George H.W. Bush
R.I.P. George Herbert Walker Bush
George H.W. Bush was the 41st President of the United States and served as vice president under Ronald Reagan. He was also the father of George W. Bush, the 43rd President.
Bush passed away on November 30, 2018, at 10:10 pm in Houston, Texas. "Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I am saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died," his son George said in a statement. "George H. W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens."
Early Life:
George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts. The son of Senator Prescott Bush, he was born into a wealthy and politically active family. Bush attended Phillips Academy, an elite boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts. He began dating his future wife, known as Barbara Pierce at the time, after they were introduced at a Christmas dance in 1941. Bush was 17 years old at the time, and Barbara was just 16. They married in January 1945.
The former US first lady, mother of a president and literacy campaigner died at the age of 92.
Barbara Bush was born in New York City in 1925. She met her husband George Herbert Walker Bush at the age of 16. "I married the first man I ever kissed"
On his 18th birthday, Bush enlisted in the U.S. Navy, becoming the youngest pilot in the Navy during World War II. He served as a combat pilot in the war, flying carrier-based torpedo bomber aircraft and a total of 58 combat missions. He had a brush with death when his plane was hit during a bombing run in the Pacific. After managing to escape the burning aircraft, he was quickly rescued by a U.S. Navy submarine. Bush was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his WWII service.
George H.W. Bush War World 2
During an American air raid on the Japanese-controlled island of Chichi Jima in September of 1944. Nine airmen survived being shot down during the raid, but Bush was the only one that managed to avoid capture, a result of bailing out of his plane earliest, luck in procuring a life raft, and protection by covering fire from American planes to keep Japanese boats at bay. Though Bush’s escape was harrowing and terrifying, the eight other surviving airmen were doomed to experience worse.
Chichi Jima is an island roughly 600 miles south of Tokyo and is part of the Bonin Islands. Rather than risking a costly invasion, United States Navy and Army regularly bombed Chichi Jima from 1944 through 1945. Over one hundred American airmen were shot down while participating in bombing runs on the island, Bush being among them, and at least twenty were captured by Japanese forces.
Congressman and Vice President:
Bush became chairman of the Harris County Republican Party in 1963. The following year, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas. It didn't take long for Bush to enter Congress, however; in 1966, two years after his unsuccessful Senate bid, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, ultimately serving two terms. Bush was later appointed to several important positions, including U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 1971, head of the Republican National Committee during the Watergate scandal, U.S. Envoy to China, and director of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1976.
Bush then sets his sights on the U.S. Presidency, but failed to win his party's nomination in 1980, losing it to his opponent, Ronald Reagan. Bush would make it to the White House soon after, however: He was chosen as Reagan's vice-presidential running mate. Reagan won the 1980 election, defeating Democrat challenger Jimmy Carter. He was re-elected in 1984, with Bush serving as his vice president for both terms.
Post-Presidency:
When his eldest son, George W. Bush, was elected president in 2000, George Bush Sr. made many public appearances, frequently to speak in support of his son. In addition to being a proud and supportive father, he has lent his support to several political causes. In 2005 he joined forces with former president Bill Clinton — the Democratic candidate who defeated him in the 1992 election — to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast region, especially Louisiana and Mississippi. The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund raised more than $100 million in donations in its first few months.
Presidency:
Bush finally reached the White House's top seat in 1989; he won the 1988 election against Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, becoming the first sitting vice president to be elected president since 1837. During his nomination acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention, Bush famously stated, "Read my lips: No new taxes."
Accomplishments:
During his presidency, Bush skillfully handled foreign affairs during a tumultuous time for the nation. Just months into his first term, he skillfully cultivated relationships with both Yeltsin and his Soviet predecessor, Mikhail Gorbachev. Her he was photographed toasting with Russian President Boris Yeltsin, after signing a peace treaty.
George H.W. Bush Also; oversaw the U.S. Military's removal of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega from power. Not long after, Bush responded to the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in August of 1990, creating a national coalition and leading a military strike to drive Hussein out of the oil-rich country.
Bush's handling of the invasion in Kuwait is largely viewed as his greatest presidential success. Which he was named Man of the year for by: Time Magazine. Below is the cover photo from Time Magazine.
Man Of The Year 1990 The Year I was Born
Bush had an extensive career in public service — U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Nixon; head of the U.S. Liaison office in Beijing in 1974; director of the CIA in 1976; vice-president under Ronald Reagan for two terms — before being elected 41st president of the U.S. in 1988. He was viewed as a president strong on foreign policy, and the perceived success of the Gulf War increased his popularity.
However, his foreign policy successes did not translate into domestic ones. "Despite his virtuosity in welding the international alliance, Bush has stumbled in explaining his strategy to his countrymen," TIME magazine stated in naming Bush Man of the Year for 1990 (1/7/91). "Many Americans concluded that in George Bush they had elected two Presidents: a highly capable captain of foreign policy and a dawdling, disengaged caretaker of domestic affairs. That impression was understandable, but by no means complete."
Researched by Joan Levinstein, the Time Inc. Research Center
Bush delivered a speech to the American public as the invasion began, stating, "Now the 28 countries with forces in the Gulf area have exhausted all reasonable efforts to reach a peaceful resolution. (We) have no choice but to drive Saddam from Kuwait by force. We will not fail. We are determined to knock out Saddam Hussein's nuclear bomb potential. We will also destroy his chemical weapons facilities. Much of Saddam's artillery and tanks will be destroyed. ... Our objectives are clear: Saddam Hussein's forces will leave Kuwait."
Despite his global successes, Bush's inability to handle economic problems at home were blamed for his re-election bid failure in 1992.
Health Issues
In November 2012, an 88-year-old Bush was admitted to a Houston, Texas, hospital to be treated for a cough related to bronchitis. His cough reportedly improved, but he remained hospitalized because of other health setbacks. Bush developed a "persistent fever," according to an Associated Press report, prompting his move to an intensive care unit in December. That year, it also became known that Bush was suffering from lower-body parkinsonism, a disease that has confined him to a wheelchair.
The former president seemed to be in good spirits the following July. Photos released to the press showed Bush with a shaved head, in support of a Secret Service agent's young son who was battling leukemia. Bush and his wife also contributed to a special fund established to pay for the boy's medical expenses.
Bush was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital in December 2014 after experiencing shortness of breath. In 2013, he had been hospitalized for two months following a bout with bronchitis. Despite his health setbacks over the years, Bush has skydived on a number of milestone birthdays since leaving the White House. His last jump was in June 2014, in celebration of his 90th birthday. He had previously parachuted for his 80th and 85th birthdays.
In July 2015, the 91-year-old former president fell at his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, and broke a vertebrae in his neck. His medical condition was considered “not life threatening,” according to his spokesman.
On January 14, 2017, Bush was hospitalized again, suffering from "an acute respiratory problem stemming from pneumonia," according to a statement. His wife, Barbara, was hospitalized on January 18 after experiencing "fatigue and coughing," and was released on January 23. Shortly after, the resilient former president and his wife attended Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in their hometown of Houston. They were cheered on by the crowd when Bush performed the coin toss before the start of the game.
Shortly after Barbara died in April 2018, Bush was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital with an infection that led to sepsis. He was placed in intensive care, where his condition reportedly stabilized. In late May, after returning to Maine for another summer, the former president again found himself in the hospital, this time due to low blood pressure and fatigue, but his strength soon returned and he was discharged after one week.
In late June, the nonagenarian showed that his playful sense of humor remained intact by donning a pair of Bill Clinton socks for a visit by his White House successor. Bush tweeted a photo of their get-together, captioned with: "Special visit today with a great friend — and now, a best-selling author. Luckily I had a freshly laundered pair of @BillClinton socks to mark the occasion."