George H. W, Bush's Birthday
George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States was born June 12, 1924, 99 years ago today. He passed away on November 30, 2018 at the age of 94. In those 94 years he lived a full and amazing life. Besides being President, he was a war hero, captained a baseball team in two world series, served as a congressman, an ambassador, Director of the CIA, and Vice-President. He was a father, grandfather and a great-grandfather and was the last living former President to be a veteran of World War II. He had a very active retirement, celebrating his 90th birthday with a "Crazy Socks Party" at his Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas and also by jumping out of an airplane. His last year was a challenging one, with the passing of the love of his life, former first lady Barbara Bush, who died on April 17, 2018.
The first President Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts. His parents were Senator Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush. he was raised in Connecticut, the state his father represented in the senate. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, George H. Bush postponed college and enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday. He became the youngest aviator in the U.S. Navy at the time and served until the end of the war. In the war he piloted a Grumman TBM Avenger and on September 2, 1944, his aircraft was hit by flak and his engine caught on fire. Despite his plane being on fire, Bush completed his mission, then flew several miles before he and one other crew member bailed out of the aircraft. Bush waited for four hours in an inflated raft, until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine USS Finback.
When he returned home from the war he attended Yale University. He was Captain of the Yale baseball team that played in two college world series. Graduating in 1948, he moved his family to West Texas and entered the oil business, becoming a millionaire by the age of 40. He became involved in politics soon after founding his own oil company. He served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1971 and as Ambassador to the UN from 1971 to 1973 and Director of the CIA from 1976 to 77. In 1974 as Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) he was the one who asked Richard Nixon to resign as President.
Bush ran for the Republican nomination for President in 1980, finishing second to Ronald Reagan. But he was chosen by Reagan to be his running mate, and the ticket was elected twice. In 1988, Bush ran a successful campaign to succeed Reagan as President, defeating Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis. Foreign policy was the main focus of his presidency. Military operations were conducted in Panama and in the Persian Gulf where he led a coalition during the First Gulf War. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and the Soviet Union dissolved two years later.
Domestically, President Bush suffered a major setback when he had to go back on a 1988 campaign promise (in which he famously said "read my lips, no new taxes!") and after a struggle with Congress, he signed a tax increase that Congress passed. In spite of record high approval ratings after the First Iraq War, he was hurt by a weak recovery from an economic recession, along with continuing budget deficits, and he lost the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton.
George H. W. Bush left office in 1993, but remained active in a number of humanitarian pursuits. His presidential library was dedicated in 1997. I visited there in 2012 and highly recommend it to anyone who visits the Houston area. His eldest son, George Walker Bush, later served as the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 and as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. George H. W. Bush and John Adams are the only two presidents to have a child who later became president. His second son, Jeb Bush, served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007.
In early 2017, Bush experienced some health issues. He sent a letter to president-elect Donald Trump in January 2017, to inform him that he would not be able to attend Trump's inauguration on January 20, and gave his best wishes. On January 18, 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. He was later discharged on January 30th, after surgery successfully removed a blockage from his lungs. On April 14, 2017, Bush was admitted to the hospital in Houston with a recurrence of pneumonia and was released from hospital two weeks later.
On November 25, 2017, Bush became the longest-lived U.S. president when he surpassed the 93 years and 165 days lifespan of Gerald Ford. (This record has since been surpassed by Jimmy Carter.) On April 22, 2018, the day after his wife's funeral, Bush was hospitalized with a blood infection, which led to sepsis. One month later, he was briefly hospitalized again, after experiencing fatigue and low blood pressure.
His death on November 30, 2018 was announced by his son, George W. Bush, who released a statement, on behalf of himself and his siblings, saying:
"Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died. 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."
The first President Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts. His parents were Senator Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush. he was raised in Connecticut, the state his father represented in the senate. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, George H. Bush postponed college and enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday. He became the youngest aviator in the U.S. Navy at the time and served until the end of the war. In the war he piloted a Grumman TBM Avenger and on September 2, 1944, his aircraft was hit by flak and his engine caught on fire. Despite his plane being on fire, Bush completed his mission, then flew several miles before he and one other crew member bailed out of the aircraft. Bush waited for four hours in an inflated raft, until he was rescued by the lifeguard submarine USS Finback.
When he returned home from the war he attended Yale University. He was Captain of the Yale baseball team that played in two college world series. Graduating in 1948, he moved his family to West Texas and entered the oil business, becoming a millionaire by the age of 40. He became involved in politics soon after founding his own oil company. He served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1971 and as Ambassador to the UN from 1971 to 1973 and Director of the CIA from 1976 to 77. In 1974 as Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) he was the one who asked Richard Nixon to resign as President.
Bush ran for the Republican nomination for President in 1980, finishing second to Ronald Reagan. But he was chosen by Reagan to be his running mate, and the ticket was elected twice. In 1988, Bush ran a successful campaign to succeed Reagan as President, defeating Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis. Foreign policy was the main focus of his presidency. Military operations were conducted in Panama and in the Persian Gulf where he led a coalition during the First Gulf War. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, and the Soviet Union dissolved two years later.
Domestically, President Bush suffered a major setback when he had to go back on a 1988 campaign promise (in which he famously said "read my lips, no new taxes!") and after a struggle with Congress, he signed a tax increase that Congress passed. In spite of record high approval ratings after the First Iraq War, he was hurt by a weak recovery from an economic recession, along with continuing budget deficits, and he lost the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton.
George H. W. Bush left office in 1993, but remained active in a number of humanitarian pursuits. His presidential library was dedicated in 1997. I visited there in 2012 and highly recommend it to anyone who visits the Houston area. His eldest son, George Walker Bush, later served as the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 and as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. George H. W. Bush and John Adams are the only two presidents to have a child who later became president. His second son, Jeb Bush, served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007.
In early 2017, Bush experienced some health issues. He sent a letter to president-elect Donald Trump in January 2017, to inform him that he would not be able to attend Trump's inauguration on January 20, and gave his best wishes. On January 18, 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. He was later discharged on January 30th, after surgery successfully removed a blockage from his lungs. On April 14, 2017, Bush was admitted to the hospital in Houston with a recurrence of pneumonia and was released from hospital two weeks later.
On November 25, 2017, Bush became the longest-lived U.S. president when he surpassed the 93 years and 165 days lifespan of Gerald Ford. (This record has since been surpassed by Jimmy Carter.) On April 22, 2018, the day after his wife's funeral, Bush was hospitalized with a blood infection, which led to sepsis. One month later, he was briefly hospitalized again, after experiencing fatigue and low blood pressure.
His death on November 30, 2018 was announced by his son, George W. Bush, who released a statement, on behalf of himself and his siblings, saying:
"Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died. 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."