III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 715 

Honoring the life of President George Herbert Walker Bush. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 5, 2018 

Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. MCCONNELL, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. 

ALEXANDER, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BARRASSO, Mr. BENNET, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BROWN, 

Mr. BURR, Ms. CANTWELL, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CARPER, Mr. 

CASEY, Mr. CASSIDY, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. COONS, Mr. CORKER, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. COTTON, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. DAINES, Mr. DONNELLY, Ms. 

DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. ENZI, Mrs. ERNST, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, 

Mrs. FISCHER, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. GARDNER, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. GRASSLEY, Ms. HARRIS, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. HATCH, Mr. HEINRICH, Ms. HEITKAMP, Mr. HELLER, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, Mrs. 

HYDE-SMITH, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. JONES, Mr. 

KAINE, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. KING, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. KYL, Mr. 

LANKFORD, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. LEE, Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. MARKEY, Mrs. 

MCCASKILL, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. MORAN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. MURPHY, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. NELSON, Mr. PAUL, Mr. 

PERDUE, Mr. PETERS, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. REED, Mr. RISCH, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. ROUNDS, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SASSE, Mr. SCHATZ, 

Mr. SCOTT, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. SHELBY, Ms. SMITH, Ms. STABENOW, 

Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. TESTER, Mr. THUNE, Mr. TILLIS, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. 

UDALL, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WARNER, Ms. WARREN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. WICKER, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. YOUNG) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life of President George Herbert Walker Bush. 

Whereas George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of 

the United States, was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, 


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Massachusetts, to former Senator Prescott Bush and 

Dorothy Walker Bush; 

Whereas George H.W. Bush was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, and was active in leadership and athletics during high school; 

Whereas, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, George H.W. 

Bush enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve in 

1942 on his 18th birthday, was assigned to a torpedo 

squadron as a photographic officer, and went on to become one of the youngest aviators in the Navy during 

World War II; 

Whereas, during an attack against Chichi Jima, a heavily fortified island held by Japanese forces, the aircraft George 

H.W. Bush was flying was damaged by Japanese antiaircraft fire, however, George H.W. Bush released his 

payload against his target before ejecting from the aircraft and being rescued by the USS Finback, a lifeguard 

submarine; 

Whereas George H.W. Bush served the United States honorably as a naval pilot during World War II, logging 1,228 

hours of flight time, 126 carrier landings, and 58 combat 

missions; 

Whereas George H.W. Bush was awarded the United States 

Navy Air Medal with 2 gold stars and the Distinguished 

Flying Cross for bravery in action; 

Whereas, on January 6, 1945, George H.W. Bush married 

his great love and best friend, Barbara Pierce, and their 

marriage lasted 73 years, the longest presidential marriage in the history of the United States; 

Whereas, while enrolled at Yale University following World 

War II, George H.W. Bush played in 2 College World SeVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:20 Dec 06, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR715.ATS SR715

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ries games as a left-handed first baseman and met Babe 

Ruth before graduating in 1948 with a degree in economics and moving to Texas with Barbara and his eldest son, 

George W. Bush; 

Whereas upon moving to West Texas, George H.W. Bush became a successful businessman, establishing himself in 

the oil and gas industry before being elected to the House 

of Representatives in 1966; 

Whereas George H.W. Bush served 2 terms in the House of 

Representatives as Congressman from the 7th District of 

Texas; 

Whereas George H.W. Bush served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 1971 to 1973, which 

led to the appointment of George H.W. Bush as Chief of 

the United States Liaison Office in the People’s Republic 

of China in 1974, improving relations between the United 

States and China during his 14-month tenure; 

Whereas President Gerald Ford appointed George H.W. 

Bush to serve as the Director of the Central Intelligence 

Agency in 1976; 

Whereas George H.W. Bush served as Vice President of the 

United States for 8 years under President Ronald 

Reagan, managing Federal deregulation, championing 

anti-drug efforts, combatting terrorism, and leading 

North Atlantic Treaty Organization negotiations during 

the Cold War; 

Whereas, in 1988, the people of the United States elected 

Vice President George H.W. Bush to serve as the 41st 

President of the United States, the first serving Vice 

President to be elected President since 1836; 


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Whereas President George H.W. Bush appointed Justice 

Clarence Thomas and Justice David Souter to the Supreme Court of the United States; 

Whereas President George H.W. Bush worked closely with 

his international counterparts throughout his Presidency 

and oversaw the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the reunification of Germany, and worked 

with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to sign 2 treaties 

reducing the threat of nuclear war; 

Whereas the efforts of President George H.W. Bush to negotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement led to 

the adoption of that Agreement in 1993; 

Whereas President George H.W. Bush protected the Panama 

Canal from a corrupt regime, assembled a multinational 

force to compel the withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait in 

the Persian Gulf War, and convened the Madrid Peace 

Conference in 1991; 

Whereas President George H.W. Bush worked with Congress 

to enact the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 

U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) and Public Law 101–549 (commonly known as the ‘‘Clean Air Act Amendments of 

1990’’) (104 Stat. 2399), hosted an education summit 

with Governors from all 50 States in the pursuit of systemic education reform, and capped discretionary spending that led to historic deficit cuts; 

Whereas President George H.W. Bush believed ‘‘there could 

be no definition of a successful life that does not include 

service to others’’ and therefore, as President, launched 

the Points of Light initiative to promote volunteerism 

and community service across America and, while in ofVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:20 Dec 06, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR715.ATS SR715

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fice, awarded 1,020 Daily Points of Light to Americans 

representing all 50 States; 

Whereas, after leaving office, President George H.W. Bush 

remained dedicated to volunteerism and community service, raising hundreds of millions of dollars for charity; 

Whereas President George H.W. Bush was the father of the 

43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, 

who was also the former Governor of Texas, and former 

Governor of Florida John (Jeb) Bush; 

Whereas, in 2009, the USS George H.W. Bush, a United 

States naval supercarrier, was commissioned and named 

after President George H.W. Bush with the Motto ‘‘Freedom at Work’’; 

Whereas President George H.W. Bush accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom on February 15, 2011, from 

President Barack Obama; 

Whereas President George H.W. Bush never lost his zeal for 

life and adventure and commemorated his 75th, 80th, 

85th, and 90th birthdays with parachute jumps, the latter two with former Sergeant First Class Elliot of the 

United States Army Golden Knights parachute team; 

Whereas, President George H.W. Bush was a dedicated family man and husband of 73 years who, with Barbara, had 

6 children, 17 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren, 

and resided in Houston, Texas and Kennebunkport, 

Maine; and 

Whereas President George H.W. Bush showed unwavering 

love and devotion to his family, the United States, and 

the world: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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1 (1) notes with deep sorrow and solemn mourn2 ing the death of President George H.W. Bush; 

3 (2) extends heartfelt sympathy to President 

4 George W. Bush and the entire family of President 

5 George H.W. Bush; 

6 (3) honors and, on behalf of the United States, 

7 expresses deep appreciation for the outstanding and 

8 important service of President George H.W. Bush to 

9 his country; 

10 (4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of 

11 the Senate communicate this resolution to the House 

12 of Representatives and transmit an enrolled copy of 

13 this resolution to the family of President George 

14 H.W. Bush; and 

15 (5) when it adjourns on December 5, 2018, 

16 stands adjourned as a further mark of respect to the 

17 memory of President George H.W. Bush. 

Æ 


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