Introduction - George H.W. Bush
Republican, George Herbert Walker Bush served as the 41st President of the United States of America serving from 1989 to 1993. When his two terms as Vice President to Ronald Reagan ended, he ran for and won the presidency in 1988 defeating Democrat Michael Dukakis. His son George Walker Bush served as the 43rd President of the United States. In the list of interesting facts below you will learn what some of his presidential accomplishments were as well as why he lost his bid for re-election. Quick facts are also listed, which provide interesting information, such as where he was born and who his parents were, that both kids and adults can easily understand.Click here for a great selection of Amazon.com books about President George H.W. Bush.
George H.W. Bush Quick Facts
- He was born in Milton Massachusetts on June 12, 1924.
- George H.W. Bush was the 41st President of the U.S.
- He served as U.S. President from January 20, 1989 - January 20, 1993.
- His Vice President was Dan Quayle.
- He was a member of the Republican Political Party.
Pre-Presidency George Herbert Walker Bush Facts
- President Bush's father, Prescott Bush, was a successful businessman and U.S. Senator while his mother stayed home and raised him and his four siblings in a very religious environment.
- Bush married Barbara Pierce in 1945. Together they had six children, one of which died from Leukemia at a young age.
- After the U.S. entered World War 2 Bush joined the Navy and in 1943 became the youngest U.S. naval aviator up until that time.
- During World War II he flew 58 combat missions receiving numerous medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross.
- He graduated from Yale University in 1948 with a degree in economics.
- After graduating from college he moved to Texas where he became involved in the oil industry and became a millionaire before reaching his 40th birthday.
- Bush's ambitions eventually turned political and he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1966. He would serve two terms in the House of Representatives and then go on to be an ambassador to the United Nations and then Director of Central intelligence.
- In 1980 he made a bid for the Republican presidential nomination but lost to Ronald Regan. Regan selected Bush as his Vice-Presidential running mate. Regan won the Presidential election and Bush became the 43rd U.S. vice President serving in that positon from January 20th of 1981 through January 20th of 1989.
- In October of 1987 he started his campaign for President. He would win the Republican nomination and go on to beat Democrat Michael Dukakis in the Presidential election. He was inaugurated as the 41st President of the United States of America on on January 20th of 1989.
George H.W. Bush Presidency Facts
- In 1988 Bush made a campaign promise in which he said "Read my lips, no new taxes" at the Republican National Convention. He was criticized by the American people when he reneged on that promise, which had helped get him elected.
- Manuel Noriega, the Panamanian dictator, was removed from power by the U.S. military under the Bush administration during the Invasion of Panama. Reasons for the invasion and arrest of Manuel Noriega were partly to ensure the safety of U.S. citizens in Panama, and largely to combat the massive amounts of drug-trafficking into the U.S.
- In July of 1991 Bush and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I); this significantly reduced the number of nuclear weapons of the United States and the USSR.
- Arguably, Bush's greatest presidential achievement is his handling of the Gulf War from 1990 - 1991. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, American led attacks on Iraqi forces soon followed, forcing the Iraqi army to withdraw from Kuwait. Although Bush fell short of removing the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, from power, the removal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait caused Bush's approval rating to soar.
- In 1992, Bush lost his bid for re-election to Bill Clinton, in part because of the poor state of the economy. When Clinton made much of his campaign about reducing the country's deficit, it became clear that Bush did not have a definitive plan on reducing the deficit. Americans also did not fully trust Bush's campaign promises after taxes were raised in his first term in office.