Last Friday, November 30, George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, died in Houston at the age of 94. He served one term as president, from 1989 to 1993. He and his son George W. Bush, who became president in 2001, were the second father and son to serve as president. The only other father and son who both became president were John Adams and John Quincy Adams, who held office from 1797 to 1801 and from 1825 to 1829, respectively.

George H. W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, served from 1989 to 1993.
Credit: White House

As president, George H. W. Bush led the nation during the Persian Gulf War of 1991, in which the United States and its allies defeated Iraq, whose forces had invaded Kuwait. He also signed important arms-control agreements with the Soviet Union and, after it broke apart in 1991, with Russia and other former Soviet republics. Prior to his election as president, Bush had been a successful oil company executive and had served a long career in government service.

Bush was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts. Bush served as a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II (1939-1945). On Sept. 2, 1944, Bush’s plane was shot down during an attack on a Japanese-held island. Before parachuting from his plane, Bush scored damaging hits on his target, a radio station. Bush was rescued from the ocean, but his two crew members did not survive. Bush received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism in the incident. He returned to flying after being shot down.

George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush.
Credit: Joyce N. Boghosian, White House Photo Office

On Jan. 6, 1945, Bush and Barbara Pierce were married. They were to become the longest-wedded couple in the history of the U.S. presidency, celebrating their 73rd wedding anniversary in January 2018. The couple had six children—George; Robin, who died of leukemia; John, called Jeb; Neil; Marvin; and Dorothy. Their son George was governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before serving as U.S. president from 2001 to 2009. Jeb Bush was governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007.

In 1945, Bush graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He then worked in the oil industry, becoming president of the Zapata Off-Shore Oil Company in 1954. Bush’s career as an independent oilman made him wealthy.

Bush became interested in politics in the late 1950’s. A Republican, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1966 and was reelected in 1968. In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon  appointed Bush U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN). He served until 1973. He was the U.S. envoy to Communist China in 1974 and 1975 and head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  in 1976 and 1977.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan, the Republican Party candidate for president of the United States, chose Bush as his running mate. Reagan and Bush defeated their Democratic opponents, President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale. In the 1984 presidential election, Reagan and Bush won a landslide victory over their Democratic opponents, former Vice President Walter Mondale and Representative Geraldine Ferraro.

Bush won the Republican presidential nomination in 1988. He chose as his running mate Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana. In his acceptance speech at the Republican convention in August, Bush called on the United States to become a “kinder, gentler nation.” In November, Bush and Quayle defeated their Democratic opponents, Governor Mike Dukakis and Senator Lloyd Bentsen.

Bush and Quayle ran for reelection in 1992 but lost to their Democratic opponents, Governor Bill Clinton and Senator Al Gore.

After leaving the White House, Bush became active with charitable organizations and helped raise several million dollars for various causes. In 2005, President George W. Bush appointed his father and former President Bill Clinton to lead relief efforts for victims of natural disasters in the United States and other parts of the world.

In his later years, George H. W. Bush often used a wheelchair. Even so, in 2014 he celebrated his 90th birthday by skydiving!

April 19, 2018

Late Tuesday, on April 17, former United States First Lady Barbara Pierce Bush, the wife of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, died at her home in Houston, Texas. Geroge H. W. Bush served as president from 1989 to 1993. Mrs. Bush also is the mother of George W. Bush, who was U.S. president from 2001 to 2009. As first lady, Barbara Bush worked to promote literacy. Her witty, friendly manner made her a popular first lady.

Barbara Pierce Bush (1925-2018).
Credit: Library of Congress

Mrs. Bush, whose maiden name was Barbara Pierce, was born on June 8, 1925. Her family lived in Rye, New York, at the time of her birth, but she was born in nearby New York City. Her father became the publisher of McCall’s and Redbook magazines. Barbara’s mother was the daughter of an Ohio Supreme Court justice. Franklin Pierce, who served as president of the United States from 1853 to 1857, was a great-great-great uncle of Barbara Pierce. The Pierce family was well-to-do. Barbara spent her last three years of high school at Ashley Hall, a finishing school in Charleston, South Carolina.

Barbara Pierce and George H. W. Bush met in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1941. They became engaged in August 1943. They married on Jan. 6, 1945, while Bush was on leave from naval duty in World War II (1939-1945). Barbara Bush had enrolled in Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1943. She dropped out early in 1944 to plan her marriage.

Barbara and George H. W. Bush had six children. The children were, in order of birth, George, Pauline (called Robin), John (called Jeb), Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. Their son George was elected governor of Texas in 1994 and reelected in 1998. He was elected president of the United States in 2000 and reelected in 2004. Jeb Bush was governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007.

The Bush family moved often as the elder George Bush’s career took them to different locations. After serving as vice president of the United States under President Ronald Reagan, Bush became president in 1989.

As first lady, Barbara Bush sought to turn the public’s attention to the problem of illiteracy. She called on people to become volunteers to help solve social problems, including illiteracy, AIDS, and homelessness. In 1989, she helped found the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

The Bushes favored informality in White House social functions. Barbara Bush liked to host informal parties and barbecues. The Bushes also entertained at their summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Barbara Bush’s springer spaniel, Millie, became a nationally famous pet. The first lady published Millie’s Book, a book about her dog, in 1990.

After George H. W. Bush’s term as president ended in 1993, Barbara and George moved to Houston. Barbara Bush continued to work on social causes. She also wrote two autobiographical books, Barbara Bush: A Memoir (1995) and Reflections: Life After the White House (2003).