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!

February 24, 2016

Several primaries and caucuses have occurred over the last few days in the Democratic and Republican races for the U.S. presidential nomination.

On February 20, in Nevada, the Democrats held caucuses to select delegates for the Democratic Convention. The convention will be held July 25-28 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In Nevada, Bernie Sanders exceeded expectations, but he was unable to win against Hillary Clinton. The final count was a vote of 52.6 percent and 20 delegates for Clinton and 47.3 percent and 15 delegates for Sanders. Sanders did better than had been expected with Hispanic American voters, gaining 53 percent of the tally against Clinton’s 45 percent. With African American voters, however, Clinton was strongly ahead. Nationally, 65 percent of African American voters favor Hillary Clinton and 22 percent favor Bernie Sanders. This will matter in the upcoming primary in South Carolina, a state with a large African American population.

A Democratic candidate needs 2,383 delegates to win the nomination. Currently, Clinton has 502 and Sanders 70. Clinton’s lead is built purely on superdelegates. Clinton and Sanders both have 51 delegates through voting, but Clinton has 451 superdelegates against Bernie Sanders’ 19. Superdelegates are people chosen by the Democratic Party who are automatically seated at the convention and may vote for whomever they choose.

Democrats and Republicans hold separate votes in Nevada and South Carolina. The Republicans held their South Carolina primary on February 20. Donald Trump won that primary with 32 percent of the vote. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio tied for second place, each with 22 percent of the vote. Jeb Bush ran a distant fourth, with 7.9 percent of the vote.

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush speaks at a town hall meeting in Columbia, South Carolina, on February 18. His poor showing in the South Carolina primary two days later ended his campaign. Credit: © Shutterstock

After his poor showing in South Carolina, Bush suspended his campaign. His fourth place finish in South Carolina had followed a fourth place finish in New Hampshire and a sixth place finish in Iowa. When he joined the race in 2015, he had been seen as a favorite for the nomination. He is from a political family, and both his father, George H.W., and brother, George W., have been U.S. presidents. In addition, Jeb Bush had far more campaign money than any other candidate. The New York Times reported that Bush had spent $130 million on his campaign, a huge sum and more than twice the amount spent by any other Republican candidate. But, Bush was an establishment candidate in a year in which voters were looking for an outsider.

In the Republican caucus in Nevada on February 23, Donald Trump won resoundingly, with 45.9 percent of the vote and 14 delegates. Marco Rubio won second place, with 23.9 percent of the vote and 7 delegates. Ted Cruz came in third, with 21.4 percent and 6 delegates. Candidates John Kasich and Ben Carson each got fewer than 5 percent of the votes.

The Republican candidate needs 1,231 delegates to clinch the nomination. Currently, Donald Trump has 81 and both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have 17. The Republican Party has far fewer superdelegates, and they must vote as their state votes.

August 31, 2012

Mitt Romney officially became the 2012 Republican candidate for president of the United States on Thursday, August 30, ending his six-year quest for the nomination. Two days earlier, Romney had polled 2,061 votes, more than the 1,144 needed for the nomination, during roll-call voting by delegates at the Republican National Convention. In his acceptance speech, Romney spoke of his childhood and family. He also contended that continuing high unemployment had led many Americans to give up on President Barack Obama and argued that “Now is the time to restore the promise of America.”

Mitt Romney (Abby Brack, Romney for President, Inc.)

Romney became his party’s presumptive nominee in April, when the last of a wide field of challengers dropped out of what had been a contentious Republican primary season. That month, Rick Santorum suspended his presidential campaign. By April, Newt Gingrich and Representative Ron Paul of Texas also had failed to pick up enough convention delegates to be considered serious contenders.

Romney, 65 years old, is a former governor of Massachusetts and a successful businessman. He founded Bain Capital, a private investment firm, in 1984. Romney gained national attention after serving as president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Before he took over, the 2002 Olympics had been plagued by scandal and financial problems. Romney had previously been a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. president in 2008 but lost to Arizona Senator John McCain.

Additional articles in World Book:

• Election campaign
• Political party

August 28, 2012

The Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, reconvened on Tuesday, August 28, after a one-day postponement triggered by concerns about potentially dangerous weather produced by Tropical Storm Isaac. Party officials opened the convention on Monday but recessed less than one minute later. Uncertainty about the path of the storm, which had caused widespread damage in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, led Republican officials on Saturday to shorten the convention from four to three days. However, on Sunday, Isaac turned northwest, away from Tampa and toward the Gulf of Mexico. Tampa and other areas in central and southern Florida were hit only by strong winds and heavy rains.

Mitt Romney (Abby Brack, Romney for President, Inc.)

On Tuesday, delegates voted for their nominee for president. Mitt Romney received 2,061 votes, more than the 1,144 votes needed to win the Republican nomination. He was to be formally nominated Thursday, August 30. Speakers on Tuesday evening included Ann Romney, Mitt Romney’s wife; Republican Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey; and Rick Santorum, former Republican senator from Pennsylvania, who ran against Romney for the presidential nomination.

Additional articles in World Book:

• Election campaign
• Political party

May 9, 2012

In a landslide primary vote, Republican United States Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana lost his bid for a seventh term to state Treasurer Richard Mourdock, who was backed by Tea Party activists and other highly conservative groups. Lugar, who had maintained a solidly conservative record since first being elected to the Senate in 1976, was highly regarded for his knowledge of foreign policy and international affairs.

Lugar proved vulnerable to Mourdock’s charges that he was not conservative enough on cutting federal spending and on immigration and had compromised with Democrats, particularly President Barack Obama. Mourdock had been particularly critical of Lugar’s vote for the federal rescue of the auto industry, which has plants in Indiana. Lugar, who has a home near Washington, D.C., suffered as well from an extended debate about whether he was still an official resident of Indiana. Political experts noted that Lugar had also failed to recognize the seriousness of Mourdock’s challenge and to forcefully counter his opponent’s attacks.

Richard G. Lugar of Indiana. (U.S. Senate)

After the results of the primary were announced, Lugar released a statement that was highly critical of the country’s polarized political climate, especially in Congress. It said, in part, “I also knew from the races in 2010 that I was a likely target of Club for Growth, FreedomWorks and other Super Pacs dedicated to defeating at least one Republican as a purification exercise to enhance their influence over other Republican legislators.” Lugar also accused Mourdock of promising a “rigid opposition to the actions and proposals of the other party. This is not conducive to problem solving and governance.” In addition, Lugar praised bipartisanship (working with political opponents) and predicted that, “unless [Mourdock] modifies his approach, he will achieve little as a legislator.  Worse, he will help delay solutions that are totally beyond the capacity of partisan majorities to achieve.”

Additional World Book articles:

• Republican Party 2010 (Back in Time article)
• Tempest in a Tea Party (a special report)

April 24, 2012

Utah Republicans denied U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch an outright nomination for re-election by a few dozen votes at a convention with nearly 4,000 delegates in attendance on April 21 in Sandy, Utah. He will face former state Senator Dan Liljenquist, a Tea Party favorite, in the primary election in June. The primary challenge is Hatch’s first in many years. He is Utah’s longest-serving senator, having been in the Senate for six terms.

Orrin Hatch (U.S. Senate)

Richard G. Lugar (U.S. Senate)

FreedomWorks, part of the Tea Party movement, spent more than $700,000 through a super PAC to defeat Hatch, who it claimed is insufficiently conservative. The Tea Party movement solidified its presence as a force with Utah’s Republican Party in 2010 when it helped orchestrate the defeat of three-term Senator Bob Bennett, who Tea Party activists claimed was too cooperative with Democrats.

Tea Party activists are also trying to unseat another long-time incumbent Republican–Richard Lugar of Indiana, who has also served six six-year terms. Considered an expert on foreign policy and international affairs, Lugar is accused of paying insufficient attention to his Indiana constituents.

Additional World Book articles:

• Republican Party 2010 (Back in Time article)
• Tempest in a Tea Party (a special report)

March 21, 2012

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney won the March 20 Illinois Republican primary for the nomination for president of the United States. The former Massachusetts governor won decisively, taking 46.7 percent of the vote. Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum came in second with 35 percent. Texas Representative Ron Paul came in third with 9.3 percent of the vote, while Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House, took fourth place with only 8 percent. A voter turnout of only 24 percent made this Illinois’s lowest turnout for a presidential primary in 70 years.

The win follows Romney’s overwhelming victory in the Puerto Rico primary on March 18, in which he took all of the territory’s 20 delegates. Romney had 522 delegates going into the Illinois primary and will take at least 41 of that state’s 54 delegates. He thus widened his lead over Santorum (who will take at least 10 of the Illinois delegates, adding to his previous total of 252) as the candidates head into the Louisiana primary on March 24.

Mitt Romney won the Puerto Rico and Illinois Republican primary elections, putting him well ahead of former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in the delegate count. (Courtesy of Abby Brack, Romney for President, Inc.)