{flagicon image|United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg}} [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]}}
}}
}}
'''George Herbert Walker Bush''' (June 12, 1924 – November 30, 2018) was an [[United States|American]] politician and businessman who served as the 41st [[president of the United States]] from 1989 to 1993. Before he became president, he was the 43rd [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]] from 1981 to 1989 (under the [[Ronald Reagan]] administration), an [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations|ambassador to the United Nations]], a congressman, and Director of Central Intelligence. He was married to [[Barbara Bush]] from 1945 until her death in 2018. His children include the 43rd president of the United States [[George W. Bush]], former governor of Florida [[Jeb Bush]], and [[Dorothy Bush Koch]]. He was a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]].


'''George Herbert Walker Bush'''<ref group="lower-alpha">Since around 2000 he has usually been called '''George H. W. Bush''', '''Bush Senior''', '''Bush 41''' or '''Bush the Elder''' to distinguish him from his eldest son, [[George W. Bush]], who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; previously he was usually referred to simply as '''George Bush'''.</ref> (June 12, 1924{{spaced ndash}}November 30, 2018) was an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served as the 41st [[president of the United States]] from 1989 to 1993. A member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], Bush also served as the 43rd [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]] from 1981 to 1989 under [[Ronald Reagan]], in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]], as [[U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations]], and as [[Director of Central Intelligence]].
Bush was born in [[Milton, Massachusetts]], and raised in [[Greenwich, Connecticut]]. He attended [[Phillips Academy]] before serving in the [[United States Navy Reserve]] during [[World War II]]. After the war, he graduated from [[Yale University|Yale]] and moved to Texas, starting a successful oil company.


Bush was raised in [[Greenwich, Connecticut]], [[United States]], and attended [[Phillips Academy]] before serving in the [[United States Navy Reserve]] during [[World War II]]. After the war, he graduated from Yale and moved to [[West Texas]], where he established a successful oil company. After an unsuccessful run for the United States Senate, he won the election to the [[Texas's 7th congressional district|7th congressional district of Texas]] in 1966. President [[Richard Nixon]] appointed Bush to the position of [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations|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 [[List of ambassadors of the United States to China#List of Chiefs of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing|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 [[1980 Republican Party presidential primaries|Republican presidential primaries]] by [[Ronald Reagan]]. He was then elected vice president in 1980 and 1984 as Reagan's running mate.
He entered politics in the 1960s, first running for the US Senate in 1964, but lost the election. In 1966, he ran for the House of Representatives and won. Five years later, in 1971, President [[Richard Nixon]] appointed Bush to become the [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations|Ambassador of the United Nations]], then chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]] in 1973. In 1974, President [[Gerald Ford]] appointed him as Chief of the Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China, then in 1976 Bush became the [[Director of Central Intelligence]]. In 1980, Bush ran for president, but lost the nomination to Ronald Reagan. However, Reagan chose Bush to be his vice presidential running mate.


In the [[1988 United States presidential election|1988 presidential election]], Bush defeated Democrat [[Michael Dukakis]], becoming the fourth incumbent vice president to be elected president and the first to do so since [[Martin Van Buren]] in [[1836 United States Presidential Election|1836]]. Foreign policy drove the [[Presidency of George H. W. Bush|Bush presidency]], as he navigated the final years of the [[Cold War]] and played a key role in the [[German reunification|reunification of Germany]]. Bush presided over the [[United States invasion of Panama|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 [[Read my lips: no new taxes|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 United States presidential election|1992 presidential election]] to Democrat [[Bill Clinton]] following an [[Early 1990s recession|economic recession]] and the decreased emphasis of foreign policy in a post–Cold War political climate.
Eight years later, in 1988, Bush ran for president again, defeating [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Michael Dukakis]]. During his presidency, Bush led the United States through the end of the [[Cold War]]. He presided over the invasion of Panama and the [[Gulf War]]. He also signed the [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990]], which did not allow discrimination to disabled people. Bush signed the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (also called NAFTA), which went into effect in 1994. He appointed [[David Souter]] and [[Clarence Thomas]] to the Supreme Court. Although he promised not to raise taxes, he did so in order to help make the budget deficit smaller (when the government spends more money than it makes.) He ran for reelection in 1992, but lost to Democrat [[Bill Clinton]].


After leaving office in 1993, Bush was active in humanitarian activities, often working alongside [[Bill Clinton]], his former opponent. With the victory of his son, [[George W. Bush]], in the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]], the two became the second father–son pair to serve as the nation's president, following [[John Adams]] and [[John Quincy Adams]]. Another son, [[Jeb Bush]], unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in the [[2016 Republican Party presidential primaries|2016 Republican primaries]]. Historians generally [[Historical rankings of Presidents of the United States|rank]] Bush as an above-average president.
After his presidency ended in 1993, Bush did activities that helped other people. He did this alongside Bill Clinton, his former rival. In 2000, his son, [[George W. Bush]], was elected president of the United States. Another son, [[Jeb Bush]], was elected [[governor of Florida]] in 1998. Jeb tried to run for president in 2016, but did not win the nomination.


{{TOC limit|4}}
On November 25, 2017, Bush became, at the time, the longest-lived U.S. president. He passed the 93 years and 165 days lifespan of [[Gerald Ford]], who died on December 26, 2006. On November 30, 2018, Bush died at his home in [[Houston]], [[Texas]] at the age of 94. Bush is ranked as an above-average president.


== Early life and education (1924–1948) ==
==Early life==
{{See also|Bush family}}
[[File:George H W Bush at Age One and One-Half, ca 1925.gif|thumb|left|Bush in 1925]]
{{stack|float=left|[[File:George H W Bush at Age One and One-Half, ca 1925.gif|thumb|left|upright=.5|George H. W. Bush at his grandfather's house in [[Kennebunkport, Maine|Kennebunkport]], c.&nbsp;1925]]}}
Bush was born on June 12, 1924 in 173 Adam Street, [[Milton, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gb41.html|title=George Bush's White House biography|access-date=2008-02-17|archive-date=2009-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117204802/http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gb41.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidentialavenue.com/gb.cfm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008144507/http://www.presidentialavenue.com/gb.cfm|archive-date=2007-10-08|title=Presidential Avenue: George Bush|date=2007-10-08|access-date=2020-02-08}}</ref> His father was politician [[Prescott Bush]]. He studied at [[Yale University]]. In June 1943, Bush became the youngest pilot in the [[United States Navy]] at the time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq10-1.htm|title=Biography - Lieutenant Junior Grade George Bush, USNR|publisher=history.navy.mil|access-date=August 25, 2014|archive-date=March 28, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328085048/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq10-1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>


George Herbert Walker Bush was born in [[Milton, Massachusetts]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.presidentialavenue.com/gb.cfm |title=Presidential Avenue: George Bush |access-date=March 29, 2008 |publisher=Presidential Avenue|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008144507/http://www.presidentialavenue.com/gb.cfm|archive-date=October 8, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> on June 12, 1924. He was the second son of [[Prescott Bush]] and Dorothy (Walker) Bush.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 19–20</ref> His paternal grandfather, [[Samuel P. Bush]], worked as an executive for a railroad parts company in Columbus, Ohio,<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 8–9</ref> while his maternal grandfather and namesake, [[George Herbert Walker]], led [[Wall Street]] investment bank [[W. A. Harriman & Co.]]<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 16–17</ref> Walker was known as "Pop", and young Bush was called "Poppy" as a tribute to him.<ref>{{cite web |author=Eun Kyung Kim |url=http://www.today.com/parents/jenna-bush-hager-welcomes-second-daughter-named-after-george-h-t31121 |title=Jenna Bush Hager welcomes second daughter&nbsp;— named after George H.W. Bush |website=[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]] |date=August 14, 2015 |quote=The new bundle of joy is named after Jenna's grandfather and former President George H.W. Bush, whose nickname growing up was "Poppy."}}</ref> The Bush family moved to [[Greenwich, Connecticut]] in 1925, and Prescott took a position with W. A. Harriman & Co. (which later merged into [[Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.]]) the following year.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 20–21</ref>
Bush served in the [[United States Navy]] from 1942 until 1945. During [[WWII]], his plane was shot down. He won the Air Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He married [[Barbara Bush|Barbara Pierce]] in 1945. They had six children.


Bush spent most of his childhood in Greenwich, at the family vacation home in [[Kennebunkport, Maine]],{{efn|Bush later purchased the estate, which is now known as the [[Bush compound]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/08/us/white-house-letter-at-parents-home-bush-resumes-role-of-son.html|work=The New York Times |access-date=April 2, 2008 |date=July 8, 2002 |last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |title=White House Letter; At Parents' Home, Bush Resumes Role of Son}}</ref>}} or at his maternal grandparents' plantation in South Carolina.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 25</ref> Because of the family's wealth, Bush was largely unaffected by the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]].<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 27</ref> He attended [[Greenwich Country Day School]] from 1929 to 1937 and [[Phillips Academy]], an elite private academy in Massachusetts, from 1937 to 1942.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 27–36</ref> While at Phillips Academy, he served as president of the senior class, secretary of the student council, president of the community fund-raising group, a member of the editorial board of the school newspaper, and captain of the varsity baseball and soccer teams.<ref name="andover">{{cite web |url=http://www.andover.edu/news/bush.htm |title=Former President George Bush honored at his 60th reunion at Phillips Academy, Andover |date=June 8, 2002 |access-date=March 29, 2008 |publisher=Phillips Academy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080401131455/http://www.andover.edu/news/bush.htm |archive-date=April 1, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Early career==
Bush worked for Zapata Oil in Texas and was a [[politician]] in [[Texas]], running for the Senate in 1964, but losing to Ralph Yarborough and later again in 1970, though losing again to [[Lloyd Bentsen]].


=== World War II ===
He was later a House Representative. He was also Republican Party Chairman and tried the vice presidency, with the support of such Congressional conservatives as Senator Barry Goldwater after Nixon resigned and Ford took office, but lost to liberal Republican [[Nelson Rockefeller]] in 1974.<ref>Parmet, Herbert George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee pages 168-171</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tarpley.net/online-books/george-bush-the-unauthorized-biography/chapter-13-bush-attempts-the-vice-presidency-1974/|title=Chapter 13 – Bush Attempts The Vice Presidency, 1974 « TARPLEY.net|website=tarpley.net}}</ref> In 1980, Bush also ran against [[Ronald Reagan]] for the Republican Party's candidacy for president but lost. He was then named Republican vice presidential candidate by Reagan after Reagan defeated him. Reagan and Bush were elected president and Vice President that year.
[[File:George H.W. Bush seated in a Grumman TBM Avenger, circa 1944 (H069-13).jpg|thumb|left|upright|Bush in his Grumman TBF Avenger aboard USS ''San Jacinto'' in 1944]]


On his 18th birthday, immediately after graduating from Phillips Academy, he enlisted in the [[United States Navy]] as a naval aviator.<ref name=GHWBlifebefore/> After a period of training, he was commissioned as an ensign in the Naval Reserve at [[Naval Air Station Corpus Christi]] on June 9, 1943, becoming one of the youngest aviators in the Navy.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 54</ref>{{efn|For decades, Bush was considered the youngest aviator in the U.S. Navy during his period of service,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Boyd |first1=Gerald M. |title=A Victor Free to Set His Own Course |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/09/us/1988-elections-man-george-herbert-walker-bush-victor-free-set-his-own-course.html |work=The New York Times |date=November 9, 1988}}</ref> but such claims are now regarded as speculation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Siegel |first1=Rachel |title=For George H.W. Bush, Pearl Harbor changed everything, and World War II made him a hero |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2018/12/01/george-hw-bush-pearl-harbor-changed-everything-world-war-ii-made-him-hero/?noredirect=on |work=The Washington Post |date=December 1, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> His official Navy biography called him "the youngest" in 2001,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq10-1.htm |title=Lieutenant Junior Grade George Bush, USNR |date=April 6, 2001 |publisher=Naval Historical Center |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20100410115448/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq10-1.htm |archive-date=April 10, 2010 }}</ref> but by 2018 the Navy biography described him as "one of the youngest".<ref name="navy">{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-b/bush-george-h-w.html |title=George Herbert Walker Bush |date=December 1, 2018 |access-date=December 2, 2018 |publisher=Navy History and Heritage Command}}</ref>}} Beginning in 1944, Bush served in the Pacific theater, where he flew a [[Grumman TBF Avenger]], a [[torpedo bomber]] capable of taking off from aircraft carriers.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 56–57</ref> His squadron was assigned to the {{USS|San Jacinto|CVL-30|6}} as a member of Air Group 51, where his lanky physique earned him the nickname "Skin".<ref name="Skin">{{cite news |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/military/article_ce04e725-0849-5d16-943a-dcf32f729af0.html |title=San Jacinto veterans reunite, recall serving with Bush |last=Adams |first=Kathy |date=January 10, 2009 |work=The Virginian-Pilot |publisher=Landmark Communications |access-date=December 9, 2019}}</ref>
During [[World War II]], Bush was a crewman on a TBM Avenger.<ref>Turner, John Frayn Fight for the Air: Air Battles of World War II Airlife Publishing Ltd 2000 page 199</ref> He had survived many crashes and sunk a [[Japan]]ese ship. He later became a [[diplomat]] and head of the CIA.<ref>Parmet, Herbert S. Geoge Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey 2001 pages 184-207</ref>


Bush flew his first combat mission in May 1944, bombing Japanese-held [[Wake Island]],<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 57–59</ref> and was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) on August 1, 1944. During an attack on a Japanese installation in [[Chichijima]], Bush's aircraft successfully attacked several targets, but was downed by enemy fire.<ref name="navy" /> Though both of Bush's fellow crew members died, Bush successfully bailed out from the aircraft and was rescued by the {{USS|Finback|SS-230|6}}.<ref name="meachamchichijima">Meacham (2015), pp. 60–63</ref>{{efn|Bush's fellow crew members for the mission were William G. White and John Delaney. According to the accounts of an American pilot and a Japanese individual, another parachute from Bush's aircraft opened, but the bodies of White and Delaney were never recovered.<ref name="meachamchichijima"/>}} Several of the aviators shot down during the attack were captured and executed, and their livers were [[Chichijima incident|eaten by their captors]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bradley |first1=James | author-link = James Bradley (author)|title=Flyboys: A True Story of Courage |date=2003 |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |isbn=978-0-316-10584-2|title-link=Flyboys: A True Story of Courage }}</ref> Bush's survival after such a close brush with death shaped him profoundly, leading him to ask, "Why had I been spared and what did God have for me?"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/the-faith-of-george-h-w-bush.html|title=The Faith of George HW Bush|website=www.christianpost.com}}</ref> He was later awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] for his role in the mission.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 66</ref>
== Presidency, 1989–93 ==
After being [[Ronald Reagan]]'s vice president, Bush was [[1988 United States presidential election|elected president in 1988]] by defeating [[Michael Dukakis]].  


Bush returned to ''San Jacinto'' in November 1944, participating in operations in the Philippines. In early 1945, he was assigned to a new combat squadron, VT-153, where he trained to take part in an [[Operation Downfall|invasion of mainland Japan]]. On September 2, 1945, before any invasion took place, Japan formally surrendered following the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]].<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 69</ref> Bush was released from active duty that same month, but was not formally discharged from the Navy until October 1955, at which point he had reached the rank of lieutenant.<ref name="navy" /> By the end of his period of active service, Bush had flown 58 missions, completed 128 carrier landings, and recorded 1228 hours of flight time.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 70</ref>
Bush was [[Inauguration of George H. W. Bush|sworn in]] as president on January 20, 1989, succeeding Reagan.


=== Marriage and college years ===
While he was president, the Cold War ended and the [[Soviet Union]] fell apart.<ref>Genovese, Michael A. Encyclopedia of the American Presidency Revised Edition Infobase Publishing 2010 New York page 61</ref> He was known for his failed promise speech "[[Read my lips: no new taxes]]".
[[File:George H. W. Bush in 1942 Pot Pourri.jpg|thumb|right|upright=.5|Bush in Phillips Academy's 1942 yearbook]]
{{George H. W. Bush series}}


Bush met [[Barbara Bush|Barbara Pierce]] at a Christmas dance in Greenwich in December 1941,<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 41</ref> and, after a period of courtship, they became engaged in December 1943.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 56</ref> While Bush was on leave from the Navy, they married in [[Rye, New York]], on January 6, 1945.<ref>{{cite web |last=Markovich |first=Jeremy |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/george-hw-bush-and-barbara-pierce-are-wed-jan-6-1945-233101 |title=George H.W. Bush and Barbara Pierce are wed: Jan. 6, 1945 |publisher=Politico |date=January 6, 2017 |access-date=November 17, 2017}}</ref> The Bushes enjoyed a strong marriage, and Barbara would later be a popular First Lady, seen by many as "a kind of national grandmother".<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 406–407</ref>{{efn|At the time of his wife's death on April 17, 2018, George H. W. had been married to Barbara for 73 years, the longest presidential marriage in American history at that point.<ref>{{cite news |last=Siegel |first=Rachel |date=April 22, 2018 |title='You were the reason': Barbara and George Bush's love story remembered at her funeral |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/04/22/you-were-the-reason-barbara-and-george-bushs-historic-love-story-hailed-at-her-funeral/ |work=The Washington Post |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> The length of their marriage was surpassed in 2019 by the marriage of [[Jimmy Carter|Jimmy]] and [[Rosalynn Carter]].<ref>{{cite news|date=October 17, 2019 |title=Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter just became the longest-married presidential couple|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/18/politics/jimmy-rosalynn-carter-longest-married-presidential-couple-trnd/index.html |work=CNN Politics| access-date=October 18, 2019}}</ref>}} They have six children: [[George W. Bush|George W.]] (b. 1946), [[Pauline Robinson Bush|Robin]] (1949-1953), [[Jeb Bush|Jeb]] (b. 1953), [[Neil Bush|Neil]] (b. 1955), [[Marvin Bush|Marvin]] (b. 1956), and [[Dorothy Bush Koch|Doro]] (b. 1959).<ref name=GHWBlifebefore>{{cite web |title=George H. W. Bush: Life Before the Presidency |last=Knott |first=Stephen |url=https://millercenter.org/president/bush/life-before-the-presidency |publisher=Miller Center, the University of Virginia |location=Charlottesville, Virginia |access-date=April 24, 2018|date=October 4, 2016}}</ref> Their oldest daughter, Robin, died of leukemia in 1953.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 97–100</ref>
[[File:George H. W. Bush inauguration.jpg|thumb|left|Bush being sworn in as president on January 20, 1989]]
In 1990, [[George H. W. Bush and broccoli|Bush's off-hand comments about broccoli]] caused a minor political controversy.<ref name="Lauter2">{{Cite news|last=Lauter|first=David|date=27 March 1990|title=Broccoli Stalks Bush on White House Lawn : Veggies: First Lady accepts California gift, but most of it goes to charity. Flap gives pundits food for thought.|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-27-mn-263-story.html|access-date=8 October 2020}}</ref> In 1992, he visited [[Kiichi Miyazawa]] when [[George H. W. Bush vomiting incident|he vomited on his lap and soon fainted]] during a dinner feast.<ref name="collapse">{{cite news |first= Michael|last= Wines|title=Bush Collapses at State Dinner With the Japanese |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/09/world/bush-in-japan-bush-collapses-at-state-dinner-with-the-japanese.html |quote=President Bush fell suddenly ill and collapsed at a state dinner being given for him Wednesday night at the home of the Japanese Prime Minister. |work=[[New York Times]] |date=January 9, 1992 |access-date=2009-08-28 }}</ref> Hours later, Bush made a comment that he was suffering from the flu.<ref name="collapse"/>


Bush enrolled at Yale College, where he took part in an accelerated program that enabled him to graduate in two and a half years rather than the usual four.<ref name=GHWBlifebefore /> He was a member of the [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]] fraternity and was elected its president.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/books/41-george-w-bushs-portrait-of-george-h-w-bush.html |title=Love Flows, President to President |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 11, 2014 |first=Michiko |last=Kakutani |access-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref> He also captained the Yale baseball team and played in the first two [[College World Series]] as a left-handed first baseman.<ref>{{cite web |title=School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents |url=https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/spring/schoolhouse.html |date=Spring 2007 |publisher=National Archives |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=March 29, 2008}}</ref> Like his father, he was a member of the Yale cheerleading squad<ref>{{cite news |url=http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2008/01/28/cheerleading-of-the-20s-epitome-of-masculinity/ |title=Cheerleading of the '20s: Epitome of masculinity |work=Yale Daily News |first=Simone |last=Berkower |access-date=July 30, 2016}}</ref> and was initiated into the [[Skull and Bones]] secret society. He graduated [[Phi Beta Kappa]] in 1948 with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree, majoring in economics and minoring in sociology.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 72</ref>
When [[Saddam Hussein]] invaded [[Kuwait]] in order to steal their supplies of oil, Bush led the United States and many other countries to protect Kuwait. The conflict was called the [[Gulf War]]. He also invaded [[Panama]] to remove [[Manuel Noreiga]], who was guilty of [[drug trafficking]].


== Business career (1948–1963) ==
At his home, Bush also signed in important laws, such as the Americans With Disabilities Act.<ref>Popadiuk, Roman The Leadership of George Bush: An Insider's View of the Forty-First President Texas AM University Press 2009 page 190</ref> However, the country suffered from a [[recession]].<ref>edited by William F. Levantrosser, Rosanna Perotti A Noble Calling: Character and the George HW Bush Presidency Hofstra University page 318</ref> This was embarrassing, and many people believe this was the reason he lost the presidential election of 1992 to [[Bill Clinton]].
[[File:Entire Bush family.jpg|thumb|left|Bush, top right, stood with his wife and children, mid-1960s]]
After graduating from Yale, Bush moved his young family to [[West Texas]]. Biographer Jon Meacham writes that Bush's relocation to Texas allowed him to move out of the "daily shadow of his Wall Street father and Grandfather Walker, two dominant figures in the financial world", but would still allow Bush to "call on their connections if he needed to raise capital."<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 78</ref> His first position in Texas was an [[Oil fields|oil field]] equipment salesman<ref>{{cite news |url=https://articles.latimes.com/2005/oct/11/local/me-bush11 |title=Two Future Presidents Slept Here&nbsp;— latimes |date=October 11, 2005 |access-date=May 17, 2017|newspaper=Los Angeles Times |last1=Chawkins |first1=Steve}}</ref> for [[Dresser Industries]], which was led by family friend Neil Mallon.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 77, 83</ref> While working for Dresser, Bush lived in various places with his family: [[Odessa, Texas]]; [[Ventura, California|Ventura]], [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] and [[Compton, California]]; and [[Midland, Texas]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/finding-aids/donated-materials/george-bush#zapata_oil |title=George Bush Collection |publisher=George Bush Presidential Library and Museum |access-date=July 30, 2016}}</ref> In 1952, he volunteered for the successful presidential campaign of [[Republican (United States)|Republican]] candidate [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. That same year, his father won election to represent Connecticut in the [[United States Senate]] as a member of the Republican Party.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 94–96</ref>


With support from Mallon and Bush's uncle, [[George Herbert Walker Jr.]], Bush and John Overbey launched the Bush-Overbey Oil Development Company in 1951.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 92–93</ref> In 1953 he co-founded the [[HRG Group|Zapata Petroleum Corporation]], an oil company that drilled in the [[Permian Basin (North America)|Permian Basin]] in Texas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://law.jrank.org/pages/4940/Bush-George-Herbert-Walker.html |title=George Herbert Walker Bush |publisher=Net Industries |access-date=March 29, 2008}}</ref> In 1954, he was named president of the Zapata Offshore Company, a subsidiary which specialized in [[offshore drilling]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Perin |first=Monica |date=April 25, 1999 |title=Adios, Zapata! |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/1999/04/26/story2.html |work=[[American City Business Journals|Houston Business Journal]] |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> Shortly after the subsidiary became independent in 1959, Bush moved the company and his family from Midland to [[Houston]].<ref>Bush, George W. ''41: A Portrait of My Father.'' Crown Publishers, 2014, p. 64.</ref> There, he befriended [[James Baker]], a prominent attorney who later became an important political ally.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 144–146</ref> Bush remained involved with Zapata until the mid-1960s, when he sold his stock in the company for approximately $1 million.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 130–131</ref>
Bush left office on January 20, 1993 when Bill Clinton became president. Bush and his wife, Barbara, moved to [[Houston|Houston, Texas]].


In 1988, ''[[The Nation]]'' published an article alleging that Bush worked as an operative of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) during the 1960s; Bush denied this claim.<ref>{{cite news |title='63 F.B.I. Memo Ties Bush to Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/11/us/63-fbi-memo-ties-bush-to-intelligence-agency.html |agency=AP |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 11, 1988}}</ref>
==Personal life==
[[File:George H.W. and George W. Bush in Beijing 2008.jpg|thumb|left|Bush and his son [[George W. Bush]] at the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in [[Beijing]]]]
Bush resided on a ranch in [[Houston, Texas]] with his family. After his presidency, he supported [[John McCain]] and his son [[George W. Bush]]. He supported [[Mitt Romney]] and [[Rick Perry]] for president. He attended the opening of the USS ''George H.W. Bush'', a naval ship named after him. He traveled with his son to the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in [[Beijing]], [[China]].


== Early political career (1963–1971) ==
On February 15, 2011, Bush was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the highest civilian honor in the United States, by President [[Barack Obama]].
=== Entry into politics ===
[[File:George Herbert Walker Bush and Eisenhower 1.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Former president [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] with Bush]]


By the early 1960s, Bush was widely regarded as an appealing political candidate, and some leading [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] attempted to convince Bush to become a Democrat. He declined to leave the Republican Party, later citing his belief that the national Democratic Party favored "big, centralized government". The Democratic Party had historically dominated Texas, but Republicans scored their first major victory in the state with [[John G. Tower]]'s victory in a 1961 special election to the [[United States Senate]]. Motivated by Tower's victory, and hoping to prevent the far-right [[John Birch Society]] from coming to power, Bush ran for the chairmanship of the [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] Republican Party, winning election in February 1963.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 112–114</ref> Like most other Texas Republicans, Bush supported conservative Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] over the more centrist [[Nelson Rockefeller]] in the [[1964 Republican Party presidential primaries]].<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 116–117</ref>
He was present at his son's presidential library opening ceremony on April 25, 2013. In July 2013, Bush had his head shaved in a show of support for the two-year-old son of a member of his security detail, who had leukemia. He is the most recent president that was a veteran during [[World War II]].


In 1964, Bush sought to unseat liberal Democrat [[Ralph W. Yarborough]] in Texas's [[United States Senate election in Texas, 1964|U.S. Senate election]].<ref name="naftali13">Naftali (2007), p. 13</ref> Bolstered by superior fundraising, Bush won the Republican primary by defeating former gubernatorial nominee [[Jack Cox (Texas politician)|Jack Cox]] in a [[run-off election]]. In the general election, Bush attacked Yarborough's vote for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], which banned racial and gender discrimination in public institutions and in many privately owned businesses. Bush argued that the act unconstitutionally expanded the powers of the federal government, but he was privately uncomfortable with the racial politics of opposing the act.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 120–122</ref> He lost the election 56 percent to 44 percent, though he did run well ahead of [[Barry Goldwater]], the Republican presidential nominee.<ref name="naftali13"/> Despite the loss, the ''New York Times'' reported that Bush was "rated by political friend and foe alike as the Republicans' best prospect in Texas because of his attractive personal qualities and the strong campaign he put up for the Senate".<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 133</ref>
Bush sent a letter to [[Donald Trump]] in January 2017 to inform him of his (Bush's) poor health that he would not be able to attend Trump's [[Inauguration of Donald Trump|inauguration]] on January 20 and gave his best wishes.<ref name="Inauguration"/>


=== U.S. House of Representatives ===
He was the father of [[George W. Bush]], [[Jeb Bush]], and [[Dorothy Bush Koch]]. He had two other sons; his other daughter Robin died of [[leukemia]] in 1953; his father (also a politician) was [[Prescott Bush]]. On April 13, 2013, he became a great-grandfather when his granddaughter Jenna Bush Hager gave birth to a daughter.
[[File:George H. W. Bush 91st Congress.jpg|thumb|upright|Bush in 1969]]
{{Further|Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson}}


In [[1966 United States House of Representatives elections|1966]], Bush ran for the [[United States House of Representatives]] in [[Texas's 7th congressional district]], a newly redistricted seat in the [[Greater Houston]] area. Initial polling showed him trailing his Democratic opponent, Harris County District Attorney Frank Briscoe, but he ultimately won the race with 57 percent of the vote.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 130–132</ref> In an effort to woo potential candidates in the South and Southwest, House Republicans secured Bush an appointment to the powerful [[United States House Committee on Ways and Means]], making Bush the first freshman to serve on the committee since 1904.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 133–134</ref> His voting record in the House was generally [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]]. He supported the [[Presidency of Richard Nixon|Nixon administration]]'s [[Vietnam War|Vietnam policies]], but broke with Republicans on the issue of [[birth control]], which he supported. He also voted for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]], although it was generally unpopular in his district.<ref name="ea">{{cite web |url=http://198.181.165.52/article?assetid=0068080-00&templatename=/article/article.html |title=Bush, George Herbert Walker |access-date=March 29, 2008 |publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing, Inc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615195838/http://198.181.165.52/article?assetid=0068080-00&templatename=%2Farticle%2Farticle.html |archive-date=June 15, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/90-1967/h113|title=TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR INTERFERENCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE 8 ACTIVITIES PROTECTED UNDER THIS BILL MUST BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED TO INCUR THE BILL'S PENALTIES.}}</ref> In 1968, Bush joined several other Republicans in issuing the party's [[Response to the State of the Union address]]; Bush's part of the address focused on a call for fiscal responsibility.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 136–137</ref>
Bush was an [[Episcopal Church|Episcopalian]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/people/george-h-w-bush|title=George H.W. Bush|first=Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown|last=University|website=berkleycenter.georgetown.edu|access-date=2019-02-11|archive-date=2018-06-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627042557/https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/people/george-h-w-bush|url-status=dead}}</ref>


Though most other Texas Republicans supported [[Ronald Reagan]] in the [[1968 Republican Party presidential primaries]], Bush endorsed [[Richard Nixon]], who went on to win the party's nomination. Nixon considered selecting Bush as his running mate in the [[1968 United States presidential election|1968 presidential election]], but he ultimately chose [[Spiro Agnew]] instead. Bush won re-election to the House unopposed, while Nixon defeated [[Hubert Humphrey]] in the presidential election.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 141–142</ref> In 1970, with President Nixon's support, Bush gave up his seat in the House to [[1970 United States Senate election in Texas|run for the Senate]] against Yarborough. Bush easily won the Republican primary, but Yarborough was defeated by the more conservative [[Lloyd Bentsen]] in the Democratic primary.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 146–147</ref> Ultimately, Bentsen defeated Bush, taking 53.5 percent of the vote.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 150</ref>
==Health==
Bush suffered from a form of [[Parkinson's disease]] which forced him to use a motorized scooter or wheelchair to get around, since at least 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Photo P012712PS-0676|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/6773105167/in/photostream/|work=2012-01-27|publisher=The Whitehouse|access-date=2013-04-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Peppers|first=Margot|title=A beaming George H W Bush poses for a photo|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2311083/A-beaming-George-H-W-Bush-poses-photo-Texas-cheerleading-squad-wears-patriotic-socks-occasion.html|access-date=2013-04-24|newspaper=The Daily Mail|date=2013-04-09}}</ref>


== Nixon and Ford administrations (1971–1977) ==
[[File:Clinton and Bush 2006 (3618970325).jpg|thumb|left|Bush with [[Bill Clinton]] in 2006]]
{{Further|Presidency of Richard Nixon|Presidency of Gerald Ford}}
On November 23, 2012, Bush had a [[bronchitis]]-like cough that initially brought him to Methodist Hospital in [[Houston]] for treatment. He was supposed to be released before Christmas, but was kept in and over the holiday because he got worse with a high fever. On December 23, 2012, he started to be in the intensive-care unit.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spokesman: George H.W. Bush in intensive care|url=https://news.yahoo.com/spokesman-george-h-w-bush-intensive-care-233918880.html|publisher=Yahoo News|access-date=26 December 2012|archive-date=29 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229000434/http://news.yahoo.com/spokesman-george-h-w-bush-intensive-care-233918880.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> On December 29, 2012, his health improved and moved out of intensive care.<ref>{{cite web|title=Former President Bush moved out of intensive care|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/12/29/president-george-hw-bush-intensive-care/1798103/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=206567|publisher=USA Today|access-date=29 December 2012}}</ref> He was discharged in the hospital on January 14, 2013. On December 23, 2014, Bush was once again hospitalized at the Methodist Hospital after suffering a "shortness of breath".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/us/wirestory/president-george-hw-bush-hospital-27804432|title=Ex-President George H.W. Bush Taken to Hospital|publisher=[[ABC News]].com|access-date=December 24, 2014}}</ref> He was released from the hospital on December 30, 2014.


=== Ambassador to the United Nations ===
On July 15, 2015, Bush fell at his home in [[Kennebunkport, Maine]] and broke a [[vertebra]] in his neck.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3163286/George-HW-Bush-breaks-bone-neck-fall-Maine-family-compound.html|title=George H.W. Bush is stable in Maine hospital after breaking a bone in his neck during fall at family compound|publisher=Daily Mail.co.uk|access-date=July 16, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:George Bush as United Nations Representative, 1971-72 - NARA - 186386.tif|thumb|Bush as ambassador to the United Nations, 1971]]


After the 1970 Senate election, Bush accepted a position as a senior adviser to the president, but he convinced Nixon to instead appoint him as the [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations|U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations]].<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 153–154</ref> The position represented Bush's first foray into foreign policy, as well as his first major experiences with the [[Soviet Union]] and [[China]], the two major U.S. rivals in the [[Cold War]].<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 152, 157–158</ref> During Bush's tenure, the Nixon administration pursued a policy of détente, seeking to ease tensions with both the Soviet Union and China.<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 773–775</ref> Bush's ambassadorship was marked by a defeat on the China question, as the [[United Nations General Assembly]] voted to expel the [[Republic of China]] and replace it with the People's Republic of China in October 1971.<ref name="nytimes19711031">{{cite news |last1=Austin |first1=Anthony |title=Crushing Defeat for the U.S., or A Blessing In Disguise? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/10/31/archives/crushing-defeat-for-the-us-or-a-blessing-in-disguise-enter-peking.html |work=The New York Times |date=October 31, 1971 }}</ref> In the 1971 crisis in [[Pakistan]], Bush supported an [[India]]n motion at the UN General Assembly to condemn the Pakistani government of [[Yahya Khan]] for waging genocide in [[East Pakistan]] (modern [[Bangladesh]]), referring to the "tradition which we have supported that the human rights question transcended domestic jurisdiction and should be freely debated".<ref>Saunders (2014), p. 39</ref> Bush's support for India at the UN put him into conflict with Nixon who was supporting Pakistan, partly because [[Yahya Khan]] was a useful intermediary in his attempts to reach out to China and partly because the president was fond of Yahya Khan.<ref>Saunders (2014), pp. 38–39</ref>
On January 18, 2017, 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 stemming from [[pneumonia]].<ref name="Inauguration">{{cite news|last1=Garcia|first1=Feliks|title=George HW Bush sends personal note to Donald Trump on why he can't attend inauguration|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/george-hw-bush-donald-trump-inauguration-letter-president-attendance-a7534221.html|access-date=18 January 2017|work=The Independent|date=18 January 2017}}</ref>


=== Chairman of the Republican National Committee ===
On April 22, 2018, after the burial of Bush's wife [[Barbara Bush|Barbara]], he was hospitalized for [[sepsis]] and was placed under intensive care.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/23/politics/george-hw-bush/index.html|title=Former President George H. W. Bush in intensive care|publisher=CNN|date=April 23, 2018|access-date=April 23, 2018}}</ref>


After Nixon won a landslide victory in the [[1972 United States presidential election|1972 presidential election]], he appointed Bush as chair of the [[Republican National Committee]] (RNC).<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 162–163</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nixontapes.org/presidents.html|title=President Richard Nixon and the Presidents|website=nixontapes.org|quote=CDHW 156-016 11/29/1972 Unknown time between 10:10 am and 1:47 pm P, GHWB}}[https://www.nixontapes.org/ghwb/156-016.pdf]</ref> In that position, he was charged with fundraising, candidate recruitment, and making appearances on behalf of the party in the media.
==Death==
[[File:Bush Rotunda.png|right|thumb|200px|Bush's casket at the [[United States Capitol Building]]]]
{{main|Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush}}
Bush died on November 30, 2018 at his home in Houston from Parkinson's-related complications, aged 94.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/423556608/former-president-george-h-w-bush-dies-at-94|access-date=1 December 2018|work=NPR|title="Former President George H.W. Bush Dies At 94"|date=30 November 2018}}</ref> A [[Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush|state funeral]] was held at the [[Washington National Cathedral]].


When Agnew was being investigated for corruption, Bush assisted, at the request of Nixon and Agnew, in pressuring [[John Glenn Beall Jr.]], the U.S. Senator from [[Maryland]] to force his brother, [[George Beall (attorney)|George Beall]] the [[U.S. Attorney]] in Maryland, who was supervising the investigation into Agnew. Attorney Beall ignored the pressure.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/msnbc/maddow-bag-man-podcast/transcript-episode-4-turn-it-n935286|title=Transcript - Episode 4: Turn It Off|website=NBC News|access-date=January 30, 2020}}</ref>
Tributes and condolences were offered by former Presidents [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Bill Clinton]], [[George W. Bush]], and [[Barack Obama]], and then-current President [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/01/george-hw-bush-death-tributes-from-the-obamas-clintons-and-trumps.html |title=Tributes pour in for former president George HW Bush as state funeral preparations begin |first1=Javier E. |last1=David |first2=Kevin |last2=Breuninger |date=1 December 2018 |access-date=2 December 2018 |work=[[CNBC]] |publisher=[[NBCUniversal]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/12/01/672516694/presidents-react-to-george-h-w-s-bush-s-death?t=1543709980725 |title=Presidents And Former Colleagues React To George H.W. Bush's Death |first=Sasha |last=Ingber |date=1 December 2018 |access-date=2 December 2018 |work=[[NPR]]}}</ref> He [[Lying in state|lied in state]] in the [[United States Capitol]] and was buried next to his wife at the [[George Bush Presidential Library]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bush-expected-to-lie-in-state-in-us-capitol-in-line-with-tradition-trump-to-attend-funeral|title=George H.W. Bush to lie in state in US Capitol; Trump to attend funeral|last=Pergram|first=Chad|date=2018-12-01|work=Fox News|access-date=2018-12-02|language=en-US}}</ref>


During Bush's tenure at the RNC, the [[Watergate scandal]] emerged into public view; the scandal originated from the June 1972 break-in of the [[Democratic National Committee]], but also involved later efforts to cover up the break-in by Nixon and other members of the White House.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 163–164</ref> Bush initially defended Nixon steadfastly, but as Nixon's complicity became clear he focused more on defending the Republican Party.<ref name="ea" />
==Other names==
Since Bush had the same first and last names as his [[George W. Bush|son]], he was often called '''George H. W. Bush''' or '''George Bush Sr.''' ('''George Bush senior'''). Some people call him "41" or "Bush 41" because he was the 41st President.


Following the resignation of Vice President Agnew in 1973 for a scandal unrelated to Watergate, Bush was considered for the position of vice president, but the appointment instead went to [[Gerald Ford]].<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 166–167</ref> After the public release of an [[Nixon White House tapes|audio recording]] that confirmed that Nixon had plotted to use the CIA to cover up the Watergate break-in, Bush joined other party leaders in urging Nixon to resign.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 170–173</ref> When Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, Bush noted in his diary that "There was an aura of sadness, like somebody died... The [resignation] speech was vintage Nixon—a kick or two at the press—enormous strains. One couldn't help but look at the family and the whole thing and think of his accomplishments and then think of the shame... [President Gerald Ford's swearing-in offered] indeed a new spirit, a new lift."<ref name="bushdiary">{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060716/16bushonnixon_eye.htm |title=George HW on Nixon resignation |date=July 16, 2006 |access-date=March 29, 2008 |work=US News and World Report |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624230333/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060716/16bushonnixon_eye.htm |archive-date=June 24, 2008}}</ref>
== Comments on broccoli ==


=== Head of U.S. Liaison Office in China ===
In 1990, [[President of the United States]], George H. W. Bush, made a casual remark about [[broccoli]] (a vegetable), and said he would never eat it.{{Quote|I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid. And my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States. And I'm not gonna eat any more broccoli!|George H. W. Bush<ref>Original:[https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/president-bush-bashes-broccoli-28278899 (ABC News Archive)]</ref>|title=|source=}}
[[File:George Bush as United States Liaison to China, 1974-1975 - NARA - 186378.tif|thumb|upright=0.7|left|Bush as U.S. Liaison to China, {{circa|1975}}]]


Upon his ascension to the presidency, Ford [[1974 United States vice presidential confirmation|strongly considered]] Bush, [[Donald Rumsfeld]], and [[Nelson Rockefeller]] for the vacant position of vice president. Ford ultimately chose Nelson Rockefeller, partly because of the publication of a news report claiming that Bush's 1970 campaign had benefited from a secret fund set up by Nixon; Bush was later cleared of any suspicion by a special prosecutor.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 176–177</ref> Bush accepted appointment as Chief of the [[De facto embassy#China and the United States|U.S. Liaison Office]] in the People's Republic of China, making him the de facto ambassador to China.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bush |first1=George H. W. |editor-last1=Engel |editor-first1=Jeffrey A. |title=The China Diary of George H.W. Bush: The Making of a Global President |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRvdwoKQOgQC&pg=PA36 |date=2011 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-2961-3 |page=36}}</ref> According to biographer Jon Meacham, Bush's time in China convinced him that American engagement abroad was needed to ensure global stability, and that the United States "needed to be visible but not pushy, muscular but not domineering."<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 181</ref>
The President made this comment in 1990, shortly after a [[journalist]] from the U.S. News & World Report broke the story that Bush banned the vegetable from [[Air Force One]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dowd|first=Maureen|date=23 March 1990|title='I'm President,' So No More Broccoli! (Published 1990)|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/23/us/i-m-president-so-no-more-broccoli.html}}</ref> [[George S. Dunlop]], President of the [[United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association]], gave [[First Lady of the United States|First Lady]] [[Barbara Bush]] a [[bouquet]] of the vegetable an additional 10 [[ton]]s in [[truck]]s.<ref name="Lauter2"/><ref>{{Cite web|date=26 March 1990|title=Broccoli Presentation|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?11760-1/broccoli-presentation|access-date=8 October 2020|website=C-SPAN.org|language=en-us}}</ref>


=== Director of Central Intelligence ===
A few days afterwards, Bush hosted a state dinner to honor [[Tadeusz Mazowiecki]], the [[Prime Minister of Poland]], and journalists noted there was no broccoli on the menu, as most of the 10 tons of broccoli given to the President's family by the farmers had been [[Donation|donated]] to the [[Capital Area Food Bank]].<ref name="Lauter2"/><ref>{{Cite news|last=Carman|first=Tim|date=5 December 2018|title=As president, George H.W. Bush never wavered from his hard line on broccoli|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2018/12/05/as-president-george-h-w-bush-never-wavered-from-his-hard-line-on-broccoli/|access-date=8 October 2020}}</ref>
[[File:CIA Director George H.W. Bush listens at a meeting following the assassinations in Beirut, 1976 - NARA - 7064954.jpg|thumb|Bush, as CIA Director, listens at a meeting following the assassinations in Beirut of [[Francis E. Meloy Jr.]] and [[Robert O. Waring]], 1976.]]


In January 1976, Ford brought Bush back to Washington to become the [[Director of Central Intelligence]] (DCI), placing him in charge of the CIA.<ref name="ciabushinfo">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/todays-cia/george-bush-center-for-intelligence/index.html |title=The George Bush Center for Intelligence |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |date=April 5, 2007 |access-date=September 5, 2011}}</ref> In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal and the [[Vietnam War]], the CIA's reputation had been damaged for its role in various covert operations, and Bush was tasked with restoring the agency's morale and public reputation.<ref name="meachamcia">Meacham (2015), pp. 189–193</ref>{{efn|Biographer Jon Meacham writes that it was widely assumed at the time that Donald Rumsfeld had engineered Bush's appointment as CIA Director since the post was regarded as a "political graveyard". Meacham writes that it is more likely that the key factor in Bush's appointment was that Ford believed Bush would work better with Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]] than would [[Elliot Richardson]], his original pick for the CIA post.<ref name="meachamcia"/>}} During Bush's year in charge of the CIA, the U.S. national security apparatus actively supported [[Operation Condor]] operations and right-wing [[military dictatorship]]s in [[Latin America–United States relations|Latin America]].<ref>{{cite news |title=FIFA's Dirty Wars |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/146303/fifas-dirty-wars |work=The New Republic |date=December 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Quand Pinochet tuait hors du Chili |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/amerique-sud/quand-pinochet-tuait-hors-du-chili_491779.html |work=L'Express |date=October 30, 1999}}</ref> Meanwhile, Ford decided to drop Rockefeller from the ticket for the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 presidential election]]; he considered Bush as his running mate, but ultimately chose [[Bob Dole]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dowd |first1=Maureen |date=November 28, 1988 |title=Will Bush and Dole End Their Grand Old Rivalry? |page=A1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/28/us/will-bush-and-dole-end-their-grand-old-rivalry.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> In his capacity as DCI, Bush gave national security briefings to [[Jimmy Carter]] both as a presidential candidate and as president-elect.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/cia-briefings-of-presidential-candidates/cia-8.htm |title=CIA Briefings of Presidential Candidates; Chapter 5: In-Depth Discussions With Carter |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency: Center for the Study of Intelligence |access-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist|2}}


== 1980 presidential election ==
==External links==
[[File:Bush80.gif|thumb|right|1980 campaign logo]]
{{sister project links|George H. W. Bush}}
{{Further|Presidency of Jimmy Carter|Ronald Reagan 1980 presidential campaign|1980 Republican Party presidential primaries}}
* [http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/ Bush Presidential Library and Museum]
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgehwbush/ White House biography]
* {{gutenberg author|id=George+Bush |name=George Bush}} Note: Contains only Bush's 1990 State of the Union address
* {{CongBio|B001166}}
* {{CongLinks
| c-span = georgebush
| rose = 3592
| imdb = 0124132
| nyt = b/george_bush/
| wsj = B/george-hw-bush/5370
| guardian = world/george-bush-senior
| worldcat = lccn-n88-112497
| findagrave =
| retrieved =
}}
* [http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/bush Essays on Bush and His Administration] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516070910/http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/bush |date=2007-05-16 }}
* [http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-06-12/the-president-who-treated-me-like-a-son/ The President Who Treated Me Like A Son], brief memoir by his personal aide
* [http://digital.lib.uh.edu/u?/p15195coll6,224 Photographs of President George H. W. Bush shaking hands with Philip G. Hoffman at a University of Houston commencement ceremony.]{{Dead link|date=January 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* [http://americanpresidents.org/presidents/president.asp?PresidentNumber=40 George Bush]{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724135732/http://www.americanpresidents.org/presidents/president.asp?PresidentNumber=40 |date=2013-07-24 }} at [[C-SPAN]]'s ''American Presidents: Life Portraits''
* Bush, George H. W. and Jim McGrath. [http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/oral-history/george-bush.php George H. W. Bush Oral History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114224918/http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/oral-history/george-bush.php |date=2013-11-14 }} ([http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/oralhistory/id/121 Directory entry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418225441/http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/oralhistory/id/121 |date=2018-04-18 }}), Houston Oral History Project, July 2009. Houston Public Library Digital Archives.
* [http://video.pbs.org/video/979907571 The Presidents: George H.W. Bush] An American Experience Documentary


Bush's tenure at the CIA ended after Carter narrowly defeated Ford in the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 presidential election]]. Out of public office for the first time since the 1960s, Bush became chairman on the Executive Committee of the [[First International Bank]] in Houston.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.presidentialtimeline.org/html/timeline.php?id=41 |access-date=July 30, 2016 |publisher=Presidential Timeline of the Twentieth Century |title=George H. W. Bush |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503064357/http://www.presidentialtimeline.org/html/timeline.php?id=41 |archive-date=May 3, 2008}}</ref> He also spent a year as a part-time professor of Administrative Science at Rice University's [[Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business|Jones School of Business]],<ref name="kiev">{{cite web |url=http://kiev.usembassy.gov/files/georgehwbush_speech_May04_eng.html |title=President George H. W. Bush: Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University |date=May 21, 2004 |access-date=March 29, 2008 |publisher=Ukrainian Embassy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080519115716/http://kiev.usembassy.gov/files/georgehwbush_speech_May04_eng.html |archive-date=May 19, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> continued his membership in the [[Council on Foreign Relations]], and joined the [[Trilateral Commission]]. Meanwhile, he began to lay the groundwork for his candidacy in the [[1980 Republican Party presidential primaries]].<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 209–210</ref> In the 1980 Republican primary campaign, Bush faced Ronald Reagan, who was widely regarded as the front-runner, as well as other contenders like Senator [[Bob Dole]], Senator [[Howard Baker]], Texas Governor [[John Connally]], Congressman [[Phil Crane]], and Congressman [[John B. Anderson]].<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 211, 214–215</ref>
{{USPresidents}}
 
{{USVicePresidents}}
[[File:Reagan-Bush Nashua 1980 debate.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Ronald Reagan, moderator Jon Breen, and Bush participate in the Nashua, New Hampshire Presidential Debate, 1980]]
{{GHW Bush cabinet}}
Bush's campaign cast him as a youthful, "thinking man's candidate" who would emulate the pragmatic conservatism of President Eisenhower.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 215–217</ref> In the midst of the [[Soviet–Afghan War]], which brought an end to a period of détente, and the [[Iran hostage crisis]], in which 52 Americans were taken hostage, the campaign highlighted Bush's foreign policy experience.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 221–222</ref> At the outset of the race, Bush focused heavily on winning the January 21 [[Iowa caucuses]], making 31 visits to the state.<ref>{{cite news |last=Noble |first=Jason |date=November 30, 2018 |title=George H.W. Bush in Iowa: The family campaign |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2018/11/30/george-bush-died-iowa-caucuses-obituary/545814002/ |work=[[The Des Moines Register]] |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> He won a close victory in Iowa with 31.5% to Reagan's 29.4%. After the win, Bush stated that his campaign was full of momentum, or "[[the Big Mo]]",<ref>{{cite news |last=Quinn |first=Ken |date=January 18, 2004 |title=Caucus-goers gave Bush 'Big Mo' |page=A15 |work=Des Moines Register |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15854185/caucusgoers_gave_bush_big_mo/ | via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 1, 2018}} {{free access}}</ref> and Reagan reorganized his campaign.<ref name="senate" /> Partly in response to the Bush campaign's frequent questioning of Reagan's age (Reagan turned 69 in 1980), the Reagan campaign stepped up attacks on Bush, painting him as an elitist who was not truly committed to conservatism.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 228–229</ref> Prior to the [[New Hampshire primary]], Bush and Reagan agreed to a two-person debate, organized by ''[[The Telegraph (Nashua)|The Nashua Telegraph]]'' but paid for by the Reagan campaign.<ref name="senate" />
 
Days before the debate, Reagan announced that he would invite four other candidates to the debate; Bush, who had hoped that the one-on-one debate would allow him to emerge as the main alternative to Reagan in the primaries, refused to debate the other candidates. All six candidates took the stage, but Bush refused to speak in the presence of the other candidates. Ultimately, the other four candidates left the stage and the debate continued, but Bush's refusal to debate anyone other than Reagan badly damaged his campaign in New Hampshire.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 230–233</ref> He ended up decisively losing New Hampshire's primary to Reagan, winning just 23 percent of the vote.<ref name="senate" /> Bush revitalized his campaign with a victory in Massachusetts, but lost the next several primaries. As Reagan built up a commanding delegate lead, Bush refused to end his campaign, but the other candidates dropped out of the race.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 233–235</ref> Criticizing his more conservative rival's policy proposals, Bush famously labeled Reagan's [[supply-side economics|supply side]]-influenced plans for massive tax cuts as "[[Reaganomics|voodoo economics]]".<ref>{{cite news |last=Neikirk |first=William R. |date=March 13, 1988 |title=Bush conjures up voodoo economics |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-03-13-8802290552-story.html |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> Though he favored lower taxes, Bush feared that dramatic reductions in taxation would lead to deficits and, in turn, cause inflation.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 211–212</ref>
 
[[File:ElectoralCollege1980.svg|right|thumb|upright=1.3|The Reagan-Bush ticket won the 1980 presidential election with 50.7% of the popular vote and a large majority of the electoral vote]]
 
After Reagan clinched a majority of delegates in late May, Bush reluctantly dropped out of the race.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 236–238</ref> At the [[1980 Republican National Convention]], Reagan made the last-minute decision to select Bush as his vice presidential nominee after negotiations with Ford regarding a Reagan-Ford ticket collapsed.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cannon |first1=Lou |last2=Broder |first2=David S. |date=July 17, 1980 |title=Reagan Nominated, Picks Bush |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/07/17/reagan-nominated-picks-bush/a1badab9-a12b-4e7f-86a2-1bde75e03346/ |work=The Washington Post |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> Though Reagan had resented many of the Bush campaign's attacks during the primary campaign, and several conservative leaders had actively opposed Bush's nomination, Reagan ultimately decided that Bush's popularity with moderate Republicans made him the best and safest pick. Bush, who had believed his political career might be over following the primaries, eagerly accepted the position and threw himself into campaigning for the Reagan-Bush ticket.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 242–255</ref> The 1980 general election campaign between Reagan and Carter was conducted amid a multitude of domestic concerns and the ongoing Iran hostage crisis, and Reagan sought to focus the race on Carter's handling of the economy.<ref>Rossinow (2015), pp. 23–27</ref> Though the race was widely regarded as a close contest for most of the campaign, Reagan ultimately won over the large majority of undecided voters.<ref>Rossinow (2015), pp. 27–28</ref> Reagan took 50.7 percent of the popular vote and 489 of the 538 electoral votes, while Carter won 41% of the popular vote and John Anderson, running as an independent candidate, won 6.6% of the popular vote.<ref>Patterson (2005), pp. 149–151</ref>
 
== Vice Presidency (1981–1989) ==
{{Further|Presidency of Ronald Reagan|Reagan Era}}
[[File:George H. W. Bush vice presidential portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|Official portrait of Vice President Bush (1981)]]
As vice president, Bush generally maintained a low profile, recognizing the constitutional limits of the office; he avoided decision-making or criticizing Reagan in any way. This approach helped him earn Reagan's trust, easing tensions left over from their earlier rivalry.<ref name="senate"/> Bush also generally enjoyed a good relationship with Reagan staffers, including his close friend Jim Baker, who served as Reagan's initial chief of staff.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 267</ref> His understanding of the vice presidency was heavily influenced by Vice President [[Walter Mondale]], who enjoyed a strong relationship with President Carter in part because of his ability to avoid confrontations with senior staff and Cabinet members, and by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller's difficult relationship with some members of the White House staff during the Ford administration.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 264–265</ref> The Bushes attended a large number of public and ceremonial events in their positions, including many [[state funeral]]s, which became a common joke for comedians. As the [[President of the U.S. Senate|President of the Senate]], Bush also stayed in contact with members of Congress and kept the president informed on occurrences on Capitol Hill.<ref name="senate">{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/george_bush.pdf |title=Vice Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1981–1989) |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |author=Hatfield, Mark (with the Senate Historical Office) |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20031223102338/https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/george_bush.pdf|archive-date = December 23, 2003|location=Washington, D.C. |year=1997 |access-date=November 4, 2015}}</ref>
 
=== First term ===
[[File:Photograph of the Official Portrait of President Reagan and Vice-President Bush - NARA - 198518.jpg|thumb|President [[Ronald Reagan]] with Bush]]
[[File:C17903-4.jpg|thumb|left|Reagan and Bush in a meeting to discuss the [[United States invasion of Grenada|United States' invasion of Grenada]] with a group of bipartisan members of [[United States Congress|Congress]] in October 1983]]
On March 30, 1981, while Bush was in Texas, [[Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|Reagan was shot]] and seriously wounded by [[John Hinckley Jr.]] Bush immediately flew back to Washington D.C.; when his plane landed, his aides advised him to proceed directly to the White House by helicopter in order to show that the government was still functioning.<ref name="senate" /> Bush rejected the idea, as he feared that such a dramatic scene risked giving the impression that he sought to usurp Reagan's powers and prerogatives.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 275–277</ref> During Reagan's short period of incapacity, Bush presided over Cabinet meetings, met with congressional leaders and foreign leaders, and briefed reporters, but he consistently rejected the possibility of invoking the [[Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twenty-fifth Amendment]].<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 280–281</ref> Bush's handling of the attempted assassination and its aftermath made a positive impression on Reagan, who recovered and returned to work within two weeks of the shooting. From then on, the two men would have regular Thursday lunches in the [[Oval Office]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |date=June 9, 2004 |title=The 40th President: Between 2 First Families, A Complicated Rapport |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/09/us/40th-president-presidential-relations-between-2-first-families-complicated.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref>
 
Bush was assigned by Reagan to chair two special task forces, one on [[deregulation]] and one on international drug smuggling. Both were popular issues with conservatives, and Bush, largely a moderate, began courting them through his work. The deregulation task force reviewed hundreds of rules, making specific recommendations on which ones to amend or revise, in order to curb the size of the federal government.<ref name="senate" /> The Reagan administration's deregulation push had a strong impact on broadcasting, finance, resource extraction, and other economic activities, and the administration eliminated numerous government positions.<ref>Leuchtenberg (2015), pp. 601–604</ref> Bush also oversaw the administration's national security crisis management organization, which had traditionally been the responsibility of the [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]].<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 267–268</ref> In 1983, Bush toured [[Western Europe]] as part of the Reagan administration's ultimately successful efforts to convince skeptical [[NATO]] allies to support the deployment of [[Pershing II]] missiles.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 285–287</ref>
 
Reagan's approval ratings fell after his first year in office, but they bounced back when the United States began to emerge from recession in 1983.<ref>Leuchtenberg (2015), pp. 620–621</ref> Former Vice President Walter Mondale was nominated by the Democratic Party in the [[1984 United States presidential election|1984 presidential election]]. Down in the polls, Mondale [[Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection, 1984|selected]] Congresswoman [[Geraldine Ferraro]] as his running mate in hopes of galvanizing support for his campaign, thus making Ferraro the first female major party vice presidential nominee in U.S. history.<ref>Rossinow (2015), pp. 166–169, 173</ref> She and Bush squared off in [[United States vice-presidential debate, 1984|a single televised vice presidential debate]].<ref name="senate" /> Public opinion polling consistently showed a Reagan lead in the 1984 campaign, and Mondale was unable to shake up the race.<ref>Rossinow (2015), p. 173</ref> In the end, Reagan won re-election, winning 49 of 50 states and receiving 59% of the popular vote to Mondale's 41%.<ref name="84 results">{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1984|title=1984 Presidential Election Results|publisher=David Leip|access-date=May 25, 2007}}</ref>
 
=== Second term ===
[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush meet with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on Governor's Island New York.jpg|thumb|Vice President Bush standing with President [[Ronald Reagan]] and Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] on the New York City waterfront in 1988]]
 
[[Mikhail Gorbachev]] came to power in the Soviet Union in 1985. Rejecting the ideologically rigidity of his three elderly sick predecessors, Gorbachev insisted on urgently needed economic and political reforms called "glasnost" (openness) and "perestroika" (restructuring).<ref>Herring (2008), p. 894</ref> At the 1987 [[Washington Summit (1987)|Washington Summit]], Gorbachev and Reagan signed the [[Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty]], which committed both signatories to the total abolition of their respective short-range and medium-range missile stockpiles.<ref>Patterson (2005), p. 215</ref> The treaty marked the beginning of a new era of trade, openness, and cooperation between the two powers.<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 897–898</ref> President Reagan and Secretary of State [[George Shultz]] took the lead in these negotiations, but Bush sat in on many meetings. Bush did not agree with many of the Reagan policies, but he did tell Gorbachev that he would seek to continue improving relations if he succeeded Reagan.<ref>Greene, p. 90.</ref><ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 315–316</ref> On July 13, 1985, Bush became the first vice president to serve as [[Acting President of the United States|acting president]] when Reagan underwent surgery to remove [[polyp (medicine)|polyps]] from his [[Large intestine|colon]]; Bush served as the acting president for approximately eight hours.<ref>{{cite news |last=Boyd |first=Gerald M. |date=July 14, 1985 |title=Reagan Transfers Power to Bush For 8-Hour Period of 'Incapacity' |page=A1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/14/us/reagan-transfers-power-to-bush-for-8-hour-period-of-incapacity.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref>
 
In 1986, the Reagan administration was shaken by a scandal when it was revealed that administration officials had secretly arranged weapon sales to Iran during the [[Iran–Iraq War]]. The officials had used the proceeds to fund the [[Contras|Contra]] rebels in their fight against the leftist [[Sandinista National Liberation Front|Sandinista]] government in [[Nicaragua]]. Democrats had passed a law that appropriated funds could not be used to help the Contras. Instead the administration used non-appropriated funds from the sales.<ref name="senate"/> When news of affair broke to the media, Bush stated that he had been "out of the loop" and unaware of the diversion of funds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB210/index.htm |title=The Iran-Contra Affair 20 Years On |date=November 20, 2006 |access-date=April 3, 2008 |publisher=George Washington University}}</ref> Biographer Jon Meacham writes that "no evidence was ever produced proving Bush was aware of the diversion to the contras," but he criticizes Bush's "out of the loop" characterization, writing that the "record is clear that Bush was aware that the United States, in contravention of its own stated policy, was trading arms for hostages".<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 299–305</ref> The [[Iran–Contra scandal]], as it became known, did serious damage to the Reagan presidency, raising questions about Reagan's competency.<ref>Rossinow (2015), pp. 202–204</ref> Congress established the [[Tower Commission]] to investigate the scandal, and, at Reagan's request, a panel of federal judges appointed [[Lawrence Walsh]] as a [[United States Office of the Independent Counsel|special prosecutor]] charged with investigating the Iran–Contra scandal.<ref>Patterson (2005), pp. 210–211</ref> The investigations continued after Reagan left office and, though Bush was never charged with a crime, the Iran–Contra scandal would remain a political liability for him.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 305</ref>
 
On July 3, 1988, the guided missile cruiser {{USS|Vincennes|CG-49|6}} accidentally shot down [[Iran Air Flight 655]], killing 290 passengers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/11/08/when-should-a-president-say-hes-sorry/ |title=When should a president say he's sorry? |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=November 8, 2013 |first=Scott |last=Wilson}}</ref> Bush, then-vice president, defended his country at the UN by arguing that the U.S. attack had been a wartime incident and the crew of ''Vincennes'' had acted appropriately to the situation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEED91731F936A25754C0A96E948260|title=Iran Falls Short in Drive at U.N. To Condemn U.S. in Airbus Case|last=Butterfield|first=Fox|date=April 15, 1988|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>
 
=== 1988 presidential election ===
{{Main|George H. W. Bush 1988 presidential campaign|1988 Republican Party presidential primaries}}
[[File:Bushquayle1988.gif|thumb|1988 Campaign logo]]
[[File:Gwbush1988stl.jpg|thumb|[[John Ashcroft]] and Vice President Bush campaign in St. Louis, Missouri, 1988]]
 
Bush began planning for a presidential run after the 1984 election, and he officially entered the [[1988 Republican Party presidential primaries]] in October 1987.<ref name="senate" /> He put together a campaign led by Reagan staffer [[Lee Atwater]], and which also included his son, George W. Bush, and media consultant [[Roger Ailes]].<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 295–296</ref> Though he had moved to the right during his time as vice president, endorsing a [[Human Life Amendment]] and repudiating his earlier comments on "voodoo economics," Bush still faced opposition from many conservatives in the Republican Party.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 297–298</ref> His major rivals for the Republican nomination were Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole of [[Kansas]], Congressman [[Jack Kemp]] of New York, and Christian [[televangelist]] [[Pat Robertson]].<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 30–31</ref> Reagan did not publicly endorse any candidate, but he privately expressed support for Bush.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 318, 326</ref>
 
Though considered the early front-runner for the nomination, Bush came in third in the [[Iowa caucuses|Iowa caucus]], behind Dole and Robertson.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2DC143CF933A25751C0A96E948260|title=Bush and Simon Seen as Hobbled by Iowa's Voting|date=February 10, 1988|access-date=April 4, 2008|work=The New York Times | first=R. W. | last=Apple Jr}}</ref> Much as Reagan had done in 1980, Bush reorganized his staff and concentrated on the [[New Hampshire]] primary.<ref name="senate"/> With help from Governor [[John H. Sununu]] and an effective campaign attacking Dole for raising taxes, Bush overcame an initial polling deficit and won New Hampshire with 39 percent of the vote.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 322–325</ref> After Bush won South Carolina and 16 of the 17 states holding a primary on [[Super Tuesday]], his competitors dropped out of the race.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 35–37</ref>
 
Bush, occasionally criticized for his lack of eloquence when compared to Reagan, delivered a well-received speech at the Republican convention. Known as the "[[thousand points of light]]" speech, it described Bush's vision of America: he endorsed the [[Pledge of Allegiance (United States)|Pledge of Allegiance]], [[school prayer|prayer in schools]], [[Capital punishment in the United States|capital punishment]], and [[Right to keep and bear arms in the United States|gun rights]].<ref name="npr">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/news/national/election2000/conventions/past.bushsenior.html|title=1988: George H. W. Bush Gives the 'Speech of his Life'|publisher=NPR|year=2000|access-date=April 4, 2008}}</ref> Bush also [[Read my lips: no new taxes|pledged that he would not raise taxes]], stating: "Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I'll say no, and they'll push, and I'll say no, and they'll push again. And all I can say to them is: read my lips. No new taxes."<ref>Greene (2015), p. 43</ref> Bush [[Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection, 1988|selected]] little-known Senator [[Dan Quayle]] of [[Indiana]] as his running mate. Though Quayle had compiled an unremarkable record in Congress, he was popular among many conservatives, and the campaign hoped that Quayle's youth would appeal to younger voters.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 40–41</ref>
 
[[File:ElectoralCollege1988.svg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|Bush won the 1988 presidential election with 53.4% of the popular vote and a large majority of the electoral vote]]
 
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party nominated Governor [[Michael Dukakis]], who was known for presiding over an economic turnaround in Massachusetts.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 37–39</ref> Leading in the general election polls against Bush, Dukakis ran an ineffective, low-risk campaign.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 39, 47</ref> The Bush campaign attacked Dukakis as an unpatriotic liberal extremist and seized on the [[Willie Horton]] case, in which a convicted felon from Massachusetts raped a woman while on a [[prison furlough]], a program Dukakis supported as governor. The Bush campaign charged that Dukakis presided over a "[[revolving door]]" that allowed dangerous convicted felons to leave prison.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 44–46</ref> Dukakis damaged his own campaign with a widely mocked ride in an [[M1 Abrams]] tank and a poor performance at the second presidential debate.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 47–49</ref> Bush also attacked Dukakis for opposing a law that would require all students to recite the [[Pledge of Allegiance]].<ref name="npr" /> The election is widely considered to have had a high level of negative campaigning, though political scientist John Geer has argued that the share of negative ads was in line with previous presidential elections.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 347–348</ref>
 
Bush defeated Dukakis by a margin of 426 to 111 in the [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]], and he took 53.4 percent of the national popular vote.<ref>{{cite web|title=1988 Presidential General Election Results|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1988|website=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|access-date=May 21, 2018}}</ref> Bush ran well in all the major regions of the country, but especially in the [[Southern United States|South]].<ref>Greene (2015), p. 49</ref> He became the first sitting vice president to be elected president since [[Martin Van Buren]] in [[1836 United States presidential election|1836]] and the first person to succeed a president from his own party via election since [[Herbert Hoover]] in [[Inauguration of Herbert Hoover|1929]].<ref name="senate"/>{{efn|The 1988 presidential election remains the only presidential election since 1948 in which either party won a third consecutive term.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Silver |first1=Nate |title=The White House Is Not a Metronome |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-white-house-is-not-a-metronome/ |work=FiveThirtyEight |date=July 18, 2013}}</ref>}} In the concurrent [[1988 United States elections|congressional elections]], Democrats retained control of both houses of Congress.<ref>Patterson (2005), pp. 224–225</ref>
 
== Presidency (1989–1993) ==
{{Main|Presidency of George H. W. Bush}}
{{for timeline|Timeline of the George H. W. Bush presidency}}
[[File:George H. W. Bush inauguration.jpg|thumb|Chief Justice [[William Rehnquist]] administers the Presidential Oath of Office to George H. W. Bush]]
 
Bush was [[Inauguration of George H. W. Bush|inaugurated]] on January 20, 1989, succeeding Ronald Reagan. In his inaugural address, Bush said:
{{Quote | style=font-size: 100%; |I come before you and assume the Presidency at a moment rich with promise. We live in a peaceful, prosperous time, but we can make it better. For a new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn; for in man's heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient, lifeless tree. A new breeze is blowing, and a nation refreshed by freedom stands ready to push on. There is new ground to be broken, and new action to be taken.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/papers/1989/89012000.html |title=George H. W. Bush: Inaugural Address |website=Bushlibrary.tamu.edu |date=January 20, 1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040420073736/http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/papers/1989/89012000.html |archive-date=April 20, 2004}}</ref>}}
 
Bush's first major appointment was that of [[James Baker]] as Secretary of State.<ref name="greene5355">Greene (2015), pp. 53–55</ref> Leadership of the Department of Defense went to [[Dick Cheney]], who had previously served as Gerald Ford's chief of staff and would later serve as vice president under his son George W. Bush.<ref>Naftali (2007), pp. 69–70</ref> Jack Kemp joined the administration as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, while [[Elizabeth Dole]], the wife of Bob Dole and a former Secretary of Transportation, became the Secretary of Labor under Bush.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 56–57</ref> Bush retained several Reagan officials, including Secretary of the Treasury [[Nicholas F. Brady]], Attorney General [[Dick Thornburgh]], and Secretary of Education [[Lauro Cavazos]].<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 55–56</ref> New Hampshire Governor John Sununu, a strong supporter of Bush during the 1988 campaign, became chief of staff.<ref name="greene5355"/> [[Brent Scowcroft]] was appointed as the [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]], a role he had also held under Ford.<ref>Naftali (2007), pp. 66–67</ref>
 
=== Foreign affairs ===
{{main|Foreign policy of the George H. W. Bush administration}}
 
==== End of the Cold War ====
{{Further|Revolutions of 1989|Dissolution of the Soviet Union}}
[[File:Deutschland Bundeslaender 1957.svg|thumb|left|upright|Map showing the division of [[East Germany|East]] and [[West Germany]] until 1990, with [[Berlin]] in yellow.]]
 
During the first year of his tenure, Bush put a pause on Reagan's détente policy toward the USSR.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 110–112</ref> Bush and his advisers were initially divided on Gorbachev; some administration officials saw him as a democratic reformer, but others suspected him of trying to make the minimum changes necessary to restore the Soviet Union to a competitive position with the United States.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 368–369</ref> In 1989, all the Communist governments collapsed in Eastern Europe. Gorbachev declined to send in the Soviet military, effectively abandoning the [[Brezhnev Doctrine]]. The U.S. was not directly involved in these upheavals, but the Bush administration avoided gloating over the demise of the [[Eastern Bloc]] to avoid undermining further democratic reforms.<ref name="herring904906">Herring (2008), pp. 904–906</ref>
 
Bush and Gorbachev met at the [[Malta Summit]] in December 1989. Though many on the right remained wary of Gorbachev, Bush came away with the belief that Gorbachev would negotiate in good faith.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 385–387</ref> For the remainder of his term, Bush sought cooperative relations with Gorbachev, believing that he was the key to peace.<ref>Naftali (2007), pp. 91–93</ref> The primary issue at the Malta Summit was the potential [[German reunification|reunification of Germany]]. While Britain and France were wary of a re-unified Germany, Bush joined West German Chancellor [[Helmut Kohl]] in pushing for German reunification.<ref name="heilbrunn">{{cite news|last1=Heilbrunn|first1=Jacob|title=Together Again|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/31/books/together-again.html|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=New York Times|date=March 31, 1996}}</ref> Bush believed that a reunified Germany would serve American interests.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 400–402</ref> After extensive negotiations, Gorbachev agreed to allow a reunified Germany to be a part of NATO, and Germany officially reunified in October 1990 after paying billions of marks to Moscow.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 126, 134–137</ref>
 
[[File:Bush Gorba P15623-25A.jpg|thumb|Bush and [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] at the [[Helsinki Summit (1990)|Helsinki Summit]] in 1990]]
 
Gorbachev used force to suppress nationalist movements within the Soviet Union itself.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 120–121</ref> A crisis in Lithuania left Bush in a difficult position, as he needed Gorbachev's cooperation in the reunification of Germany and feared that the collapse of the Soviet Union could leave nuclear arms in dangerous hands. The Bush administration mildly protested Gorbachev's suppression of Lithuania's independence movement, but took no action to directly intervene.<ref>Herring (2008), p. 907</ref> Bush warned independence movements of the disorder that could come with secession from the Soviet Union; in a 1991 address that critics labeled the "[[Chicken Kiev speech]]", he cautioned against "suicidal nationalism".<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 907, 913–914</ref> In July 1991, Bush and Gorbachev signed the [[START I|Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I)]] treaty, in which both countries agreed to cut their strategic nuclear weapons by 30 percent.<ref>Greene (2015), p. 204</ref>
 
[[File:USSR Republics numbered by alphabet.svg|thumb|upright=1.2|In 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved into fifteen independent republics, including Russia (labeled 11)]]
 
In August 1991, hard-line Communists launched a [[1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt|coup]] against Gorbachev; while the coup quickly fell apart, it broke the remaining power of Gorbachev and the central Soviet government.<ref>Naftali (2007), pp. 137–138</ref> Later that month, Gorbachev resigned as [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|general secretary of the Communist party]], and Russian president [[Boris Yeltsin]] ordered the seizure of Soviet property. Gorbachev clung to power as the [[President of the Soviet Union]] until December 1991, when the Soviet Union [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolved]].<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 205–206</ref> [[Post-Soviet states|Fifteen states]] emerged from the Soviet Union, and of those states, [[Russia]] was the largest and most populous. Bush and Yeltsin met in February 1992, declaring a new era of "friendship and partnership".<ref name="mwines1">{{cite news|last1=Wines|first1=Michael|title=Bush and Yeltsn Declare Formal End to Cold War; Agree to Exchange Visits|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/02/world/bush-and-yeltsin-declare-formal-end-to-cold-war-agree-to-exchange-visits.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=August 24, 2016|newspaper=New York Times|date=February 2, 1992}}</ref> In January 1993, Bush and Yeltsin agreed to [[START II]], which provided for further nuclear arms reductions on top of the original START treaty.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 238–239</ref> The collapse of the Soviet Union prompted reflections on the future of the world following the end of the Cold War; one political scientist, [[Francis Fukuyama]], speculated that humanity had reached the "[[end of history]]" in that liberal, capitalist democracy had permanently triumphed over Communism and [[fascism]].<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 917–918</ref> Meanwhile, the collapse of the Soviet Union and other Communist governments led to [[post-Soviet conflicts]] in [[Central Europe]], Eastern Europe, [[Central Asia]], and Africa that would continue long after Bush left office.<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 920–921</ref>
 
==== Invasion of Panama ====
{{Main|United States invasion of Panama}}
 
During the 1980s, the U.S. had provided aid to [[Panama]]nian leader [[Manuel Noriega]], an anti-Communist dictator who engaged in drug trafficking. In May 1989, Noriega annulled the results of a democratic presidential election in which [[Guillermo Endara]] had been elected. Bush objected to the annulment of the election and worried about the status of the [[Panama Canal]] with Noriega still in office.<ref name="patterson226227">Patterson (2005), pp. 226–227</ref> Bush dispatched 2,000 soldiers to the country, where they began conducting regular military exercises in violation of prior treaties.<ref name="rutgers">{{cite web|url=http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~hbf/panama.htm|title=Panama: Background and Buildup to Invasion of 1989|access-date=April 11, 2008|author=Franklin, Jane|year=2001|publisher=Rutgers University}}</ref> After a U.S. serviceman was shot by Panamanian forces in December 1989, Bush ordered the [[United States invasion of Panama]], known as "Operation Just Cause". The invasion was the first large-scale American military operation in more than 40 years that was not related to the Cold War. American forces quickly took control of the Panama Canal Zone and [[Panama City]]. Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990, and was quickly transported to a prison in the United States. Twenty-three Americans died in the operation, while another 394 were wounded. Noriega was convicted and imprisoned on racketeering and drug trafficking charges in April 1992.<ref name="patterson226227"/> Historian Stewart Brewer argues that the invasion "represented a new era in American foreign policy" because Bush did not justify the invasion under the [[Monroe Doctrine]] or the threat of Communism, but rather on the grounds that it was in the best interests of the United States.<ref>{{cite book|author=Stewart Brewer|title=Borders and Bridges: A History of U.S.-Latin American Relations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HPod9HcYUJ4C&pg=PA146|year=2006|publisher=Greenwood |page=146|isbn=9780275982041}}</ref>
 
==== Gulf War ====
{{Main|Gulf War}}
[[File:Iraq Kuwait Locator.svg|thumb|Iraq (green) invaded Kuwait (orange) in 1990]]
 
Faced with massive debts and low oil prices in the aftermath of the [[Iran–Iraq War]], Iraqi leader [[Saddam Hussein]] decided to conquer the country of [[Kuwait]], a small, oil-rich country situated on Iraq's southern border.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 139–141</ref> After Iraq [[Invasion of Kuwait|invaded]] Kuwait in August 1990, Bush imposed [[Sanctions against Iraq|economic sanctions]] on Iraq and assembled a [[Coalition of the Gulf War|multi-national coalition]] opposed to the invasion.<ref name="patterson230232">Patterson (2005), pp. 230–232</ref> The administration feared that a failure to respond to the invasion would embolden Hussein to attack [[Saudi Arabia]] or Israel, and wanted to discourage other countries from similar aggression.<ref>Herring (2008), pp. 908–909</ref> Bush also wanted to ensure continued access to oil, as Iraq and Kuwait collectively accounted for 20 percent of the world's oil production, and Saudi Arabia produced another 26 percent of the world's oil supply.<ref>Patterson (2005), p. 233</ref>
 
At Bush's insistence, in November 1990, the [[United Nations Security Council]] approved a resolution authorizing the use of force if Iraq did not withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991.<ref>Patterson (2005), p. 232</ref> Gorbachev's support, as well as China's abstention, helped ensure passage of the UN resolution.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 146–147, 159</ref> Bush convinced Britain, France, and other nations to commit soldiers to an operation against Iraq, and he won important financial backing from Germany, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the [[United Arab Emirates]].<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 149–151</ref> In January 1991, Bush asked Congress to approve a joint resolution authorizing a war against Iraq.<ref name="patterson232233">Patterson (2005), pp. 232–233</ref> Bush believed that the UN resolution had already provided him with the necessary authorization to launch a military operation against Iraq, but he wanted to show that the nation was united behind a military action.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 160–161</ref> Despite the opposition of a majority of Democrats in both the House and the Senate, Congress approved the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 1991]].<ref name="patterson232233"/>
 
[[File:President Bush meets with General Colin Powell, General Scowcroft, Secretary James Baker, Vice President Quayle... - NARA - 186429.tif|thumb|Bush meets with [[Robert Gates]], General [[Colin Powell]], Secretary [[Dick Cheney]] and others about the situation in the Persian Gulf]]
 
After the January 15 deadline passed without an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, U.S. and coalition forces began a conducted a bombing campaign that devastated Iraq's power grid and communications network, and resulted in the desertion of about 100,000 Iraqi soldiers. In retaliation, Iraq launched [[Scud]] missiles at Israel and Saudi Arabia, but most of the missiles did little damage. On February 23, coalition forces began a ground invasion into Kuwait, evicting Iraqi forces by the end of February 27. About 300 Americans, as well as approximately 65 soldiers from other coalition nations, died during the military action.<ref>Patterson (2005), pp. 233–235</ref> A cease fire was arranged on March 3, and the UN passed a resolution establishing a [[United Nations Iraq–Kuwait Observation Mission|peacekeeping force]] in a demilitarized zone between Kuwait and Iraq.<ref>Greene (2015), p. 165</ref> A March 1991 [[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] poll showed that Bush had an approval rating of 89 percent, the highest presidential approval rating in the history of Gallup polling.<ref>Waterman (1996), p. 337</ref> After 1991, the UN maintained economic sanctions against Iraq, and the [[United Nations Special Commission]] was assigned to ensure that Iraq did not revive its [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction program]].<ref>Patterson (2005), p. 236</ref>
 
==== NAFTA ====
{{Main|North American Free Trade Agreement}}
[[File:Nafta.jpg|thumb|From left to right: (standing) President [[Carlos Salinas]], President Bush, Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]]; (seated) [[Jaime Serra Puche]], [[Carla Hills]], and [[Michael Wilson (Canadian politician)|Michael Wilson]] at the NAFTA Initialing Ceremony, October 1992]]
 
In 1987, the U.S. and Canada had reached a [[free trade agreement]] that eliminated many tariffs between the two countries. President Reagan had intended it as the first step towards a larger trade agreement to eliminate most tariffs among the United States, Canada, and [[Mexico]].<ref>Wilentz (2008), pp. 313–314</ref> The Bush administration, along with the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] [[Canadian Prime Minister]] [[Brian Mulroney]], spearheaded the negotiations of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA) with Mexico. In addition to lowering tariffs, the proposed treaty would affect patents, copyrights, and trademarks.<ref name="fedex">{{cite web|url=http://www.fedex.com/us/customersupport/ftn/faq/nafta.html?link=4 |publisher=Federal Express|title=Frequently Asked Questions: NAFTA|access-date=April 11, 2008}}</ref> In 1991, Bush sought [[Fast track (trade)|fast track]] authority, which grants the president the power to submit an international trade agreement to Congress without the possibility of amendment. Despite congressional opposition led by House Majority Leader [[Dick Gephardt]], both houses of Congress voted to grant Bush fast track authority. NAFTA was signed in December 1992, after Bush lost re-election,<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 222–223</ref> but President Clinton won ratification of NAFTA in 1993.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/nafta.html|title=NAFTA|publisher=Duke University|access-date=July 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420094150/http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/nafta.html |archive-date=April 20, 2008}}</ref> NAFTA remains controversial for its impact on wages, jobs, and overall economic growth.<ref name="jzarroli">{{cite news|last1=Zarroli|first1=Jim|title=NAFTA Turns 20, To Mixed Reviews|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/12/08/249570005/nafta-turns-20-to-mixed-reviews|access-date=August 24, 2016|publisher=NPR|date=December 8, 2013}}</ref>
 
=== Domestic affairs ===
==== Economy and fiscal issues ====
 
The U.S. economy had generally performed well since emerging from [[Early 1980s recession in the United States|recession in late 1982]], but it slipped into a mild [[Early 1990s recession in the United States|recession in 1990]]. The unemployment rate rose from 5.9 percent in 1989 to a high of 7.8 percent in mid-1991.<ref name="Accepting the Harsh Truth Of a Blue-Collar Recession, New York Times, Dec. 25, 1991">[https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/25/business/accepting-the-harsh-truth-of-a-blue-collar-recession.html Accepting the Harsh Truth Of a Blue-Collar Recession], ''New York Times'' (Archives), Steve Lohr, December 25, 1991.</ref><ref name="Blue-collar Towns Have Highest Jobless Numbers, Hartford Courant, Sept. 1, 1991">[http://articles.courant.com/1991-09-01/business/0000212544_1_white-collar-unemployment-aetna-life Blue-collar Towns Have Highest Jobless Numbers], ''Hartford Courant'' [Connecticut], W. Joseph Campbell, September 1, 1991.</ref> Large [[United States public debt|federal deficits]], spawned during the Reagan years, rose from $152.1&nbsp;billion in 1989<ref>{{cite news| last=Redburn| first=Tom| title=Budget Deficit for 1989 Is Put at $152.1 Billion : Spending: Congress and the White House remain locked in a stalemate over a capital gains tax cut| date=October 28, 1989| url=https://articles.latimes.com/1989-10-28/news/mn-697_1_capital-gains-tax-cut| work=[[Los Angeles Times]]| access-date=June 7, 2018}}</ref> to $220&nbsp;billion for 1990;<ref name=NYT10-27-90>{{cite news| last=Uchitelle| first=Louis| title=The Struggle in Congress; U.S. Deficit for 1990 Surged to Near-Record $220.4 Billion, but How Bad Is That?| date=October 27, 1990| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/27/us/struggle-congress-us-deficit-for-1990-surged-near-record-220.4-billion-but-bad.html| work=[[The New York Times]]| access-date=June 7, 2018}}</ref> the $220 billion deficit represented a threefold increase since 1980.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 72–73</ref> As the public became increasingly concerned about the economy and other domestic affairs, Bush's well-received handling of foreign affairs became less of an issue for most voters.<ref>Waterman (1996), pp. 340–341</ref> Bush's top domestic priority was to bring an end to federal budget deficits, which he saw as a liability for the country's long-term economic health and standing in the world.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 360–361</ref> As he was opposed to major defense spending cuts<ref>Patterson (2005), pp. 228–229</ref> and had pledged to not raise taxes, the president had major difficulties in balancing the budget.<ref name="millercenterdomesticaffairs">{{cite web|url=http://millercenter.org/president/biography/bush-domestic-affairs|title=George H. W. Bush: Domestic Affairs|publisher=Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia|access-date=January 18, 2017|date=October 4, 2016}}</ref>
 
Bush and congressional leaders agreed to avoid major changes to the budget for [[fiscal year#United States|fiscal year]] 1990, which began in October 1989. However, both sides knew that spending cuts or new taxes would be necessary in the following year's budget in order to avoid the draconian automatic domestic spending cuts required by the [[Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act]] of 1987.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 95–97</ref> Bush and other leaders also wanted to cut deficits because Federal Reserve Chair [[Alan Greenspan]] refused to lower interest rates, and thus stimulate economic growth, unless the federal budget deficit was reduced.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 409–410</ref> In a statement released in late June 1990, Bush said that he would be open to a deficit reduction program which included spending cuts, incentives for economic growth, budget process reform, as well as tax increases.<ref>{{cite news| last1=Balz| first1=Dan| last2=Yang| first2=John E.| title=Bush Abandons Campaign Pledge, Calls for New Taxes| date=June 27, 1990| work=The Washington Post| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/06/27/bush-abandons-campaign-pledge-calls-for-new-taxes/a7ea302f-cecb-43b0-8d8e-5009bc294ee3/?noredirect=on| access-date=June 7, 2018}}</ref> To [[Fiscal conservatism|fiscal conservatives]] in the Republican Party, Bush's statement represented a betrayal, and they heavily criticized him for compromising so early in the negotiations.<ref>{{cite book |last=Heclo |first=Hugh |editor1-last=Nelson |editor1-first=Michael |editor2-last=Perry |editor2-first=Barbara A. |title=41: Inside the Presidency of George H. W. Bush |publisher=Cornell University Press |date=2014 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/41insidepresiden00unse/page/68 68–69] |chapter=Chapter 2: George Bush and American Conservatism |isbn=978-0-8014-7927-4 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eR35AgAAQBAJ&q=%22Conservatives+began+to+smell+betrayal+in+the+Washington+air%22&pg=PA68 |url=https://archive.org/details/41insidepresiden00unse/page/68 }}</ref>
 
In September 1990, Bush and Congressional Democrats announced a compromise to cut funding for mandatory and discretionary programs while also raising revenue, partly through a higher gas tax. The compromise additionally included a [[PAYGO|"pay as you go"]] provision that required that new programs be paid for at the time of implementation.<ref name="greene100104">Greene (2015), pp. 100–104</ref> House Minority Whip [[Newt Gingrich]] led the conservative opposition to the bill, strongly opposing any form of tax increase.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 446–447</ref> Some liberals also criticized the budget cuts in the compromise, and in October, the House rejected the deal, resulting in a brief government shutdown. Without the strong backing of the Republican Party, Bush agreed to another compromise bill, this one more favorable to Democrats. The [[Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990]] (OBRA-90), enacted on October 27, 1990, dropped much of the gasoline tax increase in favor of higher income taxes on top earners. It included cuts to domestic spending, but the cuts were not as deep as those that had been proposed in the original compromise. Bush's decision to sign the bill damaged his standing with conservatives and the general public, but it also laid the groundwork for the budget surpluses of the late 1990s.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 104–106</ref>
 
==== Discrimination ====
{{Quote box
|title =
|quote    =  "Even the strongest person couldn't scale the [[Berlin Wall]] to gain the elusive promise of independence that lay just beyond. And so, together we rejoiced when that barrier fell. And now I sign legislation which takes a sledgehammer to another wall, one which has for too many generations separated Americans with disabilities from the freedom they could glimpse, but not grasp."
|source  = -Bush's remarks at the signing ceremony for the [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990]]<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 395</ref>
|width    = 30em
|align    = right
|qalign  = center
|bgcolor  = }}
 
The [[disability|disabled]] had not received legal protections under the landmark [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], and many faced discrimination and segregation by the time Bush took office. In 1988, [[Lowell P. Weicker Jr.]] and [[Tony Coelho]] had introduced the Americans with Disabilities Act, which barred employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. The bill had passed the Senate but not the House, and it was reintroduced in 1989. Though some conservatives opposed the bill due to its costs and potential burdens on businesses, Bush strongly supported it, partly because his son, Neil, had struggled with [[dyslexia]]. After the bill passed both houses of Congress, Bush signed the [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990]] into law in July 1990.<ref name="greene9092">Greene (2015), pp. 90–92</ref> The act required employers and public accommodations to make "reasonable accommodations" for the disabled, while providing an exception when such accommodations imposed an "undue hardship".<ref name="griffin1">{{cite news|last1=Griffin|first1=Rodman|title=The Disabilities Act|url=http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1991122700|access-date=August 25, 2016|publisher=CQPress|date=December 27, 1991}}</ref>
 
Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] later led the congressional passage of a separate civil rights bill designed to facilitate launching employment discrimination lawsuits.<ref name="greene7980">Greene (2015), pp. 79–80</ref> In vetoing the bill, Bush argued that it would lead to racial quotas in hiring.<ref>[[Ann Devroy|Devroy, Ann]]. "Bush Vetoes Civil Rights Bill; Measure Said to Encourage Job Quotas; Women, Minorities Sharply Critical". ''The Washington Post'' October 23, 1990, Print.</ref><ref name=holmes1>{{cite news|title=President Vetoes Bill on Job Rights; Showdown is Set |last=Holmes |first=Steven A. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/23/us/president-vetoes-bill-on-job-rights-showdown-is-set.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 23, 1990 |access-date=March 21, 2013}}</ref> In November 1991, Bush signed the [[Civil Rights Act of 1991]], which was largely similar to the bill he had vetoed in the previous year.<ref name="greene7980"/>
 
In August 1990, Bush signed the [[Ryan White CARE Act]], the largest federally funded program dedicated to assisting persons living with [[HIV/AIDS]].<ref>{{cite news| title='He Did Not Lead on AIDS': With Bush, Activists See a Mixed Legacy| last=Stack| first=Liam| date=December 3, 2018| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/us/george-bush-hiv-aids.html| newspaper=The New York Times| access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref> Throughout his presidency, the [[AIDS epidemic]] grew dramatically in the U.S. and around the world, and Bush often found himself at odds with AIDS activist groups who criticized him for not placing a high priority on HIV/AIDS research and funding. Frustrated by the administration's lack of urgency on the issue, [[ACT UP]], dumped the ashes of HIV/AIDS victims on the White House lawn during a viewing of the [[AIDS Quilt]] in 1992.<ref>{{cite web| last=Domonoske| first=Camila| title='Kinder Gentler Indifference': Activists Challenge George H.W. Bush's Record On AIDS| date=December 4, 2018| website=npr.org| url=https://www.npr.org/2018/12/04/673276127/kinder-gentler-indifference-activists-challenge-george-h-w-bush-s-record-on-aids| access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref> By that time, HIV had become the [[List of causes of death by rate|leading cause of death]] in the U.S. for men aged 25–44.<ref>{{cite web| title=Update: Mortality Attributable to HIV Infection Among Persons Aged 25–44 Years – United States, 1991 and 1992| url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00022174.htm| work=The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report| date=November 19, 1993| id=42(45)| pages=869–872| publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention| location=Atlanta, Georgia| access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref>
 
==== Environment ====
 
In June 1989, the Bush administration proposed a bill to amend the [[Clean Air Act (United States)|Clean Air Act]]. Working with Senate Majority Leader [[George J. Mitchell]], the administration won passage of the amendments over the opposition of business-aligned members of Congress who feared the impact of tougher regulations.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 92–94</ref> The legislation sought to curb [[acid rain]] and smog by requiring decreased emissions of chemicals such as [[sulfur dioxide]],<ref name="cleanair1">{{cite news|title=Bush Signs Major Revision of Anti-Pollution Law|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/16/us/bush-signs-major-revision-of-anti-pollution-law.html|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=New York Times|date=November 16, 1990}}</ref> and was the first major update to the Clean Air Act since 1977.<ref name="pshabecoff1">{{cite news|last1=Shabecoff|first1=Philip|title=Senators Approve Clean Air Measure By a Vote of 89-11|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/04/us/senators-approve-clean-air-measure-by-a-vote-of-89-11.html|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=New York Times|date=April 4, 1990}}</ref> Bush also signed the [[Oil Pollution Act of 1990]] in response to the [[Exxon Valdez oil spill]]. However, the [[League of Conservation Voters]] criticized some of Bush's other environmental actions, including his opposition to stricter auto-mileage standards.<ref name="ebrown1">{{cite news|last1=Brown|first1=Elizabeth|title=Conservation League Gives Bush 'D' on Environment|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/1991/0319/19071.html|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor|date=March 19, 1991}}</ref>
 
==== Points of Light ====
{{Main|Points of Light}}
 
President Bush devoted attention to voluntary service as a means of solving some of America's most serious social problems. He often used the "[[thousand points of light]]" theme to describe the power of citizens to solve community problems. In his 1989 inaugural address, President Bush said, "I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good."<ref name="President's Report">{{cite book|title=The Points of Light Movement: The President's Report to the Nation|publisher=Executive Office of the President, 1993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cH8vlwSAjv0C|year=1993}}</ref> During his presidency, Bush honored numerous volunteers with the Daily Point of Light Award, a tradition that was continued by his presidential successors.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Haven |first1=Stephanie |title=Obama, Bush present 5,000th Daily Point of Light Award for volunteers |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-bush-present-5000th-daily-point-of-light-award-for-volunteers/ |work=CBS News |date=July 15, 2013}}</ref> In 1990, the Points of Light Foundation was created as a nonprofit organization in Washington to promote this spirit of [[volunteerism]].<ref name=Perry>{{cite journal|last=Perry|first=Suzanne|title=After Two Tough Years, New Points of Light Charity Emerges|journal=Chronicle of Philanthropy|date=October 15, 2009|url=http://philanthropy.com/article/After-Two-Tough-Years-New/57753/|access-date=May 23, 2013}}</ref> In 2007, the Points of Light Foundation merged with the [[Hands On Network]] to create a new organization, [[Points of Light]].<ref name=Edward>{{cite journal|last=Edward|first=Deborah|title=Getting to Yes: The Points of Light and Hands On Network Merger|journal=RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service, the University of Texas at Austin|year=2008|url=http://www.rgkcenter.org/sites/default/files/file/research/gettingtoyes.pdf|access-date=May 23, 2013}}</ref>
 
==== Judicial appointments ====
{{Further|George H. W. Bush Supreme Court candidates|George H. W. Bush judicial appointments|George H. W. Bush judicial appointment controversies}}
[[File:Clarence Thomas official SCOTUS portrait.jpg|thumb|upright=.85|Bush appointed [[Clarence Thomas]] to the Supreme Court in 1991]]
 
Bush appointed two justices to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]. In 1990, Bush appointed a largely unknown state appellate judge, [[David Souter]], to replace liberal icon [[William J. Brennan, Jr.|William Brennan]].<ref name="souter1"/> Souter was easily confirmed and served until 2009, but joined the liberal bloc of the court, disappointing Bush.<ref name="souter1">{{cite news|last1=Crawford Greenburg|first1=Jan|title=Supreme Court Justice Souter to Retire|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/SCOTUS/story?id=7477791&page=1|access-date=August 24, 2016|work=ABC News|date=May 1, 2009}}</ref> In 1991, Bush nominated conservative federal judge [[Clarence Thomas]] to succeed [[Thurgood Marshall]], a long-time liberal stalwart. Thomas, the former head of the [[Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]] (EEOC), [[Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination|faced heavy opposition]] in the Senate, as well as from [[United States pro-choice movement|pro-choice groups]] and the [[NAACP]]. His nomination faced another difficulty when [[Anita Hill]] accused Thomas of having sexually harassed her during his time as the chair of EEOC. Thomas won confirmation in a narrow 52–48 vote; 43 Republicans and 9 Democrats voted to confirm Thomas's nomination, while 46 Democrats and 2 Republicans voted against confirmation.<ref>Patterson (2005), pp. 243–244</ref> Thomas became one of the most conservative justices of his era.<ref name="ntotenberg">{{cite news|last1=Totenberg|first1=Nina|title=Clarence Thomas' Influence On The Supreme Court|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/10/11/141246695/clarence-thomas-influence-on-the-court|access-date=August 24, 2016|publisher=NPR|date=October 11, 2011}}</ref>
 
==== Other issues ====
 
Bush's education platform consisted mainly of offering federal support for a variety of innovations, such as open enrollment, incentive pay for outstanding teachers, and rewards for schools that improve performance with underprivileged children.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Bush Presidency: First Appraisals|last1=Campbell|first1=Colin|last2=Rockman|first2=Bert|publisher=Chatham House Publishers, Inc.|year=1991|isbn=0-934540-90-X|location=Chatham, New Jersey|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bushpresidencyfi0000unse/page/83 83]|url=https://archive.org/details/bushpresidencyfi0000unse/page/83}}</ref> Though Bush did not pass a major educational reform package during his presidency, his ideas influenced later reform efforts, including [[Goals 2000]] and the [[No Child Left Behind Act]].<ref>Patterson (2005), pp. 239–240</ref> Bush signed the [[Immigration Act of 1990]],<ref>"''[https://books.google.com/books?id=WDV40aK1T-sC&pg=PA282&dq&hl=en#v=onepage&q=&f=false Encyclopedia of Minorities in American Politics: African Americans and Asian Americans]''". Jeffrey D. Schultz (2000). Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 282. {{ISBN|1-57356-148-7}}</ref> which led to a 40 percent increase in legal [[immigration to the United States]].<ref>"''[https://books.google.com/books?id=jUJGWwD-9x8C&pg=PA304&dq&hl=en#v=onepage&q=&f=false The Paper curtain: employer sanctions' implementation, impact, and reform]''". Michael Fix (1991). The Urban Institute. p. 304. {{ISBN|0-87766-550-8}}</ref> The act more than doubled the number of visas given to immigrants on the basis of job skills.<ref name="rpear1">{{cite news|last1=Pear|first1=Robert|title=Major Immigration Bill Is Sent to Bush|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/29/us/major-immigration-bill-is-sent-to-bush.html|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=New York Times|date=October 29, 1990}}</ref> In the wake of the [[savings and loan crisis]], Bush proposed a $50 billion package to rescue the [[Savings and loan association|savings and loans]] industry, and also proposed the creation of the [[Office of Thrift Supervision]] to regulate the industry. Congress passed the [[Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989]], which incorporated most of Bush's proposals.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 97–100</ref>
 
=== Public image ===
[[File:Bush I approval rating.png|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Bush's approval ratings (red) compared to his disapproval ratings (blue) during his presidency]]
 
Bush was widely seen as a "pragmatic caretaker" president who lacked a unified and compelling long-term theme in his efforts.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/presidents/george-h-w-bush-1482924.html |title=The Independent — George H. W. Bush |work=The Independent |location=UK |date=January 22, 2009 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/54609/michael-howard/the-prudence-thing-george-bush-s-class-act |title=The Prudence Thing: George Bush's Class Act |issue=November/December 1998 |journal=Foreign Affairs |date=November 1, 1998 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,963342-2,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108084103/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,963342-2,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 8, 2010 |work=Time |title=Where Is the Real George Bush? |date=January 26, 1987 |access-date=May 3, 2010 |first=Robert |last=Ajemian}}</ref> Indeed, Bush's [[sound bite]] where he refers to the issue of overarching purpose as "the vision thing" has become a metonym applied to other political figures accused of similar difficulties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/quotations/phrasefable/visionthing/?view=uk |title=Quotations : Oxford Dictionaries Online |publisher=Askoxford.com |access-date=July 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030204213218/http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/quotations/phrasefable/visionthing/?view=uk |archive-date=February 4, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Listen Up, Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do |isbn=978-1-4391-4815-0 |last=Thomas |first=Helen |author2=Craig Crawford |publisher=Scribner |url=https://archive.org/details/listenupmrpresid00thom |year=2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-palermo/meg-whitmans-vision-thing_b_300845.html |title=Joseph A. Palermo: Meg Whitman's "Vision Thing" |work=The Huffington Post |access-date=September 5, 2010 |date=September 26, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090929/NEWS02/909290341/1003/NEWS02 |title=It's time to do the 'vision' thing: Times Argus Online |publisher=Timesargus.com |date=September 29, 2009 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204102054/http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090929/NEWS02/909290341/1003/NEWS02 |archive-date=February 4, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Mazurak |first=Zbigniew |url=http://www.therealitycheck.org/?p=7492 |title=Blog Archive » Sarah Palin as a GOP Nominee? |publisher=The Reality Check |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/10/01/barack_obama_does_not_want_to_become_known_as_the_great_ditherer |title=Obama does not want to become known as 'The Great Ditherer' |first=David |last=Rothkopf |date=October 1, 2009 |work=Foreign Policy |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref> His ability to gain broad international support for the [[Gulf War]] and the war's result were seen as both a diplomatic and military triumph,<ref name="white house bio">{{cite book |last1=Freidel |first1=Frank |last2=Sidey |first2=Hugh |title=The Presidents of the United States of America |date=2006 |publisher=White House Historical Association|chapter-url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/george-h-w-bush/ |access-date=February 15, 2017 |chapter=George H. W. Bush}}</ref> rousing bipartisan approval,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://people-press.org/report/182/modest-bush-approval-rating-boost-at-wars-end |title=Modest Bush Approval Rating Boost at War's End: Summary of Findings – Pew Research Center for the People & the Press |publisher=People-press.org |access-date=September 5, 2010|date=April 18, 2003}}</ref> though his decision to withdraw without removing [[Saddam Hussein]] left mixed feelings, and attention returned to the domestic front and a souring economy.<ref name="pbs">{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bush41/program/intro.html |work=American Experience |title=George H. W. Bush |publisher=PBS |date=October 3, 1990 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref> A ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' article mistakenly depicted Bush as being surprised to see a supermarket [[barcode reader]];<ref name=Goldberg08>{{cite journal |last=Goldberg |first=Jonah |date=August 22, 2008 |title=The Corner: The Supermarket Scanner Story Cont'd |journal=[[National Review]] |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/167613/supermarket-scanner-story-contd-jonah-goldberg | access-date=June 26, 2017}}</ref><ref name=Rosenthal92>{{cite news |last=Rosenthal |first=Andrew |date=February 5, 1992 |title=Bush Encounters the Supermarket, Amazed |journal=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/05/us/bush-encounters-the-supermarket-amazed.html | access-date=November 5, 2015}}</ref> the report of his reaction exacerbated the notion that he was "out of touch".<ref name=Goldberg08 /> Amid the [[early 1990s recession]], his image shifted from "conquering hero" to "politician befuddled by economic matters".<ref name="snopes">{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/history/american/bushscan.htm |title=Maybe I'm Amazed |date=April 1, 2001 |access-date=April 11, 2008 |website=Snopes.com |archive-date=May 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120527030747/http://www.snopes.com/history/american/bushscan.asp |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
At the elite level, a number of commentators and political experts deplored the state of American politics in 1991–1992, and reported the voters were angry. Many analysts blamed the poor quality of national election campaigns.<ref>Gil Troy,  "Stumping in the bookstores: A literary history of the 1992 presidential campaign." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' (1995): 697-710. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/27551506 online]</ref>
 
=== 1992 presidential campaign ===
{{main|George H. W. Bush 1992 presidential campaign}}
 
Bush announced his reelection bid in early 1992; with a coalition victory in the Persian Gulf War and high approval ratings, Bush's reelection initially looked likely.<ref name="skornacki">{{cite news|last1=Kornacki|first1=Steve|title=What if Mario Cuomo had run for president?|url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/what-if-mario-cuomo-had-run-president|access-date=August 25, 2016|publisher=MSNBC|date=January 2, 2015}}</ref> As a result, many leading Democrats, including [[Mario Cuomo]], [[Dick Gephardt]], and [[Al Gore]], declined to seek their party's presidential nomination.<ref>Waterman (1996), pp. 337–338</ref> However, Bush's tax increase had angered many conservatives, who believed that Bush had strayed from the conservative principles of Ronald Reagan.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 444–445</ref> He faced a challenge from conservative political columnist [[Pat Buchanan]] in the [[Republican Party presidential primaries, 1992|1992 Republican primaries]].<ref>Patterson (2005), p. 246</ref> Bush fended off Buchanan's challenge and won his party's nomination at the [[1992 Republican National Convention]], but the convention adopted a socially conservative platform strongly influenced by the [[Christian right]].<ref>Patterson (2005), pp. 251–252</ref>
 
[[File:ElectoralCollege1992.svg|upright=1.3|thumb|Bush was defeated in the [[1992 United States presidential election|1992 presidential election]] by [[Bill Clinton]]]]
 
Meanwhile, the Democrats nominated Governor [[Bill Clinton]] of Arkansas. A moderate who was affiliated with the [[Democratic Leadership Council]] (DLC), Clinton favored welfare reform, deficit reduction, and a tax cut for the middle class.<ref>Patterson (2005), pp. 247–248</ref> In early 1992, the race took an unexpected twist when Texas billionaire [[H. Ross Perot]] launched a third party bid, claiming that neither Republicans nor Democrats could eliminate the deficit and make government more efficient. His message appealed to voters across the political spectrum disappointed with both parties' perceived fiscal irresponsibility.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Perot Vote|publisher=President and Fellows of Harvard College|access-date=April 23, 2008|url=http://www.hks.harvard.edu/case/3pt/perot_vote.html}}</ref> Perot also attacked NAFTA, which he claimed would lead to major job losses.<ref>Patterson (2005), p. 251</ref> National polling taken in mid-1992 showed Perot in the lead, but Clinton experienced a surge through effective campaigning and the selection of Senator Al Gore, a popular and relatively young Southerner, as his running mate.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 504–506</ref>
 
Clinton won the election, taking 43 percent of the popular vote and 370 electoral votes, while Bush won 37.5 percent of the popular vote and 168 electoral votes.<ref>{{cite web|title=1992 Presidential General Election Results|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1992|website=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|access-date=May 22, 2018}}</ref> Perot won 19% of the popular vote, one of the [[List of third party performances in United States presidential elections|highest totals for a third-party candidate]] in U.S. history, drawing equally from both major candidates, according to exit polls.<ref>{{cite news|last=Holmes |first=Steven A. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DB1F3FF936A35752C1A964958260 |title=The 1992 Elections: Disappointment – News Analysis – An Eccentric but No Joke; Perot's Strong Showing Raises Questions On What Might Have Been, and Might Be – |work=The New York Times |date=November 5, 1992 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref> Clinton performed well in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the West Coast, while also waging the strongest Democratic campaign in the South since the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 election]].<ref>Patterson (2005), pp. 252–253</ref> Several factors were important in Bush's defeat. The ailing economy which arose from recession may have been the main factor in Bush's loss, as 7 in 10 voters said on election day that the economy was either "not so good" or "poor".<ref>{{cite news|author=R. W. Apple Jr. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D81439F937A35752C1A964958260 |title=THE 1992 ELECTIONS: NEWS ANALYSIS; The Economy's Casualty – |location=Pennsylvania; Ohio; New England States (Us); Michigan; West Coast; New Jersey; Middle East |work=The New York Times |date=November 4, 1992 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/09/BUGBI72U8Q1.DTL&type=business|title=Downside of the Reagan Legacy|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=April 11, 2008|author=Lazarus, David|date=June 9, 2004}}</ref> On the eve of the 1992 election, the unemployment rate stood at 7.8%, which was the highest it had been since 1984.<ref>{{cite journal | author = WSJ Research | year = 2015 | journal = [[The Wall Street Journal]] | title = How the Presidents Stack Up: A Look at U.S. Presidents' Job Approval Ratings (George H.W. Bush) | url=https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-presapp0605-31.html | access-date=November 4, 2015}}</ref> The president was also damaged by his alienation of many conservatives in his party.<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 233–234</ref> Bush blamed Perot in part for his defeat, though exit polls showed that Perot drew his voters about equally from Clinton and Bush.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 521</ref>
 
Despite his defeat, Bush left office with a 56 percent job approval rating in January 1993.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll%5Fclintonlegacy010117.html|title=Poll: Clinton Legacy Mixed|author=Langer, Gary|work=ABC News|date=January 17, 2001|access-date=April 11, 2008}}</ref> Like many of his predecessors, Bush issued a [[List of people pardoned by George H. W. Bush|series of pardons]] during his last days in office. In December 1992, he granted executive clemency to six former senior government officials implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal, most prominently former Secretary of Defense [[Caspar Weinberger]].<ref name="scientists">{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/news/iran/1992/921224-260039.htm |title=Bush pardons Weinberger, Five Other Tied to Iran-Contra |access-date=April 11, 2008 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421150512/http://www.fas.org/news/iran/1992/921224-260039.htm |archive-date=April 21, 2008}}</ref> The charges against the six were that they lied to or withheld information from Congress. The pardons effectively brought an end to the Iran-Contra scandal.<ref>Carl Levin, and Henry Hyde, "The Iran-Contra Pardons-Was It Wrong for Ex-President Bush to Pardon Six Defendants." ''American Bar Association Journal''  79 (1993): 44-45. Levin says yes, Hyde says no.</ref>
 
According to [[Seymour Martin Lipset]], the 1992 election had several unique characteristics. Voters felt that economic conditions were worse than they actually were, which harmed Bush. A rare event was the a strong third-party candidate. Liberals launched a backlash against 12 years of a conservative White House. The chief factor was Clinton's uniting his party, and winning over a number of heterogeneous groups.<ref>Seymour Martin Lipset, "The significance of the 1992 election." ''PS: Political Science and Politics'' 26.1 (1993): 7-16 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/419496 online]</ref>
 
== Post-presidency (1993–2018) ==
{{Main|Post-presidency of George H. W. Bush}}
 
=== Appearances ===
[[File:President Bill Clinton meeting with former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter at the White House.jpg|thumb|President [[Bill Clinton]] meeting with former presidents George H.W. Bush and [[Jimmy Carter]] at the White House in September 1993]]
 
After leaving office, Bush and his wife built a retirement house in the community of [[West Oaks, Houston]].<ref name=Feldman>{{cite news |last=Feldman |first=Claudia |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1992_1099189 |title=Moving back to the 'hood .../CITIZEN BUSH |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=December 13, 1992 |page=Lifestyle p. 1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208154849/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1992_1099189 |archive-date=December 8, 2012 }}</ref> He established a presidential office within the Park Laureate Building on [[Memorial Drive (Houston)|Memorial Drive]] in Houston.<ref>"[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ST&s_site=dfw&p_multi=ST&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF8EDE5F8E0428&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D Bushes upbeat for step-down]". ''[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]''. January 10, 1993. 1 News. Retrieved on October 15, 2012. "Bush's Houston office will be in the Park Laureate Building on Memorial Drive"</ref> He also frequently spent time at his vacation home in Kennebunkport, took annual cruises in [[Greece]], went on fishing trips in Florida, and visited the [[Bohemian Club]] in Northern California. He declined to serve on corporate boards, but delivered numerous paid speeches and served as an adviser to [[The Carlyle Group]], a private equity firm.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 540–541</ref> He never published his memoirs, but he and Brent Scowcroft co-wrote ''A World Transformed'', a 1999 work on foreign policy. Portions of his letters and his diary were later published as ''The China Diary of George H. W. Bush'' and ''All The Best, George Bush''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lozada |first1=Carlos |title=The memoir I wish George H.W. Bush had written |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/book-party/wp/2018/12/01/feature/the-memoir-i-wish-george-h-w-bush-had-written/ |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=December 1, 2018}}</ref>
 
During a 1993 visit to Kuwait, Bush was targeted in an assassination plot directed by the [[Iraqi Intelligence Service]]. President Clinton retaliated when he ordered the [[1993 cruise missile strikes on Iraq|firing]] of 23 [[cruise missile]]s at Iraqi Intelligence Service headquarters in [[Baghdad]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/longroad/etc/assassination.html |title=frontline: the long road to war: assassination |publisher=PBS |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref> Bush did not publicly comment on the assassination attempt or the missile strike, but privately spoke with Clinton shortly before the strike took place.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 541–543</ref> In the [[1994 United States gubernatorial elections|1994 gubernatorial elections]], his sons George W. and Jeb concurrently ran for [[Governor of Texas]] and [[List of Governors of Florida|Governor of Florida]]. Concerning their political careers, he advised them both that "[a]t some point both of you may want to say 'Well, I don't agree with my Dad on that point' or 'Frankly I think Dad was wrong on that.' Do it. Chart your own course, not just on the issues but on defining yourselves".<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 546–549</ref> George W. won his race against [[Ann Richards]] while Jeb lost to [[Lawton Chiles]]. After the results came in, the elder Bush told ABC, "I have very mixed emotions. Proud father, is the way I would sum it all up."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/09/us/1994-elections-nation-bushes-texas-elects-george-w-while-florida-rejects-jeb.html |title=The 1994 Elections: The Nation The Bushes; Texas Elects George W. While Florida Rejects Jeb |date=November 9, 1994 |first=Sam Howe |last=Verhovek |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Jeb would again run for governor of Florida in 1998 and win at the same time that his brother George W. won re-election in Texas. It marked the second time in United States history that a pair of brothers served simultaneously as governors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rosenbaum |first=David E. |date=November 4, 1998 |title=George W. Bush Is Re-elected in Texas; His Brother Jeb Is Victorious in Florida |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/04/us/1998-elections-nation-governors-george-w-bush-re-elected-texas-his-brother-jeb.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref>
 
[[File:G & B. Bush F-SD-03-15575.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|George and Barbara Bush, 2001]]
 
Bush supported his son's candidacy in the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]], but did not actively campaign in the election and did not deliver a speech at the [[2000 Republican National Convention]].<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 552–555</ref> George W. Bush defeated Al Gore in the 2000 election and was re-elected in 2004. Bush and his son thus became the second father–son pair to each serve as President of the United States, following [[John Adams]] and [[John Quincy Adams]].<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 560</ref> Through previous administrations, the elder Bush had ubiquitously been known as "George Bush" or "President Bush", but following his son's election the need to distinguish between them has made [[retronym]]ic forms such as "George H. W. Bush" and "George Bush Sr." and colloquialisms such as "Bush 41" and "Bush the Elder" more common.<ref>{{cite book |title=41: A Portrait of My Father |first=George W. |last=Bush |author-link=George W. Bush |publisher=Crown Publishers |isbn=978-0-553-44778-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/41portraitofmyfa0000bush/page/265 265] |year=2014 |url=https://archive.org/details/41portraitofmyfa0000bush/page/265 }}</ref> Bush advised his son on some personnel choices, approving of the selection of Dick Cheney as running mate and the retention of [[George Tenet]] as CIA Director. However, he was not consulted on all appointments, including that of his old rival, Donald Rumsfeld, as Secretary of Defense.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 554, 563–564</ref> Though he avoided giving unsolicited advice to his son, Bush and his son also discussed some matters of policy, especially regarding national security issues.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 567–568</ref>
 
In his retirement, Bush generally avoided publicly expressing his opinion on political issues, instead using the public spotlight to support various charities.<ref>Meacham (2015), pp. 582–583</ref> Despite earlier political differences with Bill Clinton, the two former presidents eventually became friends.<ref>{{cite news |last=Healy |first=Patrick |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/19/us/politics/19memo.html |title=A Candidacy That May Test a Friendship's Ties |work=The New York Times |date=May 19, 2007 |access-date=May 22, 2011}}</ref> They appeared together in television ads, encouraging aid for victims of [[Hurricane Katrina]] and the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=1446477 |title=People of the Year: Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush |work=ABC News |date=December 27, 2005 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref>
 
=== Final years ===
[[File:Five Presidents Oval Office.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|From left to right: George H. W. Bush, [[Barack Obama]], [[George W. Bush]], [[Bill Clinton]], and [[Jimmy Carter]].]]
 
Bush supported Republican [[John McCain]] in the 2008 presidential election,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/18/AR2008021800930.html |title=George H. W. Bush Endorses McCain for President |date=February 18, 2008 |access-date=March 28, 2008 |work=The Washington Post}}</ref> and Republican [[Mitt Romney]] in the 2012 presidential election,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/George-HW-Bush-endorses-Romney/52521333006200/ |title=George H.W. Bush endorses Romney |date=March 29, 2012 |publisher=UPI}}</ref> but both were defeated by Democrat [[Barack Obama]]. In 2011, Obama awarded Bush with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the highest civilian honor in the United States.<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 598</ref>
 
Bush supported his son Jeb's bid in the [[2016 Republican Party presidential primaries|2016 Republican primaries]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/11/bush-father-son-want-jeb-bush-white-house/18873307/ |title=Bush father, son want Jeb Bush to run for White House |date=November 11, 2014 |newspaper=azcentral.com}}</ref> Jeb Bush's campaign struggled however, and he withdrew from the race during the primaries. Neither George H.W. nor George W. Bush endorsed the eventual Republican nominee, [[Donald Trump]];<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/05/05/george-w-bush-trump-former-presidents/83962432/ |title=Bush 41, 43 won't be endorsing Trump |first=Eliza |last=Collins |newspaper=USA Today}}</ref> all three Bushes emerged as frequent critics of Trump's policies and speaking style, while Trump frequently criticized George W. Bush's presidency. George H. W. Bush later said that he voted for the Democratic nominee, [[Hillary Clinton]], in the general election.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/11/04/both-bush-presidents-openly-condemned-trump-book-claims-one-even-voted-for-clinton/ |title=White House attacks legacies of both Bush presidents after reports they refused to vote for Trump |last=Selk |first=Avi |date=November 4, 2017 |work=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=November 4, 2017}}</ref> After the election, 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 [[Inauguration of Donald Trump|Trump's inauguration]] on January 20; he gave him his best wishes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Garcia |first1=Feliks |title=George HW Bush sends personal note to Donald Trump on why he can't attend inauguration |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/george-hw-bush-donald-trump-inauguration-letter-president-attendance-a7534221.html |access-date=January 18, 2017 |work=The Independent |date=January 18, 2017}}</ref>
 
In August 2017, after the violence at [[Unite the Right rally]] in [[Charlottesville]], both Presidents Bush released a joint statement saying, "America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms[. ...] As we pray for Charlottesville, we are all reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city's most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://time.com/4903103/george-bush-president-statement-hatred-charlottesville/|title= Both Presidents Bush Condemn Hatred a Day After Trump's Press Conference|website= [[Time Magazine]]|access-date= May 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/16/16156738/george-hw-bush-george-w-bush-statement-charlottesville-trump|title= Presidents George Bush and G.W. Bush issue joint statement condemning racism and anti-Semitism|website= [[Vox (website)|Vox]]|date= August 16, 2017|access-date= May 3, 2020}}</ref>
 
On April 17, 2018, Barbara Bush, died at the age of 92<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nemy |first1=Enid |title=Barbara Bush, Wife of 41st President and Mother of 43rd, Dies at 92 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/us/barbara-bush-dead.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 17, 2018}}</ref> at her home in [[Houston]], [[Texas]]. Her funeral was held at [[St. Martin's Episcopal Church (Houston)|St. Martin's Episcopal Church]] in Houston four days later.<ref name="houstonchroniclebushfamilyreleases">{{cite news|last1=Kamath|first1=Tulsi|title=Bush family releases details on Barbara Bush's funeral, public visitation|url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Funeral-information-for-Barbara-Bush-has-been-12842950.php|access-date=April 18, 2018|work=Houston Chronicle|date=April 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Linge|first1=Mary Kay|title=Presidents pay their respects as Barbara Bush is laid to rest|url=https://nypost.com/2018/04/21/presidents-pay-their-respects-as-barbara-bush-is-laid-to-rest/|access-date=April 21, 2018|work=New York Post|date=April 21, 2018}}</ref> Bush, along with former Presidents [[Barack Obama]], [[George W. Bush]] (son), [[Bill Clinton]] and fellow First Ladies [[Melania Trump]], [[Michelle Obama]], [[Laura Bush]] (daughter-in-law) and [[Hillary Clinton]] were representatives who attended the funeral and who took a photo together after the service as a sign of unity, which went viral online.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/barbara-bush-funeral-today-trump-melania-presidents/story?id=54630500|title=Barbara Bush remembered at funeral as 'the first lady of the greatest generation'|work=ABC News|first=Morgan|last=Winsor|date=April 21, 2018|access-date=April 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/23/politics/presidents-picture-barbara-bush-funeral-photographer/index.html|title= The story behind that viral photo of the past 4 presidents all in the same place|website= [[CNN]]|date= April 23, 2018|access-date= May 8, 2020}}</ref>
 
On November 1, Bush went to the polls to vote early in the midterm elections. This would be his final public appearance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/politics/george-hw-bush-final-public-appearance-voting/|title= George H.W. Bush Was Last Seen in Public 1 Month Before Death — and It Was to Vote with His Dog|website= [[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date= May 8, 2020}}</ref>
 
=== Death and funeral ===
{{Main|Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush}}
[[File:The United States Capitol (46125518422).jpg|thumb|upright=.95|Members of the public pay their respects at the casket of George H. W. Bush [[lying in state]] in the [[United States Capitol rotunda|Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol]] in Washington, D.C.]]
After a long battle with vascular [[Parkinson's disease]], Bush [[Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush|died at his home]] in [[Houston]] on November 30, 2018, at the age of 94.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former President George H.W. Bush dead at 94 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-george-hw-bush-dead-94/story?id=44866630 |work=ABC News |date=December 1, 2018 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref><ref name="nytimes_obituary">{{cite news |last=Nagourney |first=Adam |date=November 30, 2018 |title=George Bush, 41st President, Dies at 94 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/30/us/politics/george-hw-bush-dies.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> At the time of his death he was the [[List of presidents of the United States by age|longest-lived U.S. president]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Bowden |first=John |date=November 25, 2017 |title=Bush 41 becomes longest-living president in US history |url=http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/361795-bush-41-becomes-longest-living-president-in-us-history |work=The Hill |location=Washington, D.C. | access-date=November 25, 2017}}</ref> a distinction now held by [[Jimmy Carter]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Barrow| first=Bill| title=Jimmy Carter's new milestone: Longest-lived U.S. president| work=The Detroit News| url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/22/carter-president-longest-lived/39240613/| date=March 22, 2019| access-date=March 22, 2019}}</ref> He was also the [[List of vice presidents of the United States by age|third-oldest vice president]].{{efn|The longest-lived U.S. vice president is [[John Nance Garner]], who died on November 7, 1967, 15 days short of his 99th birthday.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lewis |first=Janna |date=January 22, 2009 |title=Texans who were presidents, vice-presidents |url=http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/leisure/texans-who-were-presidents-vice-presidents/article_6b538cd2-aa2a-53a2-bc6f-6df30cfadf71.html |work=Fort Hood Sentinel |location=Fort Hood, Texas |access-date=April 22, 2018}}</ref>}} Bush [[Lying in state#United States|lay in state]] in the [[United States Capitol rotunda|Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol]] from December 3 through December 5; he was the 12th U.S. president to be accorded this honor.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bush-expected-to-lie-in-state-in-us-capitol-in-line-with-tradition-trump-to-attend-funeral| title=George H.W. Bush to lie in state in US Capitol; Trump to attend funeral| last1=Pergram| first1=Chad| last2=Shaw| first2=Adam| others=[[John Roberts (journalist)|John Roberts]] contributed to this report| date=December 1, 2018|work=Fox News| access-date=January 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Individuals Who Have Lain in State or in Honor| url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Lie-In-State/Lie-In-State-Honor/| publisher=Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives| location=Washington, D.C.| access-date=January 21, 2019}}</ref> Then, on December 5, Bush's casket was transferred from the Capitol rotunda to [[Washington National Cathedral]] where a [[state funeral]] was held.<ref name=cbsnewsfuneral>{{cite news| author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->| title=Thousands honor former President George H.W. Bush at National Cathedral funeral| date=December 6, 2018| work=CBS News| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/president-george-h-w-bush-funeral-national-cathedral-washington-dc-live-stream-today-2018-12-05/| access-date=January 19, 2019}}</ref> After the funeral, Bush's body was transported to George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, where he was buried next to his wife Barbara and daughter Robin.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/us/bush-texas-funeral-burial.html | title=For George Bush, One Last Funeral, and then a 70-Mile Train Ride| newspaper=The New York Times| date=December 12, 2018| last1=Fernandez| first1=Manny}}</ref> At the funeral, former president George W. Bush eulogized his father saying,
{{quote|''"He looked for the good in each person, and he usually found it."''<ref name=cbsnewsfuneral/>}}
 
== Personal life ==
In 1991, ''The New York Times'' revealed that Bush was suffering from [[Graves' disease]], a non-contagious [[thyroid]] condition that his wife Barbara also suffered from.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Altman |first1=Lawrence |title=In Strange Twist, Bush Is Suffering From Same Gland Disease as Wife |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/10/us/in-strange-twist-bush-is-suffering-from-same-gland-disease-as-wife.html |access-date=June 5, 2018 |work=The New York Times |date=May 10, 1991}}</ref> Bush had two separate hip replacement surgeries in 2000 and 2007.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Burke |first1= Monte |title=George H. W. Bush's Sporting Life |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0412/life-fishing-tennis-baseball-skydiving-george-bush-sporting-life.html?sh=58df8b797c15 |access-date=August 6, 2021 |work=Forbes |date=Mar 25, 2010}}</ref> Thereafter, Bush started to experience weakness in his legs, which was attributed vascular [[parkinsonism]], a form of [[Parkinson's disease]]. He progressively developed problems walking, initially needing a walking stick for mobility aid before he eventually came to rely on a wheelchair from 2011 onwards.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Solomon |first1= John |title=George H.W. Bush - Revisited |url=https://publicintegrity.org/accountability/george-h-w-bush-revisited/ |access-date=August 6, 2021 |work=The Center for Public Integrity |date=Mar 21, 2011}}</ref>
 
Bush was a lifelong [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]] and a member of [[St. Martin's Episcopal Church (Houston)|St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston]]. As President, Bush regularly attended services at [[St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square|St. John's Episcopal Church]] in Washington D.C.<ref>{{cite news |last=Paulsen |first=David  |date=December 4, 2018 |title=Bush remembered as lifelong Episcopalian with deep ties to his church |url=https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/12/04/washington-national-cathedral-prepares-to-host-state-funeral-for-george-h-w-bush/  |work=Episcopal News Service |access-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> He cited various moments in his life on the deepening of his faith, including his escape from Japanese forces in 1944, and the death of his three-year-old daughter Robin in 1953.<ref name=":0" /> His faith was reflected in his [[Thousand points of light|Thousand Points of Light]] speech, his support for [[School prayer|prayer in schools]], and his support for the [[Anti-abortion movements|pro-life movement]] (following his election as vice president).<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/the-faith-of-george-h-w-bush-189108/ |title=The Faith of George HW Bush |first=Gary S. |last=Smith |date=June 26, 2017 |work=[[The Christian Post]] |access-date=June 1, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Post-Faith">{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Lori |date=December 1, 2018 |title=George H.W. Bush helped lead GOP toward evangelicalism |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/12/01/george-hw-bush-helped-push-gop-towards-evangelicalism/?noredirect=on |work=The Washington Post |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref>
 
== Legacy ==
=== Historical reputation ===
[[File:US Navy 051008-N-9274T-001 After arriving on board Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB), New Orleans, former President George H. Bush sits down to eat with military personnel.jpg|thumb|Bush visits [[Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans|NAS JRB]] during [[Hurricane Katrina]] relief efforts]]
 
Polls of historians and political scientists have [[Historical rankings of Presidents of the United States|ranked]] Bush in the top half of presidents. A 2018 poll of the [[American Political Science Association]]'s Presidents and Executive Politics section ranked Bush as the 17th best president out of 44.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Brandon|last1=Rottinghaus|first2=Justin S.|last2=Vaughn|title=How Does Trump Stack Up Against the Best — and Worst — Presidents?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/19/opinion/how-does-trump-stack-up-against-the-best-and-worst-presidents.html/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190310203020/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/19/opinion/how-does-trump-stack-up-against-the-best-and-worst-presidents.html/|archive-date=March 10, 2019|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> A 2017 [[C-Span]] poll of historians also ranked Bush as the 20th best president out of 43.<ref>{{cite web|title=Presidential Historians Survey 2017|url=https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2017/?page=overall|website=[[C-Span]]|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> Richard Rose described Bush as a "guardian" president, and many other historians and political scientists have similarly described Bush as a passive, hands-off president who was "largely content with things as they were".<ref>Greene (2015), pp. 255–256</ref> Professor Steven Knott writes that "[g]enerally the Bush presidency is viewed as successful in foreign affairs but a disappointment in domestic affairs."<ref name="knottlegacy">{{cite web|last1=Knott|first1=Stephen|title=George H. W. Bush: Impact and Legacy|url=https://millercenter.org/president/bush/impact-and-legacy|website=Miller Center|publisher=University of Virginia|date=October 4, 2016}}</ref>
 
Biographer Jon Meacham writes that, after he left office, many Americans viewed Bush as "a gracious and underappreciated man who had many virtues but who had failed to project enough of a distinctive identity and vision to overcome the economic challenges of 1991–92 and to win a second term."<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 567</ref> Bush himself noted that his legacy was "lost between the glory of Reagan ... and the trials and tribulations of my sons."<ref>Meacham (2015), p. 595</ref> In the 2010s, Bush was fondly remembered for his willingness to compromise, which contrasted with the intensely partisan era that followed his presidency.<ref name="jshesol1">{{cite magazine|last1=Shesol|first1=Jeff|title=What George H. W. Bush Got Wrong|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/what-george-h-w-bush-got-wrong|access-date=August 30, 2016|magazine=New Yorker|date=November 13, 2015}}</ref>
 
In 2018, ''[[Vox (website)|Vox]]'' highlighted Bush for his "pragmatism" as a moderate Republican president by working across the aisle.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TImO_RquoW8|title= The George H.W. Bush promise that changed the Republican Party|website= Vox|access-date= October 29, 2020}}</ref> They specifically noted Bush's accomplishments within the domestic policy by making [[Bipartisanship|bipartisan]] deals, including raising the tax budget among the wealthy with the [[Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990]]. Bush also helped pass the [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990]] which ''[[The New York Times]]'' described as "the most sweeping anti-discrimination law since the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/27/opinion/a-law-for-every-american.html|title= A Law for Every American|website= The New York Times|date= July 27, 1990|access-date= October 30, 2020}}</ref> In response to the [[Exxon Valdez oil spill]], Bush built another bipartisan coalition to strengthen the [[Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-can-breathe-easier--literally--thanks-to-george-hw-bush/2018/12/02/e7a2acbe-f66a-11e8-8d64-4e79db33382f_story.html|title= We can breathe easier - literally - thanks to George H.W. Bush|website= The Washington Post|access-date= October 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://environmentamerica.org/blogs/environment-america-blog/ame/lessons-bipartisanship-1990-clean-air-act-amendments|title= Lessons in Bipartisanship: The 1990 Clean Air Act amendments|website= Environmental America|date=October 29, 2020}}</ref> Bush also championed and signed into a law the [[Immigration Act of 1990]], a sweeping bipartisan immigration reform act that made it easier for immigrants to legally enter the county, while also granting immigrants fleeing violence the temporary protected status visa, as well as lifted the pre-naturalization English testing process, and finally "eliminated the exclusion of homosexuals under what Congress now deemed the medically unsound classification of “sexual deviant” that was included in the [[Immigration Act of 1965|1965 act]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/29/bush-immigration-reform-1990-1014141|title=Bush signs immigration reform statute into law, Nov. 29, 1990|website= Politico|access-date= October 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Bush-41-s-immigration-plan-actually-worked-13443111.php|title= Bush 41's immigration plan actually worked|website= Houston Chronicle|date= December 4, 2018|access-date= October 30, 2020}}</ref> Bush stated, "Immigration is not just a link to our past but its also a bridge to America's future".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4737330/user-clip-george-hw-bush-immigration|title= George H.W. Bush on Immigration|website= C-SPAN|access-date= October 30, 2002}}</ref>
 
According to ''[[USA Today]]'', the legacy of Bush's presidency was defined by his victory over Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait, and by his presiding over the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union]] and the [[German reunification]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Remembering Former President George H.W. Bush's life and legacy |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/12/01/live-former-president-george-h-w-bushs-life-and-legacy/2173047002/ |newspaper=USA Today|date=December 1, 2018 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> [[Michael Beschloss]] and [[Strobe Talbott]] praise Bush's handling of the USSR, especially how he prodded Gorbachev in terms of releasing control over the [[satellite state]]s and permitting German unification—and especially a united Germany in NATO.<ref>Michael R. Beschloss and Strobe Talbott, ''At the Highest Levels: The Inside Story of the End of the Cold War''  (Boston, 1993), pp. 470-72.</ref> [[Andrew Bacevich]] judges the Bush administration as “morally obtuse” in the light of its “business-as-usual” attitude towards China after the massacre in [[Tiananmen Square]] and its uncritical support of Gorbachev as the Soviet Union disintegrated.<ref>Andrew J. Bacevich, ''American Empire: The Realities and Consequences of U.S. Diplomacy'' (2002), 64–68,  quoted in Sparrow, p. 143.</ref> David Rothkopf argues:
:In the recent history of U.S. foreign policy, there has been no president, nor any president's team, who, when confronted with profound international change and challenges, responded with such a thoughtful and well-managed foreign policy....[the Bush administration was] a bridge over one of the great fault lines of history [that] ushered in a ‘new world order’ it described with great skill and professionalism.”<ref>{{cite book|author=David Rothkopf|title=Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1N1DleUGufwC&pg=PA261|year=2009|publisher=PublicAffairs|page=261|isbn=9780786736003}}</ref>
 
=== Memorials, awards, and honors ===
{{Main|List of honors and awards received by George H. W. Bush}}
[[File:George Bush Presidential Library.jpg|thumb|The [[George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum]] on the west campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas]]
 
In 1990, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine named him the [[Time Person of the Year|Man of the Year]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Church |first=George J. |date=January 7, 1991 |title=A Tale of Two Bushes |url=http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2030812_2030725_2030636,00.html |work=Time |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> In 1997, the Houston Intercontinental Airport was renamed as the [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Benito |first1=Marcelino |title=George H.W. Bush's legacy lives on at Houston airport named after him |url=https://www.khou.com/article/news/politics/george-h-w-bush/george-hw-bushs-legacy-lives-on-at-houston-airport-named-after-him/285-619965236 |publisher=KHOU 11 |date=December 2, 2018}}</ref> In 1999, the CIA headquarters in [[Langley, Virginia]], was named the ''[[George Bush Center for Intelligence]]'' in his honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/04/26/bush.cia/|title=Former President Bush honored at emotional ceremony renaming CIA headquarters|first=Paul|last=Courson|date=April 26, 1999|publisher=CNN}}</ref> In 2011, Bush, an avid golfer, was inducted in the [[World Golf Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/george-h-w-bush/ |title=Bush, George H.W. |access-date=June 1, 2018}}</ref> The {{USS|George H.W. Bush}} (CVN-77), the tenth and last {{sclass|Nimitz|aircraft carrier|0}} [[supercarrier]] of the United States Navy, was named for Bush.<ref Name="NavyNews12182008">{{cite web |title=Future USS George H. W. Bush to Transit |publisher=Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs |date=December 18, 2008 |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=41503 |access-date=December 22, 2008}}</ref><ref name="NewCarrier">{{cite news |url=http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/carrier-awaits-call-come-life-ceremony-today |title=Carrier awaits a call to come to life in ceremony today |last=Jones |first=Matthew |date=January 10, 2009 |work=The Virginian Pilot |publisher=Landmark Communications |access-date=January 10, 2009}}</ref> Bush is commemorated on a [[postage stamp]] that was issued by the [[United States Postal Service]] in 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=Texas ceremony marks issuing of George H.W. Bush stamp |url=https://www.apnews.com/57b0b4fb96b241d4a90a0470d3cef0d8 |access-date=September 8, 2019 |work=[[Associated Press]] |date=June 12, 2019}}</ref>
 
The [[George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum]], the tenth U.S. [[presidential library]], was completed in 1997.<ref>{{cite press release |date=November 6, 1997 |title=National Archives Accepts Bush Library as Tenth Presidential Library |url=https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/1998-47 |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]] |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> It contains the presidential and vice presidential papers of Bush and the vice presidential papers of Dan Quayle.<ref name="bushmaterials">{{cite web |title=The Birth of the Tenth Presidential Library: The Bush Presidential Materials Project, 1993–1994 |publisher=George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum|url=http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/giq.html |access-date=March 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410185146/http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/giq.html |archive-date=April 10, 2007}}</ref> The library is located on a {{convert|90|acre|adj=on}} site on the west campus of [[Texas A&M University]] in [[College Station, Texas]].<ref name="Eagle">{{cite news |last=Heathman |first=Claire |date=July 3, 2013 |title=How Texas A&M became home to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum |url=https://www.myaggienation.com/campus_evolution/how-texas-a-m-became-home-to-the-george-bush/article_baa24bb4-e411-11e2-8085-0019bb2963f4.html |work=[[The Bryan-College Station Eagle]] |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> Texas A&M University also hosts the [[Bush School of Government and Public Service]], a graduate [[public policy school]].<ref name="Eagle" />
 
== See also ==
* [[Electoral history of George H. W. Bush]]
* [[List of presidents of the United States]]
* [[List of presidents of the United States by previous experience]]
 
== Notes ==
{{noteslist}}
 
== References ==
{{Reflist|25em}}
 
=== Works cited ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Greene |first=John Robert |title=The Presidency of George Bush |year=2015 |edition=2nd |publisher=University Press of Kansas |isbn=978-0-7006-2079-1}}
* {{cite book|last1=Herring|first1=George C.|title=From Colony to Superpower; U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1776|date=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-507822-0|url=https://archive.org/details/fromcolonytosupe00herr}}
* {{cite book|last1=Leuchtenberg|first1=William E.|title=The American President: From Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton|date=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195176162}}
* {{cite book |last=Meacham |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Meacham |title=Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iMgOCAAAQBAJ |year=2015 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-4000-6765-7}}
* {{cite book |last1=Naftali |first1=Timothy |author-link=Timothy Naftali |title=George H. W. Bush |date=2007 |publisher=Times Books |isbn=978-0-8050-6966-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/georgehwbush0000naft_v9m8 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Patterson|first1=James|title=Restless Giant: The United States from Watergate to Bush v. Gore|date=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0195122169|url=https://archive.org/details/restlessgiantuni00patt_0}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rossinow|first1=Douglas C.|title=The Reagan Era: A History of the 1980s|date=2015|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=9780231538657}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Waterman|first1=Richard W.|title=Storm Clouds on the Political Horizon: George Bush at the Dawn of the 1992 Presidential Election|journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly|date=1996|volume=26|issue=2|pages=337–349|jstor=27551581}}
* {{cite book|last1=Wilentz|first1=Sean|title=The Age of Reagan|date=2008|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-06-074480-9|url=https://archive.org/details/ageofreaganhisto00wile}}
{{refend}}
 
== Further reading ==
=== Secondary sources ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last1=Andrew |first1=Christopher | author-link = Christopher Andrew (historian) |title=For the President's Eyes Only: Secret Intelligence and the American Presidency from Washington to Bush |date=1996 |publisher=Harper Perennial |isbn=978-0-06-092178-1 |pages=503–536}}
* {{Cite book |last=Barilleaux |first=Ryan J. |author2=Stuckey, Mary E. |title=Leadership and the Bush Presidency: Prudence or Drift in an Era of Change |year=1992 |publisher=Praeger |location=New York |isbn=978-0-275-94418-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/leadershipbushpr0000unse }}
* {{cite book |last1=Becker |first1=Jean |title=The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H. W. Bush's Post-Presidency |date=2021 |publisher=Twelve |isbn=978-1-53-873530-5}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Brands |first1=H. W. |title=George Bush and the Gulf War of 1991 |journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly |date=2004 |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=113–131 |jstor=27552567|doi=10.1111/j.1741-5705.2004.00038.x }}
* Cox, Michael, and Steven Hurst. "'His finest hour?'George Bush and the diplomacy of German unification." ''Diplomacy and statecraft'' 13.4 (2002): 123–150.
* Cull, Nicholas J. "Speeding the Strange Death of American Public Diplomacy: The George H. W. Bush Administration and the US Information Agency." ''Diplomatic History'' 34.1 (2010): 47–69.
* {{Cite book |last=Ducat |first=Stephen J. |title=The Wimp Factor: Gender Gaps, Holy Wars, and the Politics of Anxious Masculinity |year=2004 |publisher=Beacon Press |location=Boston |isbn=978-0-8070-4344-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/wimpfactorgender00duca }}
* {{Cite book |last=Duffy |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Duffy (American journalist) |author2=Goodgame, Dan |title=Marching in Place: The Status Quo Presidency of George Bush |year=1992 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-0-671-73720-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/marchinginplaces00duff }}
* Engel, Jeffrey A. "A Better World...but Don't Get Carried Away: The Foreign Policy of George H. W. Bush Twenty Years On." ''Diplomatic History'' 34.1 (2010): 25–46.
* Engel, Jeffrey A. ''When the World Seemed New: George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War'' (2018) [https://www.amazon.com/When-World-Seemed-New-George/dp/1328511650/ excerpt]
* {{Cite book |last=Fitzwater |first=Marlin |author-link=Marlin Fitzwater |title=Call the Briefing |year=1995 |publisher=Times Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7388-3458-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hyams |first=Joe |author-link=Joe Hyams |title=Flight of the Avenger: George Bush at War |year=1991 |publisher=Harcourt Brace Jovanovic |location=San Diego |isbn=978-0-15-131469-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kelley |first=Kitty |author-link=Kitty Kelley |title=The Family: The True Story of the Bush Dynasty |year=2004 |publisher=Doubleday |location=London |isbn=978-0-385-50324-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/familyrealstoryo00kell }}
* Maynard, Christopher. ''Out of the shadow: George H. W. Bush and the end of the Cold War'' (Texas A&M University Press, 2008).
* {{cite book |last1=Meacham |first1=Jon |title=Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush |date=2015 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-40-006765-7}}
* {{Cite book |last=Podhoretz |first=John |author-link=John Podhoretz |title=Hell of a Ride: Backstage at the White House Follies, 1989–1993 |year=1993 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-0-671-79648-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/hellofridebackst00podh }}
* {{cite journal|last=Saunders|first=Harold|title=What Really Happened in Bangladesh: Washington, Islamabad, and the Genocide in East Pakistan|journal=Foreign Affairs|volume=93|issue=3|date=July 2014|pages=36–42}}  
* {{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Jean Edward |author-link=Jean Edward Smith |title=George Bush's War |year=1992 |publisher=Henry Holt & Company |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8050-1388-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/georgebushswar00smit }}
* {{Cite book |last=Sununu |first=John H. |title=The Quiet Man: The Indispensable Presidency of George H. W. Bush |publisher=Broadside Books |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-06-238428-7 |author-link=John H. Sununu}}
* Troy, Gil. "Stumping in the bookstores: A literary history of the 1992 presidential campaign." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' (1995): 697–710. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/27551506 online]
* {{cite book |last1=Updegrove |first1=Mark K. |author-link=Mark K. Updegrove |title=The Last Republicans: Inside the Extraordinary Relationship between George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush |date=2017 |publisher=Harper |isbn=978-0-06-265412-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wicker |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Wicker |title=George Herbert Walker Bush |publisher=Lipper/Viking |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-670-03303-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/georgeherbertwal00wick }}
* {{cite news |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2009/06/12/the-president-who-treated-me-like-a-son.html |title=The President Who Treated Me Like a Son |last=McBride |first=Tim |newspaper=The Daily Beast |date=June 12, 2009 |access-date=October 8, 2014}}
* {{cite AV media |year=2008 |title=American Experience, The Presidents: George H.W. Bush |medium=Television production |url=http://video.pbs.org/video/979907571 |access-date=October 8, 2014 |publisher=[[American Experience]], Public Broadcasting Service}}
{{refend}}
 
=== Primary sources ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bush |first=George H. W. |title=Looking Forward: An Autobiography |year=1987 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |isbn=978-0-385-14181-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/lookingforward00bush }}
* {{Cite book |last=Bush |first=George H. W. |author2=Scowcroft, Brent |title=A World Transformed |year=1998 |publisher=Knopf |location=New York |isbn=978-0-679-43248-7|title-link=A World Transformed}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bush |first=George H. W. |title=All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings |year=1999 |publisher=Scribner |location=New York |isbn=978-0-684-83958-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/allbestgeorgebus00bush }}
* {{cite interview |last=Bush |first=George H. W. |last2=Bush |first2=Barbara |interviewer=McGrath, Jim |title=Interview with: George W. Bush, Barbara Bush |url=http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/oral-history/george-bush.php |date=2009 |access-date=October 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114224918/http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/oral-history/george-bush.php |archive-date=November 14, 2013 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |last=Bush |first=George W. |title=41: A Portrait of My Father |year=2014 |publisher=Crown |isbn=978-0-553-44778-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/41portraitofmyfa0000bush }}
* {{cite book |last=Bush Koch |first=Dorothy |title=My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H. W. Bush |isbn=978-0-446-57990-2 |publisher=Grand Central Publishing |year=2006 |url=https://archive.org/details/myfathermypresid00koch }}
* {{cite book |last=Bush|first=George H. W.|editor-last= Engel|editor-first=Jeffrey A.|title=The China Diary of George H. W. Bush: The Making of a Global President |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRvdwoKQOgQC&pg=PA356 |year=2011 |publisher=Princeton UP |isbn=978-1-4008-2961-3}}
{{refend}}
 
== External links ==
{{Sister project links |wikt=Bush |b=no |s=Author:George Herbert Walker Bush |v=no}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190206232136/https://www.bush41.org/ George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center]
* [https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/george-h-w-bush/ White House biography]
* [http://millercenter.org/president/speeches#bush Full audio of a number of Bush speeches] [[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]
* {{New York Times topic|people/b/george_bush}}
* {{Biographical Directory of Congress|B001166}}
* [https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/04/04/clinton-bush-heavyweight-orig.cnn 1992 election episode in CNN's Race for the White House]
* <!--
Links formerly displayed via the CongLinks template:
* [http://www.ontheissues.org/Gerald_Ford.htm Issue positions and quotes] at [[On the Issues]]
* [http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n88-112497 Works by or about George H. W. Bush] in libraries ([[WorldCat]] catalog)
* [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/georgebush Appearances] on [[C-SPAN]] programs
* [http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/3592 Appearances] on [[Charlie Rose (TV show)|''Charlie Rose'']]
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0124132 Appearances] at the [[Internet Movie Database]]
* [https://www.theguardian.com/world/george-bush-senior Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The Guardian]]''
* [http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/george_bush//index.html Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The New York Times]]''
* [http://topics.wsj.com/person/B/george-hw-bush/5370 Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' (paywall)
* -->
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070516070910/http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/bush Extensive essays on Bush] and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the [[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]
* {{C-SPAN|George Bush}}
** [http://www.c-span.org/video/?151637-1/life-portrait-george-hw-bush "Life Portrait of George H. W. Bush"], from [[C-SPAN]]'s ''[[American Presidents: Life Portraits]]'', December 13, 1999
* [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/bush/player/ ''George H. W. Bush'']&nbsp;an [[American Experience]] documentary
* {{Gutenberg author|id=1672}}
* {{find a Grave|4311}}
{{George H. W. Bush|state=expanded}}
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Latest revision as of 23:55, 3 October 2022

This article is about the 41st U.S. president. For his son and 43rd U.S. president, see George W. Bush.
The Honorable
George H. W. Bush
GCB
Official portrait, 1989
41st President of the United States
In office
January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993
Vice PresidentDan Quayle
Preceded byRonald Reagan
Succeeded byBill Clinton
40th Vice President of the United States
In office
January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byWalter Mondale
Succeeded byDan Quayle
Director of Central Intelligence
In office
January 30, 1976 – January 20, 1977
PresidentGerald Ford
Preceded byWilliam Colby
Succeeded byStansfield Turner
Chief of the Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China
In office
September 26, 1974 – December 7, 1975
PresidentGerald Ford
Preceded byDavid Bruce
Succeeded byThomas Gates
Chairperson of the Republican National Committee
In office
January 19, 1973 – September 16, 1974
Preceded byBob Dole
Succeeded byMary Smith
United States Ambassador to the United Nations
In office
March 1, 1971 – January 18, 1973
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byCharles Yost
Succeeded byJohn Scali
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 7th district
In office
January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1971
Preceded byJohn Dowdy
Succeeded byWilliam Reynolds Archer Jr.
Personal details
Born
George Herbert Walker Bush

(1924-06-12)June 12, 1924
Milton, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedNovember 30, 2018(2018-11-30) (aged 94)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Resting placeGeorge Bush Presidential Library, College Station, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
​
(
m. 1945; her death 2018)
RelationsWilliam (Brother)
ChildrenGeorge
Pauline
Jeb
Neil
Marvin
Robin
Dorothy
Alma materYale University
AwardsDistinguished Flying Cross
Air Medal (3)
Presidential Unit Citation
SignatureCursive signature in ink
WebsitePresidential Library
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Branch/service United States Navy
Years of service1942–1945
Rank Lieutenant (junior grade)
UnitFast Carrier Task Force
Battles/warsWorld War II

George Herbert Walker Bush (June 12, 1924 – November 30, 2018) was an American politician and businessman who served as the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Before he became president, he was the 43rd vice president from 1981 to 1989 (under the Ronald Reagan administration), an ambassador to the United Nations, a congressman, and Director of Central Intelligence. He was married to Barbara Bush from 1945 until her death in 2018. His children include the 43rd president of the United States George W. Bush, former governor of Florida Jeb Bush, and Dorothy Bush Koch. He was a Republican.

Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. He attended Phillips Academy before serving in the United States Navy Reserve during World War II. After the war, he graduated from Yale and moved to Texas, starting a successful oil company.

He entered politics in the 1960s, first running for the US Senate in 1964, but lost the election. In 1966, he ran for the House of Representatives and won. Five years later, in 1971, President Richard Nixon appointed Bush to become the Ambassador of the United Nations, then chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1973. In 1974, President Gerald Ford appointed him as Chief of the Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China, then in 1976 Bush became the Director of Central Intelligence. In 1980, Bush ran for president, but lost the nomination to Ronald Reagan. However, Reagan chose Bush to be his vice presidential running mate.

Eight years later, in 1988, Bush ran for president again, defeating Democrat Michael Dukakis. During his presidency, Bush led the United States through the end of the Cold War. He presided over the invasion of Panama and the Gulf War. He also signed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which did not allow discrimination to disabled people. Bush signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (also called NAFTA), which went into effect in 1994. He appointed David Souter and Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. Although he promised not to raise taxes, he did so in order to help make the budget deficit smaller (when the government spends more money than it makes.) He ran for reelection in 1992, but lost to Democrat Bill Clinton.

After his presidency ended in 1993, Bush did activities that helped other people. He did this alongside Bill Clinton, his former rival. In 2000, his son, George W. Bush, was elected president of the United States. Another son, Jeb Bush, was elected governor of Florida in 1998. Jeb tried to run for president in 2016, but did not win the nomination.

On November 25, 2017, Bush became, at the time, the longest-lived U.S. president. He passed the 93 years and 165 days lifespan of Gerald Ford, who died on December 26, 2006. On November 30, 2018, Bush died at his home in Houston, Texas at the age of 94. Bush is ranked as an above-average president.

Early life[edit | edit source]

File:George H W Bush at Age One and One-Half, ca 1925.gif Bush was born on June 12, 1924 in 173 Adam Street, Milton, Massachusetts.[1][2] His father was politician Prescott Bush. He studied at Yale University. In June 1943, Bush became the youngest pilot in the United States Navy at the time.[3]

Bush served in the United States Navy from 1942 until 1945. During WWII, his plane was shot down. He won the Air Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He married Barbara Pierce in 1945. They had six children.

Early career[edit | edit source]

Bush worked for Zapata Oil in Texas and was a politician in Texas, running for the Senate in 1964, but losing to Ralph Yarborough and later again in 1970, though losing again to Lloyd Bentsen.

He was later a House Representative. He was also Republican Party Chairman and tried the vice presidency, with the support of such Congressional conservatives as Senator Barry Goldwater after Nixon resigned and Ford took office, but lost to liberal Republican Nelson Rockefeller in 1974.[4][5] In 1980, Bush also ran against Ronald Reagan for the Republican Party's candidacy for president but lost. He was then named Republican vice presidential candidate by Reagan after Reagan defeated him. Reagan and Bush were elected president and Vice President that year.

During World War II, Bush was a crewman on a TBM Avenger.[6] He had survived many crashes and sunk a Japanese ship. He later became a diplomat and head of the CIA.[7]

Presidency, 1989–93[edit | edit source]

After being Ronald Reagan's vice president, Bush was elected president in 1988 by defeating Michael Dukakis.

Bush was sworn in as president on January 20, 1989, succeeding Reagan.

While he was president, the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union fell apart.[8] He was known for his failed promise speech "Read my lips: no new taxes".

Bush being sworn in as president on January 20, 1989

In 1990, Bush's off-hand comments about broccoli caused a minor political controversy.[9] In 1992, he visited Kiichi Miyazawa when he vomited on his lap and soon fainted during a dinner feast.[10] Hours later, Bush made a comment that he was suffering from the flu.[10]

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in order to steal their supplies of oil, Bush led the United States and many other countries to protect Kuwait. The conflict was called the Gulf War. He also invaded Panama to remove Manuel Noreiga, who was guilty of drug trafficking.

At his home, Bush also signed in important laws, such as the Americans With Disabilities Act.[11] However, the country suffered from a recession.[12] This was embarrassing, and many people believe this was the reason he lost the presidential election of 1992 to Bill Clinton.

Bush left office on January 20, 1993 when Bill Clinton became president. Bush and his wife, Barbara, moved to Houston, Texas.

Personal life[edit | edit source]

Bush and his son George W. Bush at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing

Bush resided on a ranch in Houston, Texas with his family. After his presidency, he supported John McCain and his son George W. Bush. He supported Mitt Romney and Rick Perry for president. He attended the opening of the USS George H.W. Bush, a naval ship named after him. He traveled with his son to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

On February 15, 2011, Bush was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, by President Barack Obama.

He was present at his son's presidential library opening ceremony on April 25, 2013. In July 2013, Bush had his head shaved in a show of support for the two-year-old son of a member of his security detail, who had leukemia. He is the most recent president that was a veteran during World War II.

Bush sent a letter to Donald Trump in January 2017 to inform him of his (Bush's) poor health that he would not be able to attend Trump's inauguration on January 20 and gave his best wishes.[13]

He was the father of George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, and Dorothy Bush Koch. He had two other sons; his other daughter Robin died of leukemia in 1953; his father (also a politician) was Prescott Bush. On April 13, 2013, he became a great-grandfather when his granddaughter Jenna Bush Hager gave birth to a daughter.

Bush was an Episcopalian.[14]

Health[edit | edit source]

Bush suffered from a form of Parkinson's disease which forced him to use a motorized scooter or wheelchair to get around, since at least 2012.[15][16]

Bush with Bill Clinton in 2006

On November 23, 2012, Bush had a bronchitis-like cough that initially brought him to Methodist Hospital in Houston for treatment. He was supposed to be released before Christmas, but was kept in and over the holiday because he got worse with a high fever. On December 23, 2012, he started to be in the intensive-care unit.[17] On December 29, 2012, his health improved and moved out of intensive care.[18] He was discharged in the hospital on January 14, 2013. On December 23, 2014, Bush was once again hospitalized at the Methodist Hospital after suffering a "shortness of breath".[19] He was released from the hospital on December 30, 2014.

On July 15, 2015, Bush fell at his home in Kennebunkport, Maine and broke a vertebra in his neck.[20]

On January 18, 2017, 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 stemming from pneumonia.[13]

On April 22, 2018, after the burial of Bush's wife Barbara, he was hospitalized for sepsis and was placed under intensive care.[21]

Death[edit | edit source]

Bush's casket at the United States Capitol Building
Main article: Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush

Bush died on November 30, 2018 at his home in Houston from Parkinson's-related complications, aged 94.[22] A state funeral was held at the Washington National Cathedral.

Tributes and condolences were offered by former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and then-current President Donald Trump.[23][24] He lied in state in the United States Capitol and was buried next to his wife at the George Bush Presidential Library.[25]

Other names[edit | edit source]

Since Bush had the same first and last names as his son, he was often called George H. W. Bush or George Bush Sr. (George Bush senior). Some people call him "41" or "Bush 41" because he was the 41st President.

Comments on broccoli[edit | edit source]

In 1990, President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, made a casual remark about broccoli (a vegetable), and said he would never eat it.

I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid. And my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States. And I'm not gonna eat any more broccoli!

— George H. W. Bush[26]

The President made this comment in 1990, shortly after a journalist from the U.S. News & World Report broke the story that Bush banned the vegetable from Air Force One.[27] George S. Dunlop, President of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, gave First Lady Barbara Bush a bouquet of the vegetable an additional 10 tons in trucks.[9][28]

A few days afterwards, Bush hosted a state dinner to honor Tadeusz Mazowiecki, the Prime Minister of Poland, and journalists noted there was no broccoli on the menu, as most of the 10 tons of broccoli given to the President's family by the farmers had been donated to the Capital Area Food Bank.[9][29]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "George Bush's White House biography". Archived from the original on 2009-01-17. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
  2. ↑ "Presidential Avenue: George Bush". 2007-10-08. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
  3. ↑ "Biography - Lieutenant Junior Grade George Bush, USNR". history.navy.mil. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ Parmet, Herbert George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee pages 168-171
  5. ↑ "Chapter 13 – Bush Attempts The Vice Presidency, 1974 « TARPLEY.net". tarpley.net.
  6. ↑ Turner, John Frayn Fight for the Air: Air Battles of World War II Airlife Publishing Ltd 2000 page 199
  7. ↑ Parmet, Herbert S. Geoge Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey 2001 pages 184-207
  8. ↑ Genovese, Michael A. Encyclopedia of the American Presidency Revised Edition Infobase Publishing 2010 New York page 61
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Lauter, David (27 March 1990). "Broccoli Stalks Bush on White House Lawn : Veggies: First Lady accepts California gift, but most of it goes to charity. Flap gives pundits food for thought". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Wines, Michael (January 9, 1992). "Bush Collapses at State Dinner With the Japanese". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-28. President Bush fell suddenly ill and collapsed at a state dinner being given for him Wednesday night at the home of the Japanese Prime Minister.
  11. ↑ Popadiuk, Roman The Leadership of George Bush: An Insider's View of the Forty-First President Texas AM University Press 2009 page 190
  12. ↑ edited by William F. Levantrosser, Rosanna Perotti A Noble Calling: Character and the George HW Bush Presidency Hofstra University page 318
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Garcia, Feliks (18 January 2017). "George HW Bush sends personal note to Donald Trump on why he can't attend inauguration". The Independent. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  14. ↑ University, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs at Georgetown. "George H.W. Bush". berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Archived from the original on 2018-06-27. Retrieved 2019-02-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "Photo P012712PS-0676". 2012-01-27. The Whitehouse. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  16. ↑ Peppers, Margot (2013-04-09). "A beaming George H W Bush poses for a photo". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  17. ↑ "Spokesman: George H.W. Bush in intensive care". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on 29 December 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  18. ↑ "Former President Bush moved out of intensive care". USA Today. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  19. ↑ "Ex-President George H.W. Bush Taken to Hospital". ABC News.com. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  20. ↑ "George H.W. Bush is stable in Maine hospital after breaking a bone in his neck during fall at family compound". Daily Mail.co.uk. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Former President George H. W. Bush in intensive care". CNN. April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  22. ↑ ""Former President George H.W. Bush Dies At 94"". NPR. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  23. ↑ David, Javier E.; Breuninger, Kevin (1 December 2018). "Tributes pour in for former president George HW Bush as state funeral preparations begin". CNBC. NBCUniversal. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  24. ↑ Ingber, Sasha (1 December 2018). "Presidents And Former Colleagues React To George H.W. Bush's Death". NPR. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  25. ↑ Pergram, Chad (2018-12-01). "George H.W. Bush to lie in state in US Capitol; Trump to attend funeral". Fox News. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  26. ↑ Original:(ABC News Archive)
  27. ↑ Dowd, Maureen (23 March 1990). "'I'm President,' So No More Broccoli! (Published 1990)". The New York Times.
  28. ↑ "Broccoli Presentation". C-SPAN.org. 26 March 1990. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  29. ↑ Carman, Tim (5 December 2018). "As president, George H.W. Bush never wavered from his hard line on broccoli". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 October 2020.

External links[edit | edit source]

Template:USVicePresidents Template:GHW Bush cabinet Template:DCIA Template:USUNambassadors Template:Time Persons of the Year 1976–2000

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