George H. W. Bush | whitehouse.gov Air Force One George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush, as the 41st President (1989-1993), brought to the White House a dedication to traditional American values and a determination to direct them toward making the United States "a kinder and gentler nation" in the face of a dramatically changing world. George Bush brought to the White House a dedication to traditional American values and a determination to direct them toward making the United States "a kinder and gentler nation." In his Inaugural Address he pledged in "a moment rich with promise" to use American strength as "a force for good." Coming from a family with a tradition of public service, George Herbert Walker Bush felt the responsibility to make his contribution both in time of war and in peace. Born in Milton, Massachusetts, on June 12, 1924, he became a student leader at Phillips Academy in Andover. On his 18th birthday he enlisted in the armed forces. The youngest pilot in the Navy when he received his wings, he flew 58 combat missions during World War II.

On one mission over the Pacific as a torpedo bomber pilot he was shot down by Japanese antiaircraft fire and was rescued from the water by a U. S. submarine. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action. Bush next turned his energies toward completing his education and raising a family. In January 1945 he married Barbara Pierce. They had six children-- George, Robin (who died as a child), John (known as Jeb), Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. At Yale University he excelled both in sports and in his studies; he was captain of the baseball team and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation Bush embarked on a career in the oil industry of West Texas. Like his father, Prescott Bush, who was elected a Senator from Connecticut in 1952, George became interested in public service and politics. He served two terms as a Representative to Congress from Texas. Twice he ran unsuccessfully for the Senate. Then he was appointed to a series of high-level positions: Ambassador to the United Nations, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chief of the U. S. Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

In 1980 Bush campaigned for the Republican nomination for President. He lost, but was chosen as a running mate by Ronald Reagan. As Vice President, Bush had responsibility in several domestic areas, including Federal deregulation and anti-drug programs, and visited scores of foreign countries. In 1988 Bush won the Republican nomination for President and, with Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate, he defeated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in the general election. Bush faced a dramatically changing world, as the Cold War ended after 40 bitter years, the Communist empire broke up, and the Berlin Wall fell. The Soviet Union ceased to exist; and reformist President Mikhail Gorbachev, whom Bush had supported, resigned. While Bush hailed the march of democracy, he insisted on restraint in U. S. policy toward the group of new nations. In other areas of foreign policy, President Bush sent American troops into Panama to overthrow the corrupt regime of General Manuel Noriega, who was threatening the security of the canal and the Americans living there. Noriega was brought to the United States for trial as a drug trafficker.

Bush's greatest test came when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, then threatened to move into Saudi Arabia. Vowing to free Kuwait, Bush rallied the United Nations, the U. S. people, and Congress and sent 425,000 American troops. They were joined by 118,000 troops from allied nations. After weeks of air and missile bombardment, the 100-hour land battle dubbed Desert Storm routed Iraq's million-man army. Despite unprecedented popularity from this military and diplomatic triumph, Bush was unable to withstand discontent at home from a faltering economy, rising violence in inner cities, and continued high deficit spending. In 1992 he lost his bid for reelection to Democrat William Clinton. The Presidential biographies on WhiteHouse.gov are from “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Frank Freidel and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association. For more information about President Bush, please visit George H.W.

Bush - Vice Presidents who ran for President - Pictures - CBS News Vice Presidents who ran for President Next Joe Biden After months of speculation about the vice president's possible bid for the White House, Joe Biden formally announced Wednesday that he will not run for president. "I believe we're out of time -- the time necessary to mount a winning campaign," Biden said in a speech from the White House Rose Garden. He may have also realized just how hard it is to run for president as a sitting VP. Although just one heartbeat from the presidency, history seems to suggest that being Vice President doesn't make it any easier to win the top job. Here is a list of Vice Presidents who have made a run for the Oval Office: Credit: Carlos Barria / Reuters John Adams Vice President from 1789-1797; President from 1797-1801. Adams was the first Vice President of the United States, serving under George Washington. After Washington refused a third term, the Federalist ticket went to Adams, who won in the general election in 1796 over Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson in a fierce third presidential election. Although Jefferson was not Adams' running mate, he was elected Vice President.

(According to voting procedure back then, the position of VP went to whoever got the second largest amount of Electoral College votes.) Which leads us to... Thomas Jefferson Vice President from 1797-1801; President from 1801-1809. Unlike other VPs, Thomas Jefferson succeeded his predecessor by taking the Presidency away from him. Jefferson ran against Adams in the Election of 1800, and won. (Remember how Jefferson and Adams ran against each other in 1796?) After that happened, the Twelfth Amendment was ratified to outline voting procedure and was used in the next election. Starting in 1804, Presidents and Vice Presidents were voted for separately to avoid these awkward pairings. Credit: Library of Congress Martin Van Buren Vice President from 1833-1837; President from 1837-1841. As Vice President under Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren enjoyed a greater influence than most Vice Presidents, especially when it came to the nation's finances. Jackson respected him, and Van Buren received the Democratic nomination for the presidency for the 1836 election.

He faced multiple Whig candidates and was elected President. He served one term, losing the 1840 election to Whig William Henry Harrison. Credit: Library of Congress John C. Breckenridge Vice President from 1857-1861. By the time James Buchanan's Vice President, Kentucky native John C. Breckenridge, was running for President in 1860, the country was on the brink of civil war. Democrat Breckenridge vehemently argued in support of preserving the union, but Northern Democrats broke away from Southern Democrats and put forth Stephen Douglas as their nominee. Southern Democrats chose Breckenridge, splitting up the party. Breckenridge gained support from Southern states but could not match the support that Republican Abraham Lincoln had in Northern States. Lincoln won the election with 180 electoral votes to Breckenridge's 72. And the rest is history. Credit: Library of Congress John Nance Garner Vice President from 1933 - 1941. Vice President under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John Nance Garner vied for the Democratic Party's ticket in 1940, after FDR's second term.

FDR called into the convention expressing no desire to run, which led to an uproar of delegates begging him to accept the nomination (as many historians say was his plan all along). This move ended Garner's presidential bid before it even began. FDR also chose a different running mate for his third term, leading us to... Credit: Library of Congress Henry A. Wallace Vice President from 1941 - 1945. Vice President for FDR's third term, Henry Wallace was a controversial choice from the start. The liberal running mate eventually clashed with the president, leading FDR to select Harry S. Truman as his running mate for his fourth term. Wallace was then appointed Secretary of Commerce by the president a month before Roosevelt's death. Wallace held the position until 1946 when Truman fired him. (Note: Truman fired all of FDR's cabinet members. Wallace was actually the last to be let go.) Wallace proceeded to run for President against Truman in the 1948 election on the Progressive Party ticket and received zero Electoral College votes. Truman was Vice President, but became President when FDR died, so technically, VP Truman was President Truman for his own re-election.

(See Teddy Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson for similar circumstances.) Credit: Library of Congress Richard Nixon Vice President from 1953 - 1961; President from 1969-1974. Richard Nixon was Vice President under Dwight D. Eisenhower and received the Republican Party's nomination for President in 1960. He was then defeated by Democrat John F. Kennedy in the general election. Two years later, he ran for Governor of California and also lost again. In 1968, Nixon received the Republican Party's presidential nomination and became America's first Vice President to be elected President after a gap in holding public office. Credit: AP Hubert Humphrey Vice President from 1965-1969. The election of 1968 would pit a Vice President against a former Vice President. After Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not run for re-election, his Vice President Hubert Humphrey threw his hat into the ring. Although he clinched the Democratic Party's nomination, he lost the election to Richard Nixon. But Humphrey did not leave public office for long. In 1971, the one-time Senator returned to the U.S.

Senate, and remained there until his death seven years later. Credit: Associated Press Walter Mondale Vice President from 1977 - 1981. Walter Mondale was Vice President under Jimmy Carter, whose administration ended after one term, when Republicans Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush beat the duo in 1980. Mondale couldn't stay off the campaign trail for long. He ran against Reagan/Bush again in 1984, this time as the Democrat's presidential candidate. He lost in an Electoral College landslide, though he retained 40% of the popular vote. Credit: AP George H.W. Bush Vice President from 1981-1989; President from 1989-1993. George H.W. Bush is the first President in recent history to be elected following two terms as Vice President. He could not match it with two terms as President, however, as Bill Clinton defeated him in the 1992 election. Credit: AP Al Gore Vice President from 1993-2001. Looking to follow in George H.W.

Bush's footsteps as a two-term Vice President elected to President, Al Gore ran for office in 2000. He ran virtually unopposed for the Democratic nomination. And although he won the popular vote in the general election against George H.W. Bush's son, Texas Governor George W. Bush, Gore lost in the Electoral College in a recount contest that was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court. Credit: AP The 41st US President - George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George W. Bush ï¿½ George Herbert Walker Bush, the forty-first United States President (1989-1994) had served as Vice President under Ronald Reagan. He was the first sitting Vice President elected to the presidency since Martin Van Buren in 1836. Born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, his father, Prescott Bush, was a banker and later a Senator from Connecticut. His mother, Dorothy Walker, was also from a wealthy family. George "prepped" at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. During World War II, he was one of the youngest men to pilot a Navy bomber.

He became a hero when he was shot down over the island of Chichi Jima in the Pacific. He was rescued by a submarine and subsequently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and various other medals of honor. He married Barbara Pierce in 1945, then entered Yale University where, in 1948, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in economics. George Bush began his working life as an equipment clerk and worked his way up to president and partner in an offshore drilling firm. He soon amassed his own fortune and had time to consider politics at the gentle urging of his father and mentor. His initial run was ambitious. He ran for Senator from Texas, where he lived with his family in Houston. That was his first political defeat. In 1968, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He gained a reputation as one of the new Republicans from the South who supported and voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1968, despite the lack of support from his constituents. In 1970 he again ran for Senator and again lost.

Bush, however, had made an impression on President Nixon, who appointed him UN Ambassador form 1971-72. In 1972 the Republican Party named Bush Chairman of their National Committee. He vigorously stood up for Nixon, making speeches in his defense wherever he traveled. George Bush had hoped that Gerald Ford would nominate him to be his Vice President, but, instead, Ford nominated Nelson Rockefeller of New York. For his loyal support of Republicans, Bush was awarded the position of United States liaison to Beijing, China, a position that taught him much about the politics of foreign policy. In December of 1975, Ford made him director of Central Intelligence Agency. George Bush's efforts to turn the agency around, restore its morality, and overcome its jaded recent past. When Jimmy Carter became President, Bush resigned. He and his supporters thought that 1980 was his year to run for the presidency. Bush took an early lead in the Iowa caucuses, but failed to maintain the momentum. It was Ronald Reagan who grabbed the lead and after losing in his home state of Texas, Bush asked his delegates to support Reagan.

At the convention the delegates asked Reagan to take Jerry Ford as the Vice Presidential candidate, but this did not happen. Reagan selected George Bush. In the November elections, the Reagan-Bush ticket made a clean sweep. As Vice President, Bush was the ever-present "right-hand" man, loyally defending the President and his economic plan, despite Bush's veracious attacks on them during the fight for the nomination, when he had referred to Reagan's proposed policies as "voodoo economics." Once Vice President, Bush kept his misgivings to himself. He took on many roles for the President, with whom met weekly for lunch meetings at which the two men gained respect for one another. George Bush was an active Vice President. He traveled millions of miles to many countries as our ambassador, and headed the crisis management team under the National Security Council. He was very proactive in the campaign to stop the flow of drugs into this country from South America and other places, and he took a prominent role in combating terrorism. Although he never officially took control of the presidency as the Constitution allowed, Bush acted as surrogate President in March of 1982 when Reagan was shot, and again in 1985 when Reagan underwent cancer surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

For his efforts as Vice President, Bush was the uncontested Republican presidential nominee in 1988. One of Bush's weaknesses was, despite all of his public appearances, he never became much of an orator. Where Ronald Reagan was the Great Communicator, Bush disliked public speaking, and he often came across as flat. At the convention, however, he shined. When he was given the nomination, his acceptance speech was one of his finest. He called for "A Thousand Points of Lights," hit the road running, and named Dan Quayle, a Senator from Indiana, as his Vice Presidential candidate. They campaigned vigorously and won the election against Democrats Dukakis and Bentsen. During the initial months of his presidency, Bush had a command of foreign policy and was cautious on all domestic issues. In 1989-1990, the Soviet Union was at the brink of internal chaos, leaving the rest of the world quite concerned as to what would happen with all of their atomic missiles. Bush seized the opportunity to make a treaty with Russia to reduce even further the nuclear arms and conventional weapons held by each country.

Next on his agenda was to dispose of General Noriega, who had taken over the country of Panama and suspended free elections. All this seemed merely a build up to the test of Bush's leadership abilities that came in August of 1990 when Iraq, led by Sadaam Hussein, attempted to take over Kuwait and it's oil fields. Bush, with his unique ability to rally friends and foes, put together a coalition of Arab and Western Countries to fight this insurgent leader. A massive contingent of armies led by General Norman Schwarzkopf conducted air strikes, and the war ended quickly. During this time Bush had unprecedented approval ratings, as high as ninety percent. Bush was more adept at dealing with foreign policy than domestic issues. During his presidency from 1988 to 1992; the economy grew at the lowest growth rate since the Great Depression. Also, Bush went back on his promise to the people of "no new taxes," and the Democrats used this against him in a vigorous campaign. When election time came, even his own party was not unified behind him, and Patrick Buchanan staged a fight for the party nomination that took away the conservative support Bush had previously enjoyed.

Furthermore, Texan Ross Perot campaigned as a Third Party alternative, draining away votes that would surely have gone to Bush. While lacking the strong mandate that George Bush had enjoyed in the previous election, Bill Clinton, a little known Governor of Arkansas, had the electoral votes to win the presidency. As George Bush's political star set, his sons burst upon the political scene. George W. Bush of Texas and Jeb Bush of Florida each ran for Governor of his state. George W. enjoyed his first national win. Jeb would have to wait another four years before he could claim the same. Today, George Bush and his wife, Barbara, have settled in the Houston suburbs and are still are active in many causes. George is planning his Presidential Library and writing his memoirs. George Bush - U.S. Presidents - HISTORY.com Google Early Life and Military Service George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts , to Dorothy Walker Bush (1901-92) and Prescott Bush (1895-1972), a banker who went on to represent Connecticut in the U.S. Senate from 1952 to 1963.

The younger Bush was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, and graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1942. Did You Know? A car bomb assassination plot against George Bush was foiled in Kuwait in 1993. After graduation, Bush joined the U.S. Naval Reserve to fight in World War II (1939-45), which America had entered in December 1941. When he received his wings shortly before his 19th birthday, Bush was the nation’s youngest commissioned pilot at the time. He flew 58 combat missions during the war, and received the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery after his torpedo plane was shot down by the Japanese in the vicinity of the Bonin Islands in the Pacific on September 2, 1944. During that incident, Bush’s plane was hit and set on fire but he continued toward his target, a radio station, and successfully bombed it before parachuting out of his plane. He later was rescued from the water by an American submarine. Family and Oil Business On January 6, 1945, while on leave from the Navy, Bush married Barbara Pierce (1925-) in Rye, New York .

The couple had met as teenagers at a dance. The Bushes went on to have six children: George (1946-), Robin (1949-53), John (known as Jeb, 1953-), Neil (1955-), Marvin (1956-) and Dorothy (1959-). After completing his military service in September 1945, Bush enrolled at Yale University, where he studied economics and was captain of the baseball team and a member of Skull and Bones, an elite secret society. He graduated in 1948 then moved his family to Texas , where he began a prosperous career in the oil industry, eventually becoming president of an independent offshore oil drilling company. Political Career In 1964, Bush won the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat from Texas, but lost in the general election. Two years later, he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served two terms. In 1970, he ran for the U.S. Senate but again was defeated in the general election. President Richard Nixon (1913-94) then appointed Bush the U.S.

ambassador to the United Nations, a role in which he served from 1971 to 1973, when he became chairman of the Republican Party. In that capacity, on August 7, 1974, amidst the Watergate scandal, Bush formally requested that Nixon resign the presidency. Nixon officially stepped down two days later. In the fall of 1974, Nixon’s successor, President Gerald Ford (1913-2006) appointed Bush as the head of the U.S. Liaison Office in the People’s Republic of China, where he served until becoming director of the CIA in January 1976. After Democrat Jimmy Carter (1924-) was elected president, Bush resigned from the CIA in January 1977. Vice Presidency: 1981-1989 In 1980, Bush ran for the Republican presidential nomination but lost to Ronald Reagan . The former actor and governor of California selected Bush as his vice-presidential running mate, and the two defeated incumbent Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale (1928-) in the general election.

After two terms as vice president under Reagan, Bush became the Republican presidential nominee in 1988. With running mate Dan Quayle (1947-), a U.S. senator from Indiana , Bush defeated Democratic challenger Governor Michael Dukakis (1933-) of Massachusetts and his running mate Lloyd Bentsen (1921-2006). Bush captured 426 electoral votes and more than 53 percent of the popular vote, to Dukakis’ 111 electoral votes and more than 45 percent of the popular vote. Presidency: 1989-1993 A key focus of Bush’s presidency was foreign policy. He began his time in the White House as Germany was in the process of reunifying, the Soviet Union was collapsing and the Cold War was ending. Bush would be credited with helping to improve U.S.-Soviet relations. He met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-), and in July 1991, the two men signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Bush also authorized military operations in Panama and the Persian Gulf.

In December 1989, the United States invaded Panama and overthrew the nation’s corrupt dictator, Manuel Noriega (1934-), who was threatening the security of Americans who lived there and trafficking drugs to the United States. Then, after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (1937-2006) launched an invasion and occupation of Kuwait in August 1990 and threatened to invade Saudi Arabia, Bush organized a military coalition of more than 30 countries who began a U.S.-led air assault against Iraq in mid-January 1991. After five weeks of the air offensive and 100 hours of a ground offensive, Operation Desert Storm ended in late February with Iraq’s defeat and Kuwait’s liberation. On the domestic front, Bush, a moderate conservative, signed such important pieces of legislation as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. He made two appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court: David Souter (1939-) in 1990, and Clarence Thomas (1948-) in 1991.

While Bush gained support among the American public for his foreign policy initiatives, his popularity at home was marred by an economic recession. After promising “no new taxes” in his presidential campaign, he upset some by raising tax revenues in an effort to deal with a rising budget deficit.In 1992, Bush lost his bid for re-election to Governor Bill Clinton (1946-) of Arkansas . Clinton won 370 electoral votes and 43 percent of the popular vote, while Bush captured 168 electoral votes and 37.5 percent of the popular vote. Third-party candidate Ross Perot (1930-) garnered approximately 19 percent of the popular vote. Post-presidency In 2000, Bush’s son George, a two-term Texas governor, was elected president. The Bushes were the second father and son to ascend to the presidency. (The first were John Adams , the second U.S. president, and John Quincy Adams , the sixth U.S. president). Another Bush son, Jeb, was governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007 Access hundreds of hours of historical video, commercial free, with HISTORY Vault . Start your free trial today.

Tags The Bush's Home--Presidents: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary 43rd President of the United States, 2001-2009 George W. Bush Childhood Home Texas George W. Bush Childhood Home George W. Bush Childhood Home This typical pre-World War II suburban house shares with the Adams National Historical Site the distinction of being the home of two presidents: George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, and George Walker Bush, the 43rd president. The George W. Bush Childhood Home pays tribute to the two presidents who lived here, one on the verge of his political career and the other not yet a teenager. George H. W. Bush bought this house in 1951, a year after he moved his family to the booming west Texas town of Midland to establish himself in the oil business. George W. Bush, his first child, was five at the time. The family lived in the house for four years. The first President Bush led the nation during the tumultuous years of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the reunification of divided Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Gulf War that drove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait.

The tragic bombings of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the hijacking of Flight 93 on September 11, 2001 have dominated the administration of his son. Declaring “the war on terrorism,” President George W. Bush took dramatic steps to protect Americans at home and abroad. The Bush administration supported and obtained the enactment of large tax cuts and worked with Congress to secure substantial education reforms in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, two of its most notable domestic initiatives. When George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara bought this house on November 7, 1951, Midland was already changing from a small country town into the economic center of the great Permian oil basin that spans west Texas and eastern New Mexico. By 1950, 215 oil companies had offices in Midland and a local developer called it the “headquarters of the independent oil man in Texas.” The simple one-story frame house, built in 1939, was one of the first in its subdivision. An original brick chimney and large projecting bay window, added when the attached garage became a den, dominate the front elevation.

The complex low-pitched hipped roof of red shingles contrasts with the olive green clapboards and the red brick detailing at the top of the chimney. The compact, efficient layout includes a living room, den, and eat-in kitchen at the front of the house. A narrow hallway separates the three bedrooms and one bath from the public spaces. "Front Room" living room/dining room George W. Bush Childhood Home Restored to the appearance of the Bush residency, significant interior features include the original “knotty pine” paneling in the living room, den, and master bedroom; original cabinets and hardware; a phone niche; an original light fixture; and the wallpaper from the Bush occupancy. Hardwood floors are present throughout the home with the exception of the kitchen and bathroom. The neighborhood was close enough to downtown Midland for young George and his friends to ride their bicycles to the movie theater. George H. W. Bush Born to a wealthy family in Massachusetts in 1924, George H. W. Bush was a decorated Navy fighter pilot in World War II, who flew 58 combat missions.

Shot down by Japanese antiaircraft fire over the Pacific and rescued by an American submarine, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery in action. When he returned home from the war, he married the former Barbara Pierce, whom he had met as a student at Phillips Academy, and enrolled in Yale University. Graduating in 1948 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, he entered the oil business as a sales clerk but soon started his own independent oil development company. As his business prospered, he moved to a larger house in Midland in 1955 and to Houston four years later. When he left active management of his company in 1966, he was already a millionaire. George H. W. Bush Family (back row left to right - George W. holding Doro, Barbara, George H.

W.; front row left to right - Neil, Marvin, Jeb) Midland, Texas, early 1960s George Bush Presidential Library and Museum That same year, Bush began the first of his two terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives, following his father into politics; Prescott Bush served as United States senator from Connecticut from 1952 to 1963. Unsuccessful in two campaigns for the Senate, George H. W. Bush next served in a series of high-level appointed positions, including ambassador to the United Nations, chairman of the Republican National Committee, chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the People’s Republic of China, and director of the Central Intelligence Agency. After challenging Ronald Reagan for the Republican presidential nomination, he accepted the vice presidential nomination in 1980. Vice President Bush had a large role in both foreign and domestic dealings, including Federal deregulation and anti-drug programs. Winning the presidential nomination eight years later, he easily defeated Democrat Michael Dukakis in the election of 1988. His international experience as vice president served President Bush well.

His diplomacy smoothed the way, aiding the relatively peaceful transition from the Cold War into a new era of American and Russian relations. It was a time of dramatic change with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the resignation of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev; but Bush received high marks for his restrained handling of this volatile situation. In Latin America, he sent American troops into Panama to overthrow the corrupt regime of General Manuel Noriega. When Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, Bush put together a powerful international coalition to oppose him. The dramatic allied victory in Operation Desert Storm was a high point of his presidency. Foreign policy dominated Bush’s administration, and his pursuit of a “kinder, gentler nation” did not include a large amount of domestic legislation. The Bush White House supported the Clean Air Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Problems on the domestic front eventually overwhelmed Bush’s popularity following the Gulf War. A faltering economy, rising violence in the nation’s cities, high budget deficits, and the difficulty of maintaining his “no new taxes” campaign pledge hurt him in the 1992 election, which he lost to Democrat William J. Clinton. George W.

Bush's bedroom 41 things about Bush 41 - CNNPolitics.com 41 things about Bush 41 Updated 8:12 PM ET, Tue March 29, 2016 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds. Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Former President George H.W. Bush attends a college basketball game between North Carolina State and Duke in Durham, North Carolina, on January 18, 2014. Click through the images to see Bush's life in pictures. Hide Caption 1 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush is pictured with his sister, Mercy, in 1929. He was born June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts. Hide Caption 2 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush After serving as a U.S. Navy pilot in World War II, Bush attended Yale University and played baseball from 1945-48. Hide Caption 3 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W.

Bush Before he entered politics in 1964, Bush made a fortune drilling oil in Texas. He created the Zapata Offshore Co., which introduced a new era in the drilling industry. Hide Caption 4 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush is pictured with his wife, Barbara, during his first campaign for Congress. He represented Texas' 7th District from 1966-70, and he was appointed to the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Hide Caption 5 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush sits with members of his family in 1971. That year, President Richard Nixon appointed Bush ambassador to the United Nations. Hide Caption 6 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Under President Gerald Ford, Bush served as the chief liaison to China in 1975. Here, Bush greets well-wishers in Beijing. Hide Caption Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush was Ronald Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989. Hide Caption 8 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush and Indiana Sen.

Dan Quayle accepted the Republican Party's nominations for president and vice president in August 1988. During his speech, Bush first uttered the memorable line, "Read my lips: No new taxes." Hide Caption 9 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush President-elect Bush meets with civil rights leader Jesse Jackson at the White House in November 1988. He once called Jackson a "loose cannon." Hide Caption 10 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush was sworn into office as the 41st President of the United States on January 20, 1989. First lady Barbara Bush holds the Bible for her husband while Chief Justice William Rehnquist administers the oath of office. Hide Caption 11 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush hosted Nelson Mandela, South Africa's anti-apartheid leader and future President, at the White House in June 1990. Hide Caption 12 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush holds a White House news conference in August 1990 during the run-up to war with Iraq.

Hide Caption Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush visits American troops in Saudi Arabia on Thanksgiving Day in 1990. Hide Caption 14 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush and Quayle join hands at the August 1992 Republican convention in Houston. They are joined by their wives, Marilyn Quayle and first lady Barbara Bush. Hide Caption 15 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush checks his watch during the 1992 presidential debate with Ross Perot, right, and Bill Clinton. The memorable moment was interpreted as the President being out of touch. Hide Caption 16 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush In November 1997, Bush speaks at the dedication of his presidential library at Texas A&M University. Hide Caption 17 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush watches election returns with his son, George W. Bush, in Austin, Texas, on November 7, 2000. George W. Bush went on to win the presidential election over Democrat Al Gore, but only after a lengthy recount.

Hide Caption 18 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Celebrating his 80th birthday in 2004, Bush performed two jumps with the Army Golden Knights over the Bush Presidential Library. Hide Caption 19 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush President George W. Bush appointed his father and former President Bill Clinton to lead fundraising efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina in September 2005. Hide Caption 20 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush At the christening ceremony of the USS George H.W. Bush in 2009, the 41st President poses for a picture with two of his sons: former President George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Hide Caption 21 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush President Barack Obama presents Bush with the 2010 Medal of Freedom at the White House in February 2011. Hide Caption Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush and Clinton attend the Points of Light Institute Tribute in 2011. Hide Caption 23 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W.

Bush Bush wears socks featuring the American flag at the dedication ceremony for his son's presidential library in Dallas in April 2013. Hide Caption 24 of 25 Photos: Former President George H.W. Bush Bush floats to the ground in June 2014 during a tandem parachute jump near his home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush was strapped to Mike Elliott, a retired member of the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, as he made the jump to celebrate his 90th birthday. Hide Caption When he got his wings, Bush was the Navy's youngest pilot at the time George W. Bush was born while George H.W. Bush was a Yale student Bush was first sitting vice president to be elected president in 150 years (CNN) George H.W. Bush, the nation's 41st president, turned 90 on June 12, 2014. To mark the occasion, here are 41 things about Bush 41: 1. As a teenager, Bush contracted a serious staph infection and nearly died. Once he was well, he repeated a year of high school to make up for the lost time. 2.

As a senior at Phillips Academy he wanted to enlist in the military after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, even though he had been accepted at Yale. Despite his father's disapproval, he signed up for the Navy's flight training program on his 18th birthday. 3. When he received his Navy pilot's wings, he was the Navy's youngest pilot. 4. In early letters, he called future wife Barbara "Bobsie." Recounting his decades of letter-writing in his book "All The Best," he said he doesn't remember calling her that. Read More MUST WATCH CNN Films: '41 on 41' trailer 00:29 5. The 20-year-old Bush was shot down in a raid on the Japanese-held island of Chichi Jima in the Pacific in September 1944. Despite being hit by anti-aircraft fire, he continued toward his target and scored several hits before bailing out. As Japanese boats were fast approaching,he recounted in his book: "I was crying, throwing up and swimming like hell. I could have made the Olympics that day because we had to get out of there." 6.

Back on temporary duty stateside with the Navy, he received orders to ship back to the South Pacific to participate in the invasion of Japan -- but Japan surrendered before he had to ship out. 7. When he was leaving the military he seriously considered not going to college but instead getting a job. He writes in his book, "My father definitely did not agree with my plan of not going to college." He eventually enrolled at Yale. 8. His nickname since childhood had been Poppy, and that's how he was known at Yale -- especially as a baseball player. He signed early letters "Pop." 9. Bush played first base at Yale and was team captain. He played in two College World Series and had a career batting average of .251. JUST WATCHED MUST WATCH George H. W. Bush greets Obamas 00:44 10. He met Babe Ruth in 1948 shortly before Ruth died. He accepted an autographed copy of "The Babe Ruth Story" when Ruth visited Yale. 11. He finished Yale in 2½ years and graduated with a degree in economics, already married and the father of a son: George W. 12. Bush debated what to do after graduating.

He had offers from an oil and gas firm in Texas and an investment company in St. Louis, but also considered teaching. He went with the oil and gas option. "I started at the very bottom of the corporate ladder as an equipment clerk," he recounted in his book. He later started his own oil firm. 13. The Bushes' first home in Texas was a house with one bathroom which they had to share with their neighbors, "a woman and her daughter, both of whom seemed to make their living by questionable means. "Let's just say they had a lot of male visitors at all hours of the day and mostly night. Many a night they locked us out of the bathroom," he wrote in his book. 14. According to the book "The Presidents Club," former President Dwight Eisenhower urged Richard Nixon to consider Bush, who had won a congressional seat in 1966, as his 1968 running mate. Billy Graham, who was close to the Bush family, also had raised the possibility with Nixon. JUST WATCHED MUST WATCH Key moments that defined Bush vs. Dukakis 01:10 15.

On August 6, 1974, Nixon called a Cabinet meeting which Bush, then chairman of the Republican National Committee, attended. He was sitting against the wall and tried to get the President's attention. Finally, he was able to speak and he said that Watergate was sapping the public's support and urged the President to resign. Nixon did resign, three days later. 16. After serving as envoy to China, Bush wanted to return to the U.S. and asked for a Cabinet position. Instead, President Gerald Ford offered him the job of director of the CIA, which he took. Bush served from January 30, 1976, until January 20, 1977, heading the agency during a time when it was under attack for some of its activities. On July 5, 1976, he gave presidential candidate Jimmy Carter his first daily intelligence briefing after Carter asked for them. Bush is the only head of the CIA to become president. 17. How loyal is he? In 1980, while Bush was running for the Republican presidential nomination, his campaign ran low on money and many of the staff volunteered to work at half their pay.

After he pulled out of the race, Bush wrote notes to the staff with funny sayings, thanking them and including checks for the half pay they didn't get in the last two months of the campaign. 18. When Ronald Reagan was shot, aides wanted then-Vice President Bush to chopper back to the White House but he refused, saying only the President lands on the South Lawn of the White House -- so he flew to the vice president's residence instead. 19. Bush was the first sitting vice president to be elected president since Martin van Buren in 1836. 20. When he became president, Bush offered his predecessors -- Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan -- secure telephones so he could reach them day or night. According to "The Presidents Club," this wasn't just a kind offer; Bush knew he had a better chance of gaining support for his decisions if he confided in the former presidents and asked for their advice. 21. Bush came up with a unique staff award, the Scowcroft Award, which he described as a "highly coveted recognition" given to Cabinet secretaries and White House staff -- but not for exemplary work.

As he described it in his book, the award went to the person "who could fall asleep in a meeting but make a good recovery and act as if he or she had not been sleeping." It was named in honor of Brent Scowcroft, his national security adviser, who Bush said worked impossible hours. 22. In the aftermath of the 1991 invasion of Iraq, Bush's approval rating hit 89% -- the highest for any president at that time. By the next July it had fallen to 29%. 23. It is common knowledge that Bush does not like broccoli, but how far did it go? In 1990 he banned it from his plate whether he was in the White House or on Air Force One. 24. One of his favorite snacks was pork rinds. In fact, he was named "skin man of the year" by some in the industry. 25. He had a dog biscuit dispenser in the shape of a gumball machine in his office at Camp David. He tried unsuccessfully to train his dog Millie to tap a lever to dispense her own biscuits. 26.

While he may be best known for his foreign policy achievements as president -- overseeing the response to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the 1991 Iraq war -- his domestic accomplishments are also noteworthy. In 1990 he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Clean Air Act -- two key pieces of legislation that still have an impact on the country. 27. One of the Democrats he got along with best was House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski. Although they disagreed on policy matters, Bush called "Rosty" one of his favorites and hosted him in the White House. "I do not want the battle up there to affect a friendship that means a lot to me," Bush wrote to him in one letter. According to Bush's book, Rostenkowski's later legal problems -- which eventually sent him to jail after allegations involving the House Post Office -- did not sour Bush. He called Rostenkowski in jail and stayed in touch. 28. One of the most embarrassing incidents during Bush's presidency -- when he threw up during a 1992 dinner with the Japanese prime minister -- happened because Bush ignored his doctor.

Bush told his doctor earlier that night that he wasn't feeling well and his doctor suggested that he skip the event. Bush didn't listen. 29. After a bitter 1992 campaign, Bush left a handwritten note to his successor, Bill Clinton, on Inauguraton Day: "I wish you great happiness here. I never felt the loneliness some Presidents have described. There will be very rough times, made ever more difficult by criticism you may not think is fair. I'm not a very good one to give advice; but just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course. You will be our President when you read this note. I wish you well." 30. He reached out to then-Vice President Al Gore on the night of December 16, 2000, after Gore conceded the contested presidential election to his son, George W. Bush. Bush 41 was impressed with Gore's concession speech and called the White House and asked to be connected to Gore, and they had a brief conversation. 31. Golf Digest ranks Bush fifth among presidential golfers, and he has a reputation for playing fast.

"You put your track shoes on when you're playing with him," professional golfer Hale Irwin told the World Golf Hall of Fame, into which Bush was inducted in 2011. 32. Bush boosted the sales of horseshoes after he installed horseshoe pits at the White House and Camp David. He had horseshoe tournaments at the White House which included teams from the household staff, the medical unit, the Secret Service, groundskeepers, Marine One and Air Force One staffs, and his team -- himself and his son Marvin. 33. Former Sen. Alan Simpson, a longtime friend and frequent hunting partner, describes Bush as a "crack shot." About eight years ago, when Bush began to have a hard time walking, he told Simpson and others in their hunting party, "Boys, you scare them up" while he took aim from the truck. He fired at two targets from the top of the truck, Simpson recalled, and hit both. 34. He became a convert to e-mail pretty early. In 1999 he wrote a letter to friend and columnist Hugh Sidey, saying, "Twelve months ago I was a Fax man or a phone man.

Now I e-mail everyone in the office and tons of people outside the office. I am hooked," he wrote. "I can use color and differentiate fonts to emphasize things and I can forward Monica Lewinsky jokes." 35. Bush tagged himself "41." In "All the Best," he talks about how after George W. was inaugurated, people would ask what to call the elder Bush now that there were two President Bushes in the family. "I like #41," he said. 36. He was not happy with a lot of the criticism his son George W. got as president. In "The Presidents Club," Laura Bush tells her father-in-law to stop watching TV news. He also would read criticism on the Web and draft responses to columnists and pundits, but he would delete them before hitting "send." He told the authors, "Watching your son taking a pounding from his critics was much, much harder" than taking the hits himself as president. 37. He has stayed in touch with a very diverse group of people. Some who have visited him in recent years in Maine include baseball star Roger Clemens, tennis pro Chris Evert and the country music group The Oak Ridge Boys.

He also stays in contact with members of the White House personal staff he knew while he was president, including some of the butlers. 38. Pop star Taylor Swift is now good friends with the former president. Swift met Bush when she was in Kennebunkport to tape a television show and Bush brought some of his grandchildren to watch. 39. He is a huge writer of letters and cards to family, friends and colleagues -- often showing a softer side than what was seen in public. One revealing letter to his children is dated July 23, 1974, a couple of weeks before Richard Nixon would resign over the Watergate scandal. He offered an analysis of Nixon and his mindset: "I shall stop with this gratuitous advice. Listen to your conscience. Don't be afraid not to join the mob if you feel inside it's wrong. Don't confuse being 'soft' with seeing the other guy's point of view." Or this letter from "The Presidents Club" to George W. at the onset of the Iraq War: "You are doing the right thing. Your decision just made is the toughest decision you have had to make up until now. But you made it with strength and compassion." 40.

Throughout his political career Bush kept 3-by-5 cards with the names and contact information for thousands of political contacts he would stay in touch with through letters, calls and notes. 41. Bush has parachuted eight times: Besides being shot down in 1944, the other seven were voluntary, including jumps to celebrate his 75th, 80th and 85th and now his 90th birthdays.

Question: George H. W. Bush was vice president to whom?
Answer: Reagan