View source for George H. W. Bush

{{Short description|President of the United States from 1989 to 1993}}
{{About|the 41st president of the United States|his son, the 43rd president|George W. Bush}}
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{{Use American English|date=February 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder 
| image               = George H. W. Bush presidential portrait (cropped).jpg
| caption             = Official portrait, 1989
| alt                 = Bush's presidential portrait, 1989
| order               = 41st
| office              = President of the United States
| term_start          = January 20, 1989
| term_end            = January 20, 1993
| vicepresident       = [[Dan Quayle]]
| predecessor         = [[Ronald Reagan]]
| successor           = [[Bill Clinton]]
| order1              = 43rd
| office1             = Vice President of the United States
| term_start1         = January 20, 1981
| term_end1           = January 20, 1989
| president1          = Ronald Reagan
| predecessor1        = [[Walter Mondale]]
| successor1          = Dan Quayle
| order2              = 11th
| office2             = Director of Central Intelligence
| term_start2         = January 30, 1976
| term_end2           = January 20, 1977
| president2          = [[Gerald Ford]]
| deputy2             = {{unbulleted list|[[Vernon A. Walters]]|[[E. Henry Knoche]]}}
| predecessor2        = [[William Colby]]
| successor2          = [[Stansfield Turner]]
| order3              = 2nd
| office3             = Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China
| term_start3         = September 26, 1974
| term_end3           = December 7, 1975
| president3          = Gerald Ford
| predecessor3        = [[David K. E. Bruce]]
| successor3          = [[Thomas S. Gates Jr.]]
| office4             = Chair of the [[Republican National Committee]]
| term_start4         = January 19, 1973
| term_end4           = September 16, 1974
| predecessor4        = [[Bob Dole]]
| successor4          = [[Mary Louise Smith (politician)|Mary Smith]]
| order5              = 10th
| ambassador_from5    = United States
| country5            = the United Nations
| term_start5         = March 1, 1971
| term_end5           = January 18, 1973
| president5          = [[Richard Nixon]]
| predecessor5        = [[Charles Yost]]
| successor5          = [[John A. Scali]]
| state6              = [[Texas]]
| district6           = {{ushr|TX|7|7th}}
| term_start6         = January 3, 1967
| term_end6           = January 3, 1971
| predecessor6        = [[John Dowdy]]
| successor6          = [[Bill Archer]]
| birth_name          = George Herbert Walker Bush
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1924|6|12}}
| birth_place         = [[Milton, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2018|11|30|1924|6|12}}
| death_place         = [[Houston]], Texas, U.S.
| resting_place       = [[George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum]]
| party               = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Barbara Bush|Barbara Pierce]]|1945|April 2018|end=died}}
| children            = {{flatlist|
* [[George W. Bush|George]]
* [[Pauline Robinson Bush|Robin]]
* [[Jeb Bush|Jeb]]
* [[Neil Bush|Neil]]
* [[Marvin Bush|Marvin]]
* [[Dorothy Bush Koch|Dorothy]]}}
| relatives           = [[Bush family]]
| father              = [[Prescott Bush]]
| education           = [[Yale University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| occupation          = {{flatlist|
* Businessman
* diplomat
* politician}}
| awards              = [[List of awards and honors received by George H. W. Bush|Full list]]
| signature           = George HW Bush Signature.svg
| signature_alt       = Cursive signature in ink
| website             = {{official website|bushlibrary.tamu.edu|Presidential Library}}
| nickname            = "Skin"
| branch              = [[United States Navy]]
| serviceyears        = 1942–1955 {{avoid wrap|(reserve, active service 1942{{nbnd}}1945)}}
| rank                = [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]]
| unit                = [[Fast Carrier Task Force]]
| battles             = {{tree list}}
* [[World War II]]
 [[Pacific War]]
{{tree list/end}}
| mawards             = {{unbulleted list|item_style={{longitem}}|{{MilAward Desc|DFCUSA|norib=yes}}|{{MilAward Desc|AirM|norib=yes}} (3)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-b/bush-george-h-w.html |title=George Herbert Walker Bush |access-date=January 12, 2020 |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |date=August 29, 2019}}</ref>|{{MilAward Desc|PUCUSA|norib=yes}}}}
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=George H. W. Bush announces the Persian Gulf War.ogg|title=George H.&nbsp;W. Bush's voice|type=speech|description=Bush announces the [[Gulf War]]<br />Recorded January 16, 1991}}
}}

'''George Herbert Walker Bush'''<ref group="lower-alpha">After the 1990s, he became more commonly known as '''George H. W. Bush''', "'''Bush Senior'''," "'''Bush 41'''," and even "'''Bush the Elder'''" to distinguish him from his eldest son, [[George W. Bush]], who served as the 43rd U.S. president from 2001 to 2009; previously, he was usually referred to simply as '''George Bush'''.</ref> (June 12, 1924 – November 30, 2018) was an American politician, diplomat, and businessman who served as the 41st [[president of the United States]] from 1989 to 1993. A member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], he also served as the 43rd [[vice president of the United States|vice president]] from 1981 to 1989 under [[Ronald Reagan]] and previously in various other [[Federal government of the United States|federal positions]].<ref>{{multiref|{{cite web|url=https://adst.org/2018/12/george-h-w-bush-american-diplomat/ |title=George H.W. Bush, American Diplomat |website=Association for Diplomatic Studies & Training}}|{{cite web|url=https://diplomacy.state.gov/u-s-diplomacy-stories/in-memoriam-george-herbert-walker-bush-1924-2018-veteran-statesman-diplomat/ |title=In Memoriam: George Herbert Walker Bush (1924–2018): Veteran, Statesman, Diplomat |website=Department of State, The National Museum of American Diplomacy|date=December 20, 2018 }}|{{cite web|url=https://afsa.org/george-hw-bush-diplomats-remember |title=George H.W. Bush: Diplomats Remember |website=American Foreign Service Association}}|{{cite web|url=https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-end-of-the-cold-war-desert-storm.html |title=President George H.W. Bush: Foreign Policy |website=Study.com}}|{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/george-hw-bush-stood-out-as-tough-negotiator-on-world-stage/ |title=George H.W. Bush stood out as tough negotiator on the world stage |publisher=CBS News |date=December 3, 2018 |last=Pamela Falk}}|{{cite web|url=https://professorships.jhu.edu/professorship/george-h-w-bush-professorship-of-international-relations/ |title=George H.W. Bush Professorship of International Relations |website=Johns Hopkins University, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies|date=July 14, 2016 }}}}</ref>

Born into a [[Bush family|wealthy, established family]] in [[Milton, Massachusetts]], Bush was raised in [[Greenwich, Connecticut]]. He attended [[Phillips Academy]] and served as a pilot in the [[United States Navy Reserve]] during World War II before graduating from Yale and moving to [[West Texas]], where he established a successful oil company. Following an unsuccessful run for the United States Senate in [[1964 United States Senate election in Texas|1964]], he was elected to represent [[Texas's 7th congressional district]] in 1966. President [[Richard Nixon]] appointed Bush as the [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations|ambassador to the United Nations]] in 1971 and as [[chairman of the Republican National Committee]] in 1973. President [[Gerald Ford]] appointed him as the [[chief of the Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China]] in 1974 and as the [[director of Central Intelligence]] in 1976. Bush ran for president in 1980 but was defeated in the [[1980 Republican Party presidential primaries|Republican presidential primaries]] by Reagan, who then selected Bush as his vice presidential running mate. In the [[1988 United States presidential election|1988 presidential election]], Bush defeated Democrat [[Michael Dukakis]].

Foreign policy drove [[Presidency of George H. W. Bush|Bush's presidency]] as he navigated the final years of the [[Cold War]] and played a key role in the [[reunification of Germany]]. He presided over the [[invasion of Panama]] and the [[Gulf War]], ending the [[Iraqi occupation of Kuwait]] in the latter conflict. Though the agreement was not ratified until after he left office, Bush negotiated and signed the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]], which created a trade bloc consisting of the United States, Canada and Mexico. Domestically, Bush reneged on [[Read my lips: no new taxes|a 1988 campaign promise]] by enacting legislation to raise taxes to justify reducing the budget deficit. He championed and signed three pieces of bipartisan legislation in 1990, the [[Americans with Disabilities Act]], the [[Immigration Act of 1990|Immigration Act]] and the [[Clean Air Act Amendments]]. He also appointed [[David Souter]] and [[Clarence Thomas]] to the Supreme Court. Bush lost the [[1992 United States presidential election|1992 presidential election]] to Democrat [[Bill Clinton]] following [[Early 1990s recession|an economic recession]], his turnaround on [[Read my lips: no new taxes|his tax promise]], and the decreased emphasis of foreign policy in a post–Cold War political climate.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=Jon |date=December 2, 2018 |title=George HW Bush: What makes a one-term president? |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-20861048 |access-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817000206/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-20861048|archive-date=August 17, 2021 }}</ref>

After leaving office in 1993, Bush was active in humanitarian activities, often working alongside Clinton. With the victory of his son, [[George W. Bush]], in the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]], the two became the second father–son pair to serve as the nation's president, following [[John Adams]] and [[John Quincy Adams]]. Another son, [[Jeb Bush]], unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in the [[2016 Republican Party presidential primaries|2016 primaries]]. Historians generally [[Historical rankings of presidents of the United States|rank]] Bush as an above-average president.

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== Early life and education (1924–1948) ==
{{See also|Bush family}}
[[File:George H W Bush at Age One and One-Half, ca 1925.gif|thumb|upright|left|Bush at his grandfather's house in [[Kennebunkport, Maine]], {{c.|1925}}]]
[[File:George H. W. Bush in 1942 Pot Pourri.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Bush's [[Phillips Academy]] yearbook photo, 1942]]
George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924, in [[Milton, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.presidentialavenue.com/gb.cfm |title=Presidential Avenue: George Bush |access-date=March 29, 2008 |publisher=Presidential Avenue|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008144507/http://www.presidentialavenue.com/gb.cfm|archive-date=October 8, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was the second son of [[Prescott Bush]] and Dorothy (Walker) Bush,{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=19–20}} and a younger brother of [[Prescott Bush Jr.]] His paternal grandfather, [[Samuel P. Bush]], worked as an executive for a railroad parts company in [[Columbus, Ohio]],{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=8–9}} while his maternal grandfather and namesake, [[George Herbert Walker]], led [[Wall Street]] investment bank [[W. A. Harriman & Co.]]{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=16–17}} Walker was known as "Pop", and young Bush was called "Poppy" as a tribute to him.<ref>{{cite web |author=Eun Kyung Kim |url=http://www.today.com/parents/jenna-bush-hager-welcomes-second-daughter-named-after-george-h-t31121 |title=Jenna Bush Hager welcomes second daughter&nbsp;— named after George H.W. Bush |website=[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]] |date=August 14, 2015 |quote=The new bundle of joy is named after Jenna's grandfather and former President George H.W. Bush, whose nickname growing up was "Poppy."}}</ref>

The Bush family moved to [[Greenwich, Connecticut]], in 1925, and Prescott took a position with W. A. Harriman & Co., which later merged into [[Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.]] the following year.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=20–21}} Bush spent most of his childhood in Greenwich, at the family vacation home in [[Kennebunkport, Maine]],{{efn|Bush later purchased the estate, which is now known as the [[Bush compound]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/08/us/white-house-letter-at-parents-home-bush-resumes-role-of-son.html|work=The New York Times |access-date=April 2, 2008 |date=July 8, 2002 |last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |title=White House Letter; At Parents' Home, Bush Resumes Role of Son}}</ref>}} or at his maternal grandparents' plantation in South Carolina.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=25}}

Because of the family's wealth, Bush was largely unaffected by the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=27}} He attended [[Greenwich Country Day School]] from 1929 to 1937 and [[Phillips Academy]], an elite private academy in Massachusetts, from 1937 to 1942.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=27–36}} While at Phillips Academy, he served as president of the senior class, secretary of the student council, president of the community fund-raising group, a member of the editorial board of the school newspaper, and captain of the varsity baseball and soccer teams.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.andover.edu/news/bush.htm |title=Former President George Bush honored at his 60th reunion at Phillips Academy, Andover |date=June 8, 2002 |access-date=March 29, 2008 |publisher=Phillips Academy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080401131455/http://www.andover.edu/news/bush.htm |archive-date=April 1, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== World War II ===
[[File:George H.W. Bush seated in a Grumman TBM Avenger, circa 1944 (H069-13).jpg|thumb|upright|Bush in his [[Grumman TBM Avenger]] aboard the [[USS San Jacinto (CVL-30)|USS ''San Jacinto'']] in 1944, during World War II]]
On his 18th birthday, immediately after graduating from Phillips Academy, he enlisted in the [[United States Navy]] as a [[naval aviator (United States)|naval aviator]].<ref name=GHWBlifebefore/> After a period of training, he was commissioned as an ensign in the Naval Reserve at [[Naval Air Station Corpus Christi]] on June 9, 1943, becoming one of the youngest pilots in the Navy.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=54}}{{efn|For decades, Bush was considered the youngest aviator in the U.S. Navy during his period of service,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Boyd |first1=Gerald M. |title=A Victor Free to Set His Own Course |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/09/us/1988-elections-man-george-herbert-walker-bush-victor-free-set-his-own-course.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 9, 1988}}</ref> but such claims are now regarded as speculation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Siegel |first1=Rachel |title=For George H.W. Bush, Pearl Harbor changed everything, and World War II made him a hero |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2018/12/01/george-hw-bush-pearl-harbor-changed-everything-world-war-ii-made-him-hero/?noredirect=on |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> His official Navy biography called him "the youngest" in 2001,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq10-1.htm |title=Lieutenant Junior Grade George Bush, USNR |date=April 6, 2001 |publisher=Naval Historical Center |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20100410115448/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq10-1.htm |archive-date=April 10, 2010 }}</ref> but by 2018 the Navy biography described him as "one of the youngest".<ref name="navy">{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/biographies-list/bios-b/bush-george-h-w.html |title=George Herbert Walker Bush |date=December 1, 2018 |access-date=December 2, 2018 |publisher=Navy History and Heritage Command}}</ref>}} Beginning in 1944, Bush served in the Pacific theater, where he flew a [[Grumman TBM Avenger]], a [[torpedo bomber]] capable of taking off from aircraft carriers.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=56–57}} His squadron was assigned to the {{USS|San Jacinto|CVL-30|6}} as a member of Air Group 51, where his lanky physique earned him the nickname "Skin".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pilotonline.com/military/article_ce04e725-0849-5d16-943a-dcf32f729af0.html |title=San Jacinto veterans reunite, recall serving with Bush |last=Adams |first=Kathy |date=January 10, 2009 |work=The Virginian-Pilot |publisher=Landmark Communications |access-date=December 9, 2019}}</ref>

Bush flew his first combat mission in May 1944, bombing Japanese-held [[Wake Island]],{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=57–59}} and was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) on August 1, 1944. During an attack on a Japanese installation in [[Chichijima]], Bush's aircraft successfully attacked several targets but was downed by enemy fire.<ref name="navy" /> Though both of Bush's fellow crew members died, Bush successfully bailed out from the aircraft and was rescued by the submarine {{USS|Finback|SS-230|6}}.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=60–63}}{{efn|Bush's fellow crew members for the mission were William G. White and John Delaney. According to the accounts of an American pilot and a Japanese individual, another parachute from Bush's aircraft opened, but the bodies of White and Delaney were never recovered.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=60–63}}}} Several of the aviators shot down during the attack were captured and executed, and their livers were [[Chichijima incident|cannibalized by their captors]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bradley |first1=James | author-link = James Bradley (American author)|title=Flyboys: A True Story of Courage |date=2003 |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |isbn=978-0-316-10584-2|title-link=Flyboys: A True Story of Courage }}</ref> Bush's survival after such a close brush with death shaped him profoundly, leading him to ask, "Why had I been spared and what did God have for me?"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/the-faith-of-george-h-w-bush.html|title=The Faith of George HW Bush|website=The Christian Post|date=June 26, 2017}}</ref> He was later awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] for his role in the mission.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=66}}

Bush returned to ''San Jacinto'' in November 1944, participating in operations in the Philippines. In early 1945, he was assigned to a new combat squadron, VT-153, where he trained to participate in an [[Operation Downfall|invasion of mainland Japan]]. Between March and May 1945, he trained in [[Auburn, Maine]], where he and Barbara lived in a small apartment.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Washuk |first=Bonnie |date=December 1, 2018 |title=George H.W. Bush called Lewiston-Auburn home during WWII |work=[[Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine)|Sun Journal]] |url=https://www.sunjournal.com/2018/12/01/george-h-w-bushs-ties-to-lewiston-auburn/ |access-date=May 31, 2023}}</ref> On September 2, 1945, before any invasion took place, Japan formally surrendered following the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=69}} Bush was released from active duty that same month but was not formally discharged from the Navy until October 1955, when he had reached the rank of lieutenant.<ref name="navy" /> By the end of his period of active service, Bush had flown 58 missions, completed 128 carrier landings, and recorded 1228 hours of flight time.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=70}}

=== Marriage ===
Bush met [[Barbara Bush|Barbara Pierce]] at a Christmas dance in Greenwich in December 1941,{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=41}} and, after a period of courtship, they became engaged in December 1943.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=56}} While Bush was on leave from the Navy, they married in [[Rye, New York]], on January 6, 1945.<ref>{{cite web |last=Markovich |first=Jeremy |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/george-hw-bush-and-barbara-pierce-are-wed-jan-6-1945-233101 |title=George H.W. Bush and Barbara Pierce are wed: Jan. 6, 1945 |work=Politico |date=January 6, 2017 |access-date=November 17, 2017}}</ref> The Bushes enjoyed a strong marriage, and Barbara would later be a popular First Lady, seen by many as "a kind of national grandmother".{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=406–407}}{{efn|At the time of his wife's death on April 17, 2018, George H.&nbsp;W. had been married to Barbara for 73 years, the longest presidential marriage in American history at that point.<ref>{{cite news |last=Siegel |first=Rachel |date=April 22, 2018 |title='You were the reason': Barbara and George Bush's love story remembered at her funeral |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/04/22/you-were-the-reason-barbara-and-george-bushs-historic-love-story-hailed-at-her-funeral/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> The length of their marriage was surpassed in 2019 by the marriage of [[Jimmy Carter|Jimmy]] and [[Rosalynn Carter]].<ref>{{cite news|date=October 17, 2019 |title=Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter just became the longest-married presidential couple|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/18/politics/jimmy-rosalynn-carter-longest-married-presidential-couple-trnd/index.html |work=CNN Politics| access-date=October 18, 2019}}</ref>}} They had six children: [[George W. Bush|George W.]] (b. 1946), [[Pauline Robinson Bush|Robin]] (1949–1953), [[Jeb Bush|Jeb]] (b. 1953), [[Neil Bush|Neil]] (b. 1955), [[Marvin Bush|Marvin]] (b. 1956), and [[Dorothy Bush Koch|Doro]] (b. 1959).<ref name=GHWBlifebefore>{{cite web |title=George H. W. Bush: Life Before the Presidency |last=Knott |first=Stephen |url=https://millercenter.org/president/bush/life-before-the-presidency |publisher=Miller Center, the University of Virginia |location=Charlottesville, Virginia |access-date=April 24, 2018|date=October 4, 2016}}</ref> Their oldest daughter, Robin, died of leukemia in 1953.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=97–100}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Withers |first=Rachel |date=December 2, 2018 |title=George H.W. Bush was a champion for people with disabilities |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/12/2/18122640/george-h-w-bush-americans-with-disabilities |access-date=April 13, 2022 |website=Vox}}</ref>

=== College years ===
Bush enrolled at [[Yale College]], where he took part in an accelerated program that enabled him to graduate in two and a half years rather than the usual four.<ref name=GHWBlifebefore /> He was a member of the [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]] fraternity and was elected its president.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/books/41-george-w-bushs-portrait-of-george-h-w-bush.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/books/41-george-w-bushs-portrait-of-george-h-w-bush.html |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title=Love Flows, President to President |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 11, 2014 |first=Michiko |last=Kakutani |access-date=November 14, 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He also captained the Yale baseball team and played in the first two [[College World Series]] as a left-handed first baseman.<ref>{{cite web |title=School House to White House: The Education of the Presidents |url=https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/spring/schoolhouse.html |date=Spring 2007 |publisher=National Archives |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=March 29, 2008}}</ref> Like his father, he was a member of the Yale cheerleading squad<ref>{{cite news |url=http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2008/01/28/cheerleading-of-the-20s-epitome-of-masculinity/ |title=Cheerleading of the '20s: Epitome of masculinity |work=Yale Daily News |first=Simone |last=Berkower |access-date=July 30, 2016}}</ref> and was initiated into the [[Skull and Bones]] secret society. He graduated [[Phi Beta Kappa]] in 1948 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=72}}

== Business career (1948–1963) ==
[[File:Entire Bush family.jpg|thumb|Bush, top right, standing with his wife and children, mid-1960s]]

After graduating from Yale, Bush moved his young family to [[West Texas]]. Biographer Jon Meacham writes that Bush's relocation to Texas allowed him to move out of the "daily shadow of his Wall Street father and Grandfather Walker, two dominant figures in the financial world," but would still allow Bush to "call on their connections if he needed to raise capital."{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=78}} His first position in Texas was an [[oil field]] equipment salesman<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-oct-11-me-bush11-story.html |title=Two Future Presidents Slept Here&nbsp;— latimes |date=October 11, 2005 |access-date=May 17, 2017|newspaper=Los Angeles Times |last1=Chawkins |first1=Steve}}</ref> for [[Dresser Industries]], which was led by family friend Neil Mallon.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=77, 83}} While working for Dresser, Bush lived in various places with his family: [[Odessa, Texas]]; [[Ventura, California|Ventura]], [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]] and [[Compton, California]]; and [[Midland, Texas]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bush41library.tamu.edu/archives/finding-aids/donated-materials/george-bush#zapata_oil |title=George Bush Collection |publisher=George Bush Presidential Library and Museum |access-date=July 30, 2016}}</ref> In 1952, he volunteered for the successful presidential campaign of [[Republican (United States)|Republican]] candidate [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. That same year, his father won election to represent Connecticut in the [[United States Senate]] as a member of the Republican Party.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=94–96}}

With support from Mallon and Bush's uncle, [[George Herbert Walker Jr.]], Bush and John Overbey launched the Bush-Overbey Oil Development Company in 1951.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=92–93}} In 1953, he co-founded the [[HRG Group|Zapata Petroleum Corporation]], an oil company that drilled in the [[Permian Basin (North America)|Permian Basin]] in Texas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Archives NextGen Catalog |url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10555130?organizationNaId=10480871 |access-date=May 14, 2023 |publisher=National Archives}}</ref> In 1954, he was named president of the Zapata Offshore Company, a subsidiary which specialized in [[offshore drilling]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Perin |first=Monica |date=April 25, 1999 |title=Adios, Zapata! |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/1999/04/26/story2.html |work=[[American City Business Journals|Houston Business Journal]] |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> Shortly after the subsidiary became independent in 1959, Bush moved the company and his family from Midland to [[Houston]].<ref>Bush, George W. ''41: A Portrait of My Father.'' Crown Publishers, 2014, p. 64.</ref> There, he befriended [[James Baker]], a prominent attorney who later became an important political ally.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=144–146}} Bush remained involved with Zapata until the mid-1960s, when he sold his stock in the company for approximately $1&nbsp;million.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=130–131}}

In 1988, ''[[The Nation]]'' published an article alleging that Bush worked as an operative of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) during the 1960s; Bush denied this claim.<ref>{{cite news |title='63 F.B.I. Memo Ties Bush to Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/11/us/63-fbi-memo-ties-bush-to-intelligence-agency.html |agency=Associated Press |work=The New York Times |date=July 11, 1988}}</ref>

== Early political career (1963–1971) ==
=== Entry into politics ===
[[File:George Herbert Walker Bush and Eisenhower 1.jpg|thumb|left|Former president [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] with Bush]]

By the early 1960s, Bush was widely regarded as an appealing political candidate, and some leading [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] attempted to convince Bush to become a Democrat. He declined to leave the Republican Party, later citing his belief that the national Democratic Party favored "big, centralized government". The Democratic Party had historically dominated Texas, but Republicans scored their first major victory in the state with [[John G. Tower]]'s victory in a 1961 special election to the United States Senate. Motivated by Tower's victory and hoping to prevent the far-right [[John Birch Society]] from coming to power, Bush ran for the chairmanship of the [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] Republican Party, winning election in February 1963.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=112–114}} Like most other Texas Republicans, Bush supported conservative Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] over the more centrist [[Nelson Rockefeller]] in the [[1964 Republican Party presidential primaries]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=116–117}}

In 1964, Bush sought to unseat liberal Democrat [[Ralph W. Yarborough]] in [[1964 United States Senate election in Texas|Texas's U.S. Senate election]].{{sfn|Naftali|2007|p=13}} Bolstered by superior fundraising, Bush won the Republican primary by defeating former gubernatorial nominee [[Jack Cox (Texas politician)|Jack Cox]] in a [[run-off election]]. In the general election, Bush attacked Yarborough's vote for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]], which banned racial and gender discrimination in public institutions and many privately owned businesses. Bush argued that the act unconstitutionally expanded the federal government's powers, but he was privately uncomfortable with the racial politics of opposing the act.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=120–122}} He lost the election 56 percent to 44 percent, though he did run well ahead of Barry Goldwater, the Republican presidential nominee.{{sfn|Naftali|2007|p=13}} Despite the loss, ''The New York Times'' reported that Bush was "rated by political friend and foe alike as the Republicans' best prospect in Texas because of his attractive personal qualities and the strong campaign he put up for the Senate".{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=133}}

=== U.S. House of Representatives ===
[[File:George H. W. Bush 91st Congress.jpg|thumb|upright|Bush in 1969]]

In [[1966 United States House of Representatives elections|1966]], Bush ran for the [[United States House of Representatives]] in [[Texas's 7th congressional district]], a newly redistricted seat in the [[Greater Houston]] area. Initial polling showed him trailing his Democratic opponent, Harris County District Attorney Frank Briscoe, but he ultimately won the race with 57 percent of the vote.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=130–132}} To woo potential candidates in the South and Southwest, House Republicans secured Bush an appointment to the powerful [[United States House Committee on Ways and Means]], making Bush the first freshman to serve on the committee since 1904.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=133–134}} His voting record in the House was generally [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]]. He supported the [[Presidency of Richard Nixon|Nixon administration]]'s [[Vietnamization|Vietnam policies]] but broke with Republicans on the issue of [[birth control]], which he supported. He also voted for the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]], although it was generally unpopular in his district.<ref name="ea">{{cite web |url=http://198.181.165.52/article?assetid=0068080-00&templatename=/article/article.html |title=Bush, George Herbert Walker |access-date=March 29, 2008 |publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing, Inc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615195838/http://198.181.165.52/article?assetid=0068080-00&templatename=%2Farticle%2Farticle.html |archive-date=June 15, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=House – August 16, 1967|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=113|issue=17|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=22778|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1967-pt17/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1967-pt17-5-1.pdf|access-date=February 27, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=House – April 10, 1968|journal=[[Congressional Record]]|volume=114|issue=8|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|page=9621|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1968-pt8/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1968-pt8-1-2.pdf|access-date=February 27, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|title=George H.W. Bush (Part 1)|title-link=George H.W. Bush (film)|series=American Experience|series-link=American Experience|network=[[PBS]]|station=[[WGBH-TV|WGBH]]|date=May 5, 2008|season=20|number=13|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/bush/|access-date=November 14, 2022}}</ref> In 1968, Bush joined several other Republicans in issuing the party's [[Response to the State of the Union address]]; Bush's part of the address focused on a call for fiscal responsibility.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=136–137}}

Though most other Texas Republicans supported [[Ronald Reagan]] in the [[1968 Republican Party presidential primaries]], Bush endorsed [[Richard Nixon]], who went on to win the party's nomination. Nixon considered selecting Bush as his running mate in the [[1968 United States presidential election|1968 presidential election]], but he ultimately chose [[Spiro Agnew]] instead. Bush won re-election to the House unopposed, while Nixon defeated [[Hubert Humphrey]] in the presidential election.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=141–142}} In 1970, with President Nixon's support, Bush gave up his seat in the House to [[1970 United States Senate election in Texas|run for the Senate]] against Yarborough. Bush easily won the Republican primary, but Yarborough was defeated by the more conservative [[Lloyd Bentsen]] in the Democratic primary.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=146–147}} Ultimately, Bentsen defeated Bush, taking 53.5 percent of the vote.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=150}}

== Nixon and Ford administrations (1971–1977) ==
{{See also|Presidency of Richard Nixon|Presidency of Gerald Ford}}

=== Ambassador to the United Nations ===
[[File:George Bush as United Nations Representative, 1971-72 - NARA - 186386.tif|thumb|Bush as ambassador to the United Nations, 1971]]

After the 1970 Senate election, Bush accepted a position as a senior adviser to the president, but he convinced Nixon to instead appoint him as the [[U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=153–154}} The position represented Bush's first foray into foreign policy, as well as his first major experiences with the [[Soviet Union]] and China, the two major U.S. rivals in the [[Cold War]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=152, 157–158}} During Bush's tenure, the Nixon administration pursued a policy of détente, seeking to ease tensions with both the Soviet Union and China.{{sfn|Herring|2008|pp=773–775}} Bush's ambassadorship was marked by a defeat on the China question, as the [[United Nations General Assembly]] voted, in [[Resolution 2758]], to expel the [[Republic of China]] and replace it with the People's Republic of China in October 1971.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Austin |first1=Anthony |title=Crushing Defeat for the U.S., or A Blessing In Disguise? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/10/31/archives/crushing-defeat-for-the-us-or-a-blessing-in-disguise-enter-peking.html |work=The New York Times |date=October 31, 1971 }}</ref> In the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971 crisis in Pakistan]], Bush supported an Indian motion at the UN General Assembly to condemn the Pakistani government of [[Yahya Khan]] for waging genocide in [[East Pakistan]] (modern Bangladesh), referring to the "tradition which we have supported that the human rights question transcended domestic jurisdiction and should be freely debated".{{sfn|Saunders|2014|p=39}} Bush's support for India at the UN put him into conflict with Nixon who was supporting Pakistan, partly because Yahya Khan was a useful intermediary in his attempts to reach out to China and partly because the president was fond of Yahya Khan.{{sfn|Saunders|2014|pp=38–39}} In 1972, during a controversy over whether the United States was intentionally bombing civilian hydrological infrastructure in [[Vietnam]], Bush was sent by Nixon to convince [[Kurt Waldheim]] of the United States' position. Bush, who was himself a fighter pilot in the Second World War, was "unwilling to press his assigned case that the dikes had been spared," and told reporters "I think that the best thing I can do on the subject is shut up."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Perlstein |first=Rick |url=http://archive.org/details/nixonlandriseofp0000perl |title=Nixonland : the rise of a president and the fracturing of America |date=2008 |publisher=New York : Scribner |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7432-4302-5 |pages=707}}</ref>

=== Chairman of the Republican National Committee ===
After Nixon won a landslide victory in the [[1972 United States presidential election|1972 presidential election]], he appointed Bush as chair of the [[Republican National Committee]] (RNC).{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=162–163}}<ref>{{cite web |title=President Richard Nixon and the Presidents |url=https://www.nixontapes.org/presidents.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409154628/https://www.nixontapes.org/presidents.html |archive-date=April 9, 2022 |access-date=March 30, 2020 |website=nixontapes.org |quote=CDHW 156-016 11/29/1972 Unknown time between 10:10 am and 1:47 pm P, GHWB}}[https://www.nixontapes.org/ghwb/156-016.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211181759/https://www.nixontapes.org/ghwb/156-016.pdf|date=December 11, 2020}}</ref> In that position, he was charged with fundraising, candidate recruitment, and making appearances on behalf of the party in the media.

When Agnew was being investigated for corruption, Bush assisted, at the request of Nixon and Agnew, in pressuring [[John Glenn Beall Jr.]], the [[U.S. Senator from Maryland]], to force his brother, [[George Beall (attorney)|George Beall]] the [[U.S. Attorney]] in Maryland, to shut down the investigation into Agnew. Attorney Beall ignored the pressure.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/msnbc/maddow-bag-man-podcast/transcript-episode-4-turn-it-n935286|title=Transcript - Episode 4: Turn It Off|date=November 13, 2018 |publisher=NBC News|access-date=January 30, 2020}}</ref>

During Bush's tenure at the RNC, the [[Watergate scandal]] emerged into public view; the scandal originated from the June 1972 break-in of the [[Democratic National Committee]] but also involved later efforts to cover up the break-in by Nixon and other members of the White House.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=163–164}} Bush initially defended Nixon steadfastly, but as Nixon's complicity became clear he focused more on defending the Republican Party.<ref name="ea" />

Following the resignation of Vice President Agnew in 1973 for a scandal unrelated to Watergate, Bush was considered for the position of vice president, but the appointment instead went to [[Gerald Ford]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=166–167}} After the public release of an [[Nixon White House tapes|audio recording]] that confirmed that Nixon had plotted to use the CIA to cover up the Watergate break-in, Bush joined other party leaders in urging Nixon to resign.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=170–173}} When Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, Bush noted in his diary that "There was an aura of sadness, like somebody died... The [resignation] speech was vintage Nixon—a kick or two at the press—enormous strains. One couldn't help but look at the family and the whole thing and think of his accomplishments and then think of the shame... [President Gerald Ford's swearing-in offered] indeed a new spirit, a new lift."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060716/16bushonnixon_eye.htm |title=George HW on Nixon resignation |date=July 16, 2006 |access-date=March 29, 2008 |work=U.S. News & World Report |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624230333/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060716/16bushonnixon_eye.htm |archive-date=June 24, 2008}}</ref>

=== Head of U.S. Liaison Office in China ===
[[File:George Bush as United States Liaison to China, 1974-1975 - NARA - 186378.tif|thumb|left|upright|Bush on [[Tiananmen Square]] in [[Beijing]] as U.S. Liaison to China, {{Circa|1975}}]]
Upon his ascension to the presidency, Ford [[1974 United States vice presidential confirmation|strongly considered]] Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and Nelson Rockefeller for the vacant position of vice president. Ford ultimately chose Nelson Rockefeller, partly because of the publication of a news report claiming that Bush's 1970 campaign had benefited from a secret fund set up by Nixon; Bush was later cleared of any suspicion by a special prosecutor.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=176–177}} Bush accepted appointment as Chief of the [[De facto embassy#China and the United States|U.S. Liaison Office]] in the People's Republic of China, making him the de facto ambassador to China.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bush |first1=George H. W. |editor-last1=Engel |editor-first1=Jeffrey A. |title=The China Diary of George H.W. Bush: The Making of a Global President |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRvdwoKQOgQC&pg=PA36 |date=2011 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-2961-3 |page=36}}</ref> According to biographer Jon Meacham, Bush's time in China convinced him that American engagement abroad was needed to ensure global stability and that the United States "needed to be visible but not pushy, muscular but not domineering."{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=181}}

=== Director of Central Intelligence ===
[[File:CIA Director George H.W. Bush listens at a meeting following the assassinations in Beirut, 1976 - NARA - 7064954.jpg|thumb|[[Director of Central Intelligence]] Bush at a meeting following the assassinations of [[Francis E. Meloy Jr.]] and [[Robert O. Waring]] in [[Beirut]] in 1976]]
In January 1976, Ford brought Bush back to Washington to become the [[Director of Central Intelligence]] (DCI), placing him in charge of the CIA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/todays-cia/george-bush-center-for-intelligence/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612191537/https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/todays-cia/george-bush-center-for-intelligence/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 12, 2007 |title=The George Bush Center for Intelligence |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |date=April 5, 2007 |access-date=September 5, 2011}}</ref> In the aftermath of the Watergate scandal and the [[Vietnam War]], the CIA's reputation had been damaged for its role in various covert operations. Bush was tasked with restoring the agency's morale and public reputation.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=189–193}}{{efn|Biographer Jon Meacham writes that it was widely assumed at the time that Donald Rumsfeld had engineered Bush's appointment as CIA Director since the post was regarded as a "political graveyard". Meacham writes that it is more likely that the key factor in Bush's appointment was that Ford believed Bush would work better with Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]] than would [[Elliot Richardson]], his original pick for the CIA post.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=189–193}}}} During Bush's year in charge of the CIA, the U.S. national security apparatus actively supported [[Operation Condor]] operations and right-wing [[military dictatorship]]s in [[Latin America–United States relations|Latin America]].<ref>{{cite news |title=FIFA's Dirty Wars |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/146303/fifas-dirty-wars |magazine=The New Republic |date=December 15, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Quand Pinochet tuait hors du Chili |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/amerique-sud/quand-pinochet-tuait-hors-du-chili_491779.html |work=L'Express |date=October 30, 1999}}</ref>

Meanwhile, Ford decided to drop Rockefeller from the ticket for the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976 presidential election]]; he considered Bush as his running mate, but ultimately chose [[Bob Dole]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dowd |first1=Maureen |date=November 28, 1988 |title=Will Bush and Dole End Their Grand Old Rivalry? |page=A1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/28/us/will-bush-and-dole-end-their-grand-old-rivalry.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> In his capacity as DCI, Bush gave national security briefings to [[Jimmy Carter]] both as a presidential candidate and as president-elect.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/cia-briefings-of-presidential-candidates/cia-8.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613144129/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/cia-briefings-of-presidential-candidates/cia-8.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 13, 2007 |title=CIA Briefings of Presidential Candidates; Chapter 5: In-Depth Discussions With Carter |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency: Center for the Study of Intelligence |access-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref>

== 1980 presidential election ==
=== Presidential campaign ===
{{main|George H. W. Bush 1980 presidential campaign|1980 Republican Party presidential primaries}}
[[File:Reagan-Bush Nashua 1980 debate.jpg|thumb|[[Ronald Reagan]], moderator Jon Breen, and Bush at the presidential debate in [[Nashua, New Hampshire]], during the [[1980 Republican Party presidential primaries|Republican party presidential primary]] in 1980]]
Bush's tenure at the CIA ended after Carter narrowly defeated Ford in the 1976 presidential election. Out of public office for the first time since the 1960s, Bush became chairman on the executive committee of the [[First International Bank]] in Houston.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.presidentialtimeline.org/html/timeline.php?id=41 |access-date=July 30, 2016 |publisher=Presidential Timeline of the Twentieth Century |title=George H. W. Bush |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503064357/http://www.presidentialtimeline.org/html/timeline.php?id=41 |archive-date=May 3, 2008}}</ref> He also spent a year as a part-time professor of Administrative Science at Rice University's [[Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business|Jones School of Business]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kiev.usembassy.gov/files/georgehwbush_speech_May04_eng.html |title=President George H. W. Bush: Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University |date=May 21, 2004 |access-date=March 29, 2008 |publisher=Ukrainian Embassy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080519115716/http://kiev.usembassy.gov/files/georgehwbush_speech_May04_eng.html |archive-date=May 19, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> continued his membership in the [[Council on Foreign Relations]], and joined the [[Trilateral Commission]]. Meanwhile, he began to lay the groundwork for [[George H. W. Bush 1980 presidential campaign|his candidacy]] in the [[1980 Republican Party presidential primaries]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=209–210}} In the 1980 Republican primary campaign, Bush faced Ronald Reagan, who was widely regarded as the front-runner, as well as other contenders like Senator Bob Dole, Senator [[Howard Baker]], Texas Governor [[John Connally]], Congressman [[Phil Crane]], and Congressman [[John B. Anderson]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=211, 214–215}}

Bush's campaign cast him as a youthful, "thinking man's candidate" who would emulate the pragmatic conservatism of President Eisenhower.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=215–217}} Amid the [[Soviet–Afghan War]], which brought an end to a period of détente, and the [[Iran hostage crisis]], in which 52 Americans were taken hostage, the campaign highlighted Bush's foreign policy experience.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=221–222}} At the outset of the race, Bush focused heavily on winning the January 21 [[Iowa caucuses]], making 31 visits to the state.<ref>{{cite news |last=Noble |first=Jason |date=November 30, 2018 |title=George H.W. Bush in Iowa: The family campaign |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2018/11/30/george-bush-died-iowa-caucuses-obituary/545814002/ |work=[[The Des Moines Register]] |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> He won a close victory in Iowa with 31.5% to Reagan's 29.4%. After the win, Bush stated that his campaign was full of momentum, or "[[the Big Mo]]",<ref>{{cite news |last=Quinn |first=Ken |date=January 18, 2004 |title=Caucus-goers gave Bush 'Big Mo' |page=A15 |work=Des Moines Register |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15854185/caucusgoers_gave_bush_big_mo/ | via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 1, 2018}} {{free access}}</ref> and Reagan reorganized his campaign.<ref name="senate" /> Partly in response to the Bush campaign's frequent questioning of Reagan's age (Reagan turned 69 in 1980), the Reagan campaign stepped up attacks on Bush, painting him as an elitist who was not truly committed to conservatism.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=228–229}} Prior to the [[New Hampshire primary]], Bush and Reagan agreed to a two-person debate, organized by ''[[The Nashua Telegraph]]'' but paid for by the Reagan campaign.<ref name="senate" />

Days before the debate, Reagan announced that he would invite four other candidates to the debate; Bush, who had hoped that the one-on-one debate would allow him to emerge as the main alternative to Reagan in the primaries, refused to debate the other candidates. All six candidates took the stage, but Bush refused to speak in the presence of the other candidates. Ultimately, the other four candidates left the stage, and the debate continued, but Bush's refusal to debate anyone other than Reagan badly damaged his campaign in New Hampshire.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=230–233}} He decisively lost New Hampshire's primary to Reagan, winning just 23 percent of the vote.<ref name="senate" /> Bush revitalized his campaign with a victory in Massachusetts but lost the next several primaries. As Reagan built up a commanding delegate lead, Bush refused to end his campaign, but the other candidates dropped out of the race.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=233–235}} Criticizing his more conservative rival's policy proposals, Bush famously labeled Reagan's [[supply-side economics|supply side]]–influenced plans for massive tax cuts as "[[Reaganomics|voodoo economics]]".<ref>{{cite news |last=Neikirk |first=William R. |date=March 13, 1988 |title=Bush conjures up voodoo economics |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-03-13-8802290552-story.html |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> Though he favored lower taxes, Bush feared that dramatic reductions in taxation would lead to deficits and, in turn, cause inflation.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=211–212}}

=== Vice presidential campaign ===
{{Main|Ronald Reagan 1980 presidential campaign|1980 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection}}
[[File:ElectoralCollege1980.svg|right|thumb|The Reagan–Bush ticket won the 1980 presidential election with 50.7% of the popular vote and a large majority of the electoral vote.|upright=1.22]]

After Reagan clinched a majority of delegates in late May, Bush reluctantly dropped out of the race.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=236–238}} At the [[1980 Republican National Convention]], Reagan made the last-minute decision to select Bush as his vice presidential nominee after negotiations with Ford regarding a Reagan–Ford ticket collapsed.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cannon |first1=Lou |last2=Broder |first2=David S. |date=July 17, 1980 |title=Reagan Nominated, Picks Bush |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/07/17/reagan-nominated-picks-bush/a1badab9-a12b-4e7f-86a2-1bde75e03346/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> Though Reagan had resented many of the Bush campaign's attacks during the primary campaign, and several conservative leaders had actively opposed Bush's nomination, Reagan ultimately decided that Bush's popularity with moderate Republicans made him the best and safest pick. Bush, who had believed his political career might be over following the primaries, eagerly accepted the position and threw himself into campaigning for the Reagan–Bush ticket.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=242–255}} The 1980 general election campaign between Reagan and Carter was conducted amid a multitude of domestic concerns and the ongoing Iran hostage crisis, and Reagan sought to focus the race on Carter's handling of the economy.{{sfn|Rossinow|2015|pp=23–27}} Though the race was widely regarded as a close contest for most of the campaign, Reagan ultimately won over the large majority of undecided voters.{{sfn|Rossinow|2015|pp=27–28}} Reagan took 50.7 percent of the popular vote and 489 of the 538 electoral votes, while Carter won 41% of the popular vote and John Anderson, running as an independent candidate, won 6.6% of the popular vote.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=149–151}}

== Vice presidency (1981–1989) ==
{{see also|Presidency of Ronald Reagan}}
{{Further|Reagan era}}
[[File:George H. W. Bush vice presidential portrait.jpg|thumb|right|Bush's official portrait as [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]], {{circa|1981–1989}}]]
[[File:Official portrait of President Reagan and Vice President Bush 1981.jpg|thumb|Bush with President [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1981]]
As vice president, Bush generally maintained a low profile, recognizing the constitutional limits of the office; he avoided decision-making or criticizing Reagan in any way. This approach helped him earn Reagan's trust, easing tensions left over from their earlier rivalry.<ref name="senate"/> Bush also generally enjoyed a good relationship with Reagan staffers, including Bush's close friend James Baker, who served as Reagan's initial chief of staff.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=267}} His understanding of the vice presidency was heavily influenced by Vice President [[Walter Mondale]], who enjoyed a strong relationship with Carter in part because of his ability to avoid confrontations with senior staff and Cabinet members, and by Vice President [[Nelson Rockefeller]]'s difficult relationship with some members of the White House staff during the [[Ford administration]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=264–265}} The Bushes attended a large number of public and ceremonial events in their positions, including many [[state funeral]]s, which became a common joke for comedians. As the [[President of the U.S. Senate|president of the Senate]], Bush also stayed in contact with members of Congress and kept the president informed on occurrences on Capitol Hill.<ref name="senate">{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/george_bush.pdf |title=Vice Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1981–1989) |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |author=Hatfield, Mark (with the Senate Historical Office) |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20031223102338/https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/george_bush.pdf|archive-date = December 23, 2003|location=Washington, D.C. |year=1997 |access-date=November 4, 2015}}</ref>

=== First term ===
[[File:C17903-4.jpg|thumb|left|Reagan and Bush in a meeting to discuss the [[United States invasion of Grenada|United States' invasion of Grenada]] with a group of bipartisan members of [[United States Congress|Congress]] in October 1983]]
On March 30, 1981, while Bush was in Texas, [[Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|Reagan was shot]] and seriously wounded by [[John Hinckley Jr.]] Bush immediately flew back to Washington D.C.; when his plane landed, his aides advised him to proceed directly to the White House by helicopter to show that the government was still functioning.<ref name="senate" /> Bush rejected the idea, fearing that such a dramatic scene risked giving the impression that he sought to usurp Reagan's powers and prerogatives.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=275–277}} During Reagan's short period of incapacity, Bush presided over Cabinet meetings, met with congressional and foreign leaders, and briefed reporters. Still, he consistently rejected invoking the [[Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Twenty-fifth Amendment]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=280–281}} Bush's handling of the attempted assassination and its aftermath made a positive impression on Reagan, who recovered and returned to work within two weeks of the shooting. From then on, the two men would have regular Thursday lunches in the [[Oval Office]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |date=June 9, 2004 |title=The 40th President: Between 2 First Families, A Complicated Rapport |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/09/us/40th-president-presidential-relations-between-2-first-families-complicated.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref>

Reagan assigned Bush to chair two special task forces, one on [[deregulation]] and one on international drug smuggling. Both were popular issues with conservatives, and Bush, largely a moderate, began courting them through his work. The deregulation task force reviewed hundreds of rules, making specific recommendations on which ones to amend or revise to curb the size of the federal government.<ref name="senate" /> The Reagan administration's deregulation push strongly impacted broadcasting, finance, resource extraction, and other economic activities, and the administration eliminated numerous government positions.{{sfn|Leuchtenburg|2015|pp=601–604}} Bush also oversaw the administration's national security crisis management organization, which had traditionally been the responsibility of the [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=267–268}} In 1983, Bush toured Western Europe as part of the Reagan administration's ultimately successful efforts to convince skeptical [[NATO]] allies to support the deployment of [[Pershing II]] missiles.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=285–287}}

Reagan's approval ratings fell after his first year in office, but they bounced back when the United States began to emerge from recession in 1983.{{sfn|Leuchtenburg|2015|pp=620–621}} Former vice president Walter Mondale was nominated by the Democratic Party in the [[1984 United States presidential election|1984 presidential election]]. Down in the polls, Mondale [[1984 Democratic Party vice presidential candidate selection|selected]] Congresswoman [[Geraldine Ferraro]] as his running mate in hopes of galvanizing support for his campaign, thus making Ferraro the first female major party vice presidential nominee in U.S. history.{{sfn|Rossinow|2015|pp=166–169, 173}} She and Bush squared off in [[United States vice-presidential debate, 1984|a single televised vice presidential debate]].<ref name="senate" /> Public opinion polling consistently showed a Reagan lead in the 1984 campaign, and Mondale was unable to shake up the race.{{sfn|Rossinow|2015|p=173}} In the end, Reagan won re-election, winning 49 of 50 states and receiving 59% of the popular vote to Mondale's 41%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1984|title=1984 Presidential Election Results|publisher=David Leip|access-date=May 25, 2007}}</ref>

=== Second term ===
[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush meet with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on Governor's Island New York (cropped).jpg|thumb|Vice President Bush standing with President [[Ronald Reagan]] and Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] on the New York City waterfront in 1988]]

[[Mikhail Gorbachev]] came to power in the Soviet Union in 1985. Rejecting the ideological rigidity of his three elderly sick predecessors, Gorbachev insisted on urgently needed economic and political reforms called "[[glasnost]]" (openness) and "[[perestroika]]" (restructuring).{{sfn|Herring|2008|p=894}} At the 1987 [[Washington Summit (1987)|Washington Summit]], Gorbachev and Reagan signed the [[Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty]], which committed both signatories to the total abolition of their respective short-range and medium-range missile stockpiles.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|p=215}} The treaty began a new era of trade, openness, and cooperation between the two powers.{{sfn|Herring|2008|pp=897–898}} President Reagan and Secretary of State [[George Shultz]] took the lead in these negotiations, but Bush sat in on many meetings. Bush did not agree with many of the Reagan policies, but he did tell Gorbachev that he would seek to continue improving relations if he succeeded Reagan.{{sfnm|Greene|2015|1p=90|Meacham|2015|2pp=315–316}} On July 13, 1985, Bush became the first vice president to serve as [[Acting President of the United States|acting president]] when Reagan underwent surgery to remove [[polyp (medicine)|polyps]] from his [[Large intestine|colon]]; Bush served as the acting president for approximately eight hours.<ref>{{cite news |last=Boyd |first=Gerald M. |date=July 14, 1985 |title=Reagan Transfers Power to Bush For 8-Hour Period of 'Incapacity' |page=A1 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/14/us/reagan-transfers-power-to-bush-for-8-hour-period-of-incapacity.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref>

In 1986, the Reagan administration was shaken by a scandal when it was revealed that administration officials had secretly arranged weapon sales to Iran during the [[Iran–Iraq War]]. The officials had used the proceeds to fund the [[Contras|Contra]] rebels in their fight against the leftist [[Sandinista National Liberation Front|Sandinista government in Nicaragua]]. Democrats had passed a law that appropriated funds could not be used to help the Contras. Instead, the administration used non-appropriated funds from the sales.<ref name="senate"/> When news of the affair broke to the media, Bush stated that he had been "out of the loop" and unaware of the diversion of funds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB210/index.htm |title=The Iran-Contra Affair 20 Years On |date=November 20, 2006 |access-date=April 3, 2008 |publisher=George Washington University}}</ref> Biographer Jon Meacham writes that "no evidence was ever produced proving Bush was aware of the diversion to the contras," but he criticizes Bush's "out of the loop" characterization, writing that the "record is clear that Bush was aware that the United States, in contravention of its own stated policy, was trading arms for hostages".{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=299–305}} The [[Iran–Contra scandal]], as it became known, did serious damage to the Reagan presidency, raising questions about Reagan's competency.{{sfn|Rossinow|2015|pp=202–204}} Congress established the [[Tower Commission]] to investigate the scandal, and, at Reagan's request, a panel of federal judges appointed [[Lawrence Walsh]] as a [[United States Office of the Independent Counsel|special prosecutor]] charged with investigating the Iran–Contra scandal.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=210–211}} The investigations continued after Reagan left office, and, though Bush was never charged with a crime, the Iran–Contra scandal would remain a political liability for him.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=305}}

On July 3, 1988, the guided missile cruiser {{USS|Vincennes|CG-49|6}} accidentally shot down [[Iran Air Flight 655]], killing 290 passengers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/11/08/when-should-a-president-say-hes-sorry/ |title=When should a president say he's sorry? |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=November 8, 2013 |first=Scott |last=Wilson}}</ref> Bush, then-vice president, defended his country at the United Nations by arguing that the U.S. attack had been a wartime incident and the crew of ''Vincennes'' had acted appropriately to the situation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEED91731F936A25754C0A96E948260|title=Iran Falls Short in Drive at U.N. To Condemn U.S. in Airbus Case|last=Butterfield|first=Fox|date=April 15, 1988|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>

==== 1988 presidential election ====
{{Main|George H. W. Bush 1988 presidential campaign}}{{Further|1988 Republican Party presidential primaries|1988 United States presidential election}}

Bush began planning for a presidential run after the 1984 election, and he officially entered the [[1988 Republican Party presidential primaries]] in October 1987.<ref name="senate" /> He put together a campaign led by Reagan staffer [[Lee Atwater]], which also included his son, George W. Bush, and media consultant [[Roger Ailes]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=295–296}} Though he had moved to the right during his time as vice president, endorsing a [[Human Life Amendment]] and repudiating his earlier comments on "voodoo economics", Bush still faced opposition from many conservatives in the Republican Party.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=297–298}} His major rivals for the Republican nomination were Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas, Representative [[Jack Kemp]] of New York, and Christian [[televangelist]] [[Pat Robertson]].{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=30–31}} Reagan did not publicly endorse any candidate but privately expressed support for Bush.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=318, 326}}

Though considered the early front-runner for the nomination, Bush came in third in the [[Iowa caucus]], behind Dole and Robertson.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2DC143CF933A25751C0A96E948260|title=Bush and Simon Seen as Hobbled by Iowa's Voting|date=February 10, 1988|access-date=April 4, 2008|work=The New York Times | first=R. W. Jr. | last=Apple}}</ref> Much as Reagan had done in 1980, Bush reorganized his staff and concentrated on the New Hampshire primary.<ref name="senate"/> With help from Governor [[John H. Sununu]] and an effective campaign attacking Dole for raising taxes, Bush overcame an initial polling deficit and won New Hampshire with 39 percent of the vote.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=322–325}} After Bush won South Carolina and 16 of the 17 states holding a primary on [[Super Tuesday]], his competitors dropped out of the race.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=35–37}}

Bush, occasionally criticized for his lack of eloquence compared to Reagan, delivered a well-received speech at the Republican convention. Known as the "[[thousand points of light]]" speech, it described Bush's vision of America: he endorsed the [[Pledge of Allegiance]], [[school prayer|prayer in schools]], [[Capital punishment in the United States|capital punishment]], and [[Right to keep and bear arms in the United States|gun rights]].<ref name="npr">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/news/national/election2000/conventions/past.bushsenior.html|title=1988: George H. W. Bush Gives the 'Speech of his Life'|publisher=NPR|year=2000|access-date=April 4, 2008}}</ref> Bush also [[Read my lips: no new taxes|pledged that he would not raise taxes]], stating: "Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I'll say no, and they'll push, and I'll say no, and they'll push again. And all I can say to them is: read my lips. No new taxes."{{sfn|Greene|2015|p=43}} Bush [[1988 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection|selected]] little-known Senator [[Dan Quayle]] of Indiana as his running mate. Though Quayle had compiled an unremarkable record in Congress, he was popular among many conservatives, and the campaign hoped that Quayle's youth would appeal to younger voters.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=40–41}}

[[File:ElectoralCollege1988.svg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|Bush won the 1988 presidential election with 53.4% of the popular vote and a large majority of the electoral vote.]]

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party nominated Governor [[Michael Dukakis]], known for presiding over an economic turnaround in Massachusetts.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=37–39}} Leading in the general election polls against Bush, Dukakis ran an ineffective, low-risk campaign.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=39, 47}} The Bush campaign attacked Dukakis as an unpatriotic liberal extremist and seized on the [[Willie Horton]] case, in which a convicted felon from Massachusetts raped a woman while on a [[prison furlough]], a program Dukakis supported as governor. The Bush campaign charged that Dukakis presided over a "[[revolving door]]" that allowed dangerous convicted felons to leave prison.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=44–46}} Dukakis damaged his own campaign with a widely mocked ride in an [[M1 Abrams]] tank and poor performance at the second presidential debate.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=47–49}} Bush also attacked Dukakis for opposing a law that would require all students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.<ref name="npr" /> The election is widely considered to have had a high level of negative campaigning, though political scientist John Geer has argued that the share of negative ads was in line with previous presidential elections.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=347–348}}

Bush defeated Dukakis by a margin of 426 to 111 in the [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]], and he took 53.4 percent of the national popular vote.<ref>{{cite web|title=1988 Presidential General Election Results|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1988|website=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|access-date=May 21, 2018}}</ref> Bush ran well in all the major regions of the country, but especially in the [[Southern United States|South]].{{sfn|Greene|2015|p=49}} He became the fourth sitting vice president to be elected president and the first to do so since [[Martin Van Buren]] in [[1836 United States presidential election|1836]] and the first person to succeed a president from his own party via election since [[Herbert Hoover]] in [[Inauguration of Herbert Hoover|1929]].<ref name="senate"/>{{efn|The 1988 presidential election remains the only presidential election since 1948 in which either party won a third consecutive term.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Silver |first1=Nate |title=The White House Is Not a Metronome |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-white-house-is-not-a-metronome/ |work=FiveThirtyEight |date=July 18, 2013}}</ref>}} In the concurrent [[1988 United States elections|congressional elections]], Democrats retained control of both houses of Congress.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=224–225}}

== Presidency (1989–1993) ==
{{Main|Presidency of George H. W. Bush}}
{{for timeline|Timeline of the George H. W. Bush presidency}}
[[File:George H. W. Bush inauguration.jpg|thumb|Chief Justice [[William Rehnquist]] administers the Presidential Oath of Office to Bush.]]

[[Inauguration of George H. W. Bush|Bush was inaugurated]] on January 20, 1989, succeeding Reagan. In his inaugural address, Bush said:
{{Blockquote | style=font-size: 100%; |I come before you and assume the Presidency at a moment rich with promise. We live in a peaceful, prosperous time, but we can make it better. For a new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn; for in man's heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over. The [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient, lifeless tree. A new breeze is blowing, and a nation refreshed by freedom stands ready to push on. There is new ground to be broken, and new action to be taken.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/papers/1989/89012000.html |title=George H. W. Bush: Inaugural Address |website=Bushlibrary.tamu.edu |date=January 20, 1989 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040420073736/http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/papers/1989/89012000.html |archive-date=April 20, 2004}}</ref>}}

Bush's first major appointment was that of James Baker as Secretary of State.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=53–55}} Leadership of the Department of Defense went to [[Dick Cheney]], who had previously served as Gerald Ford's chief of staff and would later serve as vice president under his son George W. Bush.{{sfn|Naftali|2007|pp=69–70}} Jack Kemp joined the administration as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, while [[Elizabeth Dole]], the wife of Bob Dole and a former Secretary of Transportation, became the Secretary of Labor under Bush.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=56–57}} Bush retained several Reagan officials, including Secretary of the Treasury [[Nicholas F. Brady]], Attorney General [[Dick Thornburgh]], and Secretary of Education [[Lauro Cavazos]].{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=55–56}} New Hampshire Governor John Sununu, a strong supporter of Bush during the 1988 campaign, became chief of staff.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=53–55}} [[Brent Scowcroft]] was appointed as the National Security Advisor, a role he had also held under Ford.{{sfn|Naftali|2007|pp=66–67}}

=== Foreign affairs ===
{{main|Foreign policy of the George H. W. Bush administration}}

==== End of the Cold War ====
{{Further|Revolutions of 1989|Dissolution of the Soviet Union}}

During the first year of his tenure, Bush paused Reagan's détente policy toward the Soviet Union.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=110–112}} Bush and his advisers were initially divided on Gorbachev; some administration officials saw him as a democratic reformer, but others suspected him of trying to make the minimum changes necessary to restore the Soviet Union to a competitive position with the United States.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=368–369}} In 1989, all the Communist governments collapsed in Eastern Europe. Gorbachev declined to send in the Soviet military, effectively abandoning the [[Brezhnev Doctrine]]. The U.S. was not directly involved in these upheavals, but the Bush administration avoided gloating over the demise of the [[Eastern Bloc]] to avoid undermining further democratic reforms.{{sfn|Herring|2008|pp=904–906}}

Bush and Gorbachev met at the [[Malta Summit]] in December 1989. Though many on the right remained wary of Gorbachev, Bush came away believing that Gorbachev would negotiate in good faith.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=385–387}} For the remainder of his term, Bush sought cooperative relations with Gorbachev, believing he was the key to peace.{{sfn|Naftali|2007|pp=91–93}} The primary issue at the Malta Summit was the potential [[reunification of Germany]]. While Britain and France were wary of a reunified Germany, Bush joined German chancellor [[Helmut Kohl]] in pushing for German reunification.<ref name="heilbrunn">{{cite news|last1=Heilbrunn|first1=Jacob|title=Together Again|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/31/books/together-again.html|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 31, 1996}}</ref> Bush believed that a reunified Germany would serve American interests.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=400–402}} After extensive negotiations, Gorbachev agreed to allow a reunified Germany to be a part of NATO, and Germany officially reunified in October 1990 after paying billions of marks to Moscow.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=126, 134–137}}

[[File:Bush Gorba P15623-25A.jpg|thumb|Bush and [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] at the [[Helsinki Summit (1990)|Helsinki Summit]] in 1990]]

Gorbachev used force to suppress nationalist movements within the Soviet Union itself.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=120–121}} A crisis in Lithuania left Bush in a difficult position, as he needed Gorbachev's cooperation in the reunification of Germany and feared that the collapse of the Soviet Union could leave nuclear arms in dangerous hands. The Bush administration mildly protested Gorbachev's suppression of Lithuania's independence movement but took no action to intervene directly.{{sfn|Herring|2008|p=907}} Bush warned independence movements of the disorder that could come with secession from the Soviet Union; in a 1991 address that critics labeled the "[[Chicken Kiev speech]]", he cautioned against "suicidal nationalism".{{sfn|Herring|2008|pp=907, 913–914}} In July 1991, Bush and Gorbachev signed the [[START I|Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I)]] treaty, in which both countries agreed to cut their strategic nuclear weapons by 30 percent.{{sfn|Greene|2015|p=204}}

In August 1991, hard-line Communists launched a [[1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt|coup]] against Gorbachev; while the coup quickly fell apart, it broke the remaining power of Gorbachev and the central Soviet government.{{sfn|Naftali|2007|pp=137–138}} Later that month, Gorbachev resigned as [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|general secretary of the Communist party]], and Russian president [[Boris Yeltsin]] ordered the seizure of Soviet property. Gorbachev clung to power as the [[President of the Soviet Union]] until December 1991, when the Soviet Union [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolved]].{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=205–206}} [[Post-Soviet states|Fifteen states]] emerged from the Soviet Union, and of those states, Russia was the largest and most populous. Bush and Yeltsin met in February 1992, declaring a new era of "friendship and partnership".<ref name="mwines1">{{cite news|last1=Wines|first1=Michael|title=Bush and Yeltsn Declare Formal End to Cold War; Agree to Exchange Visits|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/02/world/bush-and-yeltsin-declare-formal-end-to-cold-war-agree-to-exchange-visits.html|access-date=August 24, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 2, 1992}}</ref> In January 1993, Bush and Yeltsin agreed to [[START II]], which provided for further nuclear arms reductions on top of the original START treaty.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=238–239}}

==== Invasion of Panama ====
{{Main|United States invasion of Panama}}

Through the late 1980s, the U.S. provided aid to [[Manuel Noriega]], the anti-Communist leader of Panama. Noriega had long-standing ties to United States intelligence agencies, including during Bush's tenure as Director of Central Intelligence, and was also deeply involved in [[drug trafficking]].<ref>{{cite book| last=Dinges| first=John| title=Our Man in Panama| date=1990| url=https://archive.org/details/ourmaninpanamaho00ding| url-access=registration| pages=50, 88| publisher=Random House| location=New York City| isbn=978-0-8129-1950-9| via=Internet Archive}}</ref> In May 1989, Noriega annulled the results of a democratic presidential election in which [[Guillermo Endara]] had been elected. Bush objected to the annulment of the election and worried about the status of the [[Panama Canal]] with Noriega still in office.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=226–227}} Bush dispatched 2,000 soldiers to the country, where they began conducting regular military exercises violating prior treaties.<ref name="rutgers">{{cite web|url=http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~hbf/panama.htm|title=Panama: Background and Buildup to Invasion of 1989|access-date=April 11, 2008|author=Franklin, Jane|year=2001|publisher=Rutgers University|archive-date=July 4, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704195428/http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~hbf/panama.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> After Panamanian forces shot a U.S. serviceman in December 1989, Bush ordered the [[United States invasion of Panama]], known as "Operation Just Cause". The invasion was the first large-scale American military operation unrelated to the Cold War in more than 40 years. American forces quickly took control of the Panama Canal Zone and [[Panama City]]. Noriega surrendered on January 3, 1990, and was quickly transported to a prison in the United States. Twenty-three Americans died in the operation, while another 394 were wounded. Noriega was convicted and imprisoned on racketeering and drug trafficking charges in April 1992.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=226–227}} Historian Stewart Brewer argues that the invasion "represented a new era in American foreign policy" because Bush did not justify the invasion under the [[Monroe Doctrine]] or the threat of Communism, but rather because it was in the best interests of the United States.<ref>{{cite book|first=Stewart|last=Brewer|title=Borders and Bridges: A History of U.S.-Latin American Relations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HPod9HcYUJ4C&pg=PA146|year=2006|publisher=Greenwood |page=146|isbn=9780275982041}}</ref>

==== Gulf War ====
{{Main|Gulf War}}
[[File:President Bush meets with General Colin Powell, General Scowcroft, Secretary James Baker, Vice President Quayle... - NARA - 186429.jpg|thumb|Bush meets with [[Robert Gates]], General [[Colin Powell]], Secretary [[Dick Cheney]] and others about the situation in the Persian Gulf, 1991]]

Faced with massive debts and low oil prices in the [[aftermath of the Iran–Iraq War]], Iraqi leader [[Saddam Hussein]] decided to conquer the country of Kuwait, a small, oil-rich country situated on Iraq's southern border.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=139–141}} After [[Iraqi invasion of Kuwait|Iraq invaded Kuwait]] in August 1990, Bush imposed [[Sanctions against Iraq|economic sanctions]] on Iraq and assembled a [[Coalition of the Gulf War|multi-national coalition]] opposed to the invasion.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=230–232}} Some in the administration feared that a failure to respond to the invasion would embolden Hussein to attack Saudi Arabia or Israel.{{sfn|Herring|2008|pp=908–909}} [[Robert Gates]] attempted to convince [[Brent Scowcroft]] that Bush should tone down the rhetoric but Bush insisted it was his primary concern to discourage other countries from "unanswered aggression".<ref name="gates00">{{cite news |title=Robert M. Gates Oral History |url=https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-oral-histories/robert-m-gates-deputy-director-central |access-date=29 March 2024 |agency=Miller Center |publisher=Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia}}</ref> Bush also wanted to ensure continued access to oil, as Iraq and Kuwait collectively accounted for 20 percent of the world's oil production, and Saudi Arabia produced another 26 percent of the world's oil supply.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|p=233}}

At Bush's insistence, in November 1990, the [[United Nations Security Council]] approved a resolution authorizing the use of force if Iraq did not withdraw from Kuwait by January 15, 1991.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|p=232}} Gorbachev's support and China's abstention helped ensure passage of the United Nations resolution.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=146–147, 159}} Bush convinced Britain, France, and other nations to commit soldiers to an operation against Iraq. He won important financial backing from Germany, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=149–151}} In January 1991, Bush asked Congress to approve a joint resolution authorizing a war against Iraq.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=232–233}} Bush believed that the United Nations resolution had already provided him with the necessary authorization to launch a military operation against Iraq. Still, he wanted to show that the nation was united behind military action.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=160–161}} Despite the opposition of a majority of Democrats in both the House and the Senate, Congress approved the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 1991]].{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=232–233}}

After the January 15 deadline passed without an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, U.S. and coalition forces conducted a bombing campaign that devastated Iraq's power grid and communications network and resulted in the desertion of about 100,000 Iraqi soldiers. In retaliation, Iraq launched [[Scud missile]]s at Israel and Saudi Arabia, but most missiles did little damage. On February 23, coalition forces began a ground invasion into Kuwait, evicting Iraqi forces by the end of February 27. About 300 Americans and approximately 65 soldiers from other coalition nations died during the military action.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=233–235}} A ceasefire was arranged on March 3, and the United Nations passed a resolution establishing a [[United Nations Iraq–Kuwait Observation Mission|peacekeeping force]] in a demilitarized zone between Kuwait and Iraq.{{sfn|Greene|2015|p=165}} A March 1991 [[Gallup (company)|Gallup]] poll showed that Bush had an approval rating of 89 percent, the highest presidential approval rating in the history of Gallup polling.{{sfn|Waterman|1996|p=337}} After 1991, the United Nations maintained economic sanctions against Iraq, and the [[United Nations Special Commission]] was assigned to ensure that Iraq did not revive its [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction program]].{{sfn|Patterson|2005|p=236}}

==== NAFTA ====
{{Main|North American Free Trade Agreement}}
[[File:President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas participate in the... - NARA - 186460.jpg|thumb|From left to right: (standing) President [[Carlos Salinas]], President Bush, Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]]; (seated) [[Jaime Serra Puche]], [[Carla Hills]], and [[Michael Wilson (Canadian politician)|Michael Wilson]] at the NAFTA Initialing Ceremony, October 1992]]

In 1987, the U.S. and Canada reached a [[free trade agreement]] that eliminated many tariffs between the two countries. President Reagan had intended it as the first step towards a larger trade agreement to eliminate most tariffs among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.{{sfn|Wilentz|2008|pp=313–314}} The Bush administration, along with the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] Canadian prime minister [[Brian Mulroney]], spearheaded the negotiations of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA) with Mexico. In addition to lowering tariffs, the proposed treaty would affect patents, copyrights, and trademarks.<ref name="fedex">{{cite web|url=http://www.fedex.com/us/customersupport/ftn/faq/nafta.html?link=4 |publisher=Federal Express|title=Frequently Asked Questions: NAFTA|access-date=April 11, 2008}}</ref> In 1991, Bush sought [[fast track authority]], which grants the president the power to submit an international trade agreement to Congress without the possibility of amendment. Despite congressional opposition led by House Majority Leader [[Dick Gephardt]], both houses of Congress voted to grant Bush fast track authority. NAFTA was signed in December 1992, after Bush lost reelection,{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=222–223}} but President Clinton won ratification of NAFTA in 1993.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/nafta.html|title=NAFTA|publisher=Duke University|access-date=July 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420094150/http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/nafta.html |archive-date=April 20, 2008}}</ref> NAFTA was controversial for its impact on wages, jobs, and overall economic growth.<ref name="jzarroli">{{cite news|last1=Zarroli|first1=Jim|title=NAFTA Turns 20, To Mixed Reviews|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/12/08/249570005/nafta-turns-20-to-mixed-reviews|access-date=August 24, 2016|publisher=NPR|date=December 8, 2013}}</ref> In 2020, it was replaced entirely by the [[United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement]] (USMCA).

=== Domestic affairs ===
==== Economy and fiscal issues ====
The U.S. economy had generally performed well since emerging from [[Early 1980s recession in the United States|recession in late 1982]], but it slipped into a mild [[Early 1990s recession in the United States|recession in 1990]]. The unemployment rate rose from 5.9 percent in 1989 to a high of 7.8 percent in mid-1991.<ref name="Accepting the Harsh Truth Of a Blue-Collar Recession, New York Times, Dec. 25, 1991">{{Cite news|last=Lohr|first=Steve|date=December 25, 1991|title=Accepting the Harsh Truth Of a Blue-Collar Recession|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/25/business/accepting-the-harsh-truth-of-a-blue-collar-recession.html|access-date=January 5, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Blue-collar Towns Have Highest Jobless Numbers, Hartford Courant, Sept. 1, 1991">[https://www.courant.com/1991/09/01/blue-collar-towns-have-highest-jobless-numbers/ Blue-collar Towns Have Highest Jobless Numbers], ''Hartford Courant'' [Connecticut], W. Joseph Campbell, September 1, 1991.</ref> Large [[United States public debt|federal deficits]], spawned during the Reagan years, rose from $152.1&nbsp;billion in 1989<ref>{{cite news| last=Redburn| first=Tom| title=Budget Deficit for 1989 Is Put at $152.1 Billion : Spending: Congress and the White House remain locked in a stalemate over a capital gains tax cut| date=October 28, 1989| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-10-28-mn-697-story.html| work=[[Los Angeles Times]]| access-date=June 7, 2018}}</ref> to $220&nbsp;billion for 1990;<ref name=NYT10-27-90>{{cite news| last=Uchitelle| first=Louis| title=The Struggle in Congress; U.S. Deficit for 1990 Surged to Near-Record $220.4 Billion, but How Bad Is That?| date=October 27, 1990| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/27/us/struggle-congress-us-deficit-for-1990-surged-near-record-220.4-billion-but-bad.html| work=The New York Times| access-date=June 7, 2018}}</ref> the $220&nbsp;billion deficit represented a threefold increase since 1980.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=72–73}} As the public became increasingly concerned about the economy and other domestic affairs, Bush's well-received handling of foreign affairs became less of an issue for most voters.{{sfn|Waterman|1996|pp=340–341}} Bush's top domestic priority was to end federal budget deficits, which he saw as a liability for the country's long-term economic health and standing in the world.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=360–361}} As he was opposed to major defense spending cuts{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=228–229}} and had pledged not to raise taxes, the president had major difficulties in balancing the budget.<ref name="millercenterdomesticaffairs">{{cite web|url=http://millercenter.org/president/biography/bush-domestic-affairs|title=George H. W. Bush: Domestic Affairs|publisher=Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia|access-date=January 18, 2017|date=October 4, 2016}}</ref>

Bush and congressional leaders agreed to avoid major changes to the budget for [[fiscal year#United States|fiscal year]] 1990, which began in October 1989. However, both sides knew spending cuts or new taxes would be necessary for the following year's budget to avoid the draconian automatic domestic spending cuts required by the [[Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act]] of 1987.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=95–97}} Bush and other leaders also wanted to cut deficits because Federal Reserve Chair [[Alan Greenspan]] refused to lower interest rates and thus stimulate economic growth unless the federal budget deficit was reduced.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=409–410}} In a statement released in late June 1990, Bush said that he would be open to a deficit reduction program which included spending cuts, incentives for economic growth, budget process reform, as well as tax increases.<ref>{{cite news| last1=Balz| first1=Dan| last2=Yang| first2=John E.| title=Bush Abandons Campaign Pledge, Calls for New Taxes| date=June 27, 1990| newspaper=The Washington Post| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/06/27/bush-abandons-campaign-pledge-calls-for-new-taxes/a7ea302f-cecb-43b0-8d8e-5009bc294ee3/?noredirect=on| access-date=June 7, 2018}}</ref> To [[Fiscal conservatism|fiscal conservatives]] in the Republican Party, Bush's statement represented a betrayal, and they heavily criticized him for compromising so early in the negotiations.<ref>{{cite book |last=Heclo |first=Hugh |editor1-last=Nelson |editor1-first=Michael |editor2-last=Perry |editor2-first=Barbara A. |title=41: Inside the Presidency of George H. W. Bush |publisher=Cornell University Press |date=2014 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/41insidepresiden00unse/page/68 68–69] |chapter=Chapter 2: George Bush and American Conservatism |isbn=978-0-8014-7927-4 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eR35AgAAQBAJ&q=%22Conservatives+began+to+smell+betrayal+in+the+Washington+air%22&pg=PA68 |url=https://archive.org/details/41insidepresiden00unse/page/68 }}</ref>

In September 1990, Bush and congressional Democrats announced a compromise to cut mandatory and discretionary programs funding while raising revenue, partly through a higher gas tax. The compromise additionally included a [[PAYGO|"pay as you go"]] provision that required that new programs be paid for at the time of implementation.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=100–104}} House Minority Whip [[Newt Gingrich]] led the conservative opposition to the bill, strongly opposing any form of tax increase.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=446–447}} Some liberals also criticized the budget cuts in the compromise, and in October, the House rejected the deal, resulting in a brief government shutdown. Without the strong backing of the Republican Party, Bush agreed to another compromise bill, this one more favorable to Democrats. The [[Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990]] (OBRA-90), enacted on October 27, 1990, dropped much of the gasoline tax increase in favor of higher income taxes on top earners. It included cuts to domestic spending, but the cuts were not as deep as those proposed in the original compromise. Bush's decision to sign the bill damaged his standing with conservatives and the general public, but it also laid the groundwork for the budget surpluses of the late 1990s.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=104–106}}

==== Discrimination ====
{{Quote box
|title =
|quote    =  "Even the strongest person couldn't scale the [[Berlin Wall]] to gain the elusive promise of independence that lay just beyond. And so, together we rejoiced when that barrier fell. And now I sign legislation which takes a sledgehammer to another wall, one which has for too many generations separated Americans with disabilities from the freedom they could glimpse, but not grasp."
|source   = —Bush's remarks at the signing ceremony for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=395}}
|width    = 30em
|align    = right
|qalign   = center
|bgcolor  = }}

The [[disability|disabled]] had not received legal protections under the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, and many faced discrimination and segregation by the time Bush took office. In 1988, [[Lowell P. Weicker Jr.]] and [[Tony Coelho]] introduced the Americans with Disabilities Act, which barred employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities. The bill had passed the Senate but not the House and was reintroduced in 1989. Though some conservatives opposed the bill due to its costs and potential burdens on businesses, Bush strongly supported it, partly because his son, Neil, had struggled with [[dyslexia]]. After the bill passed both houses of Congress, Bush signed the [[Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990]] into law in July 1990.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=90–92}} The act required employers and public accommodations to make "reasonable accommodations" for disabled people while providing an exception when such accommodations imposed an "undue hardship".<ref name="griffin1">{{cite news|last1=Griffin|first1=Rodman|title=The Disabilities Act|url=http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1991122700|access-date=August 25, 2016|publisher=CQPress|date=December 27, 1991}}</ref>

Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] later led the congressional passage of a separate civil rights bill designed to facilitate launching employment discrimination lawsuits.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=79–80}} In vetoing the bill, Bush argued that it would lead to racial quotas in hiring.<ref>[[Ann Devroy|Devroy, Ann]]. "Bush Vetoes Civil Rights Bill; Measure Said to Encourage Job Quotas; Women, Minorities Sharply Critical". ''The Washington Post'' October 23, 1990, Print.</ref><ref name=holmes1>{{cite news|title=President Vetoes Bill on Job Rights; Showdown is Set |last=Holmes |first=Steven A. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/23/us/president-vetoes-bill-on-job-rights-showdown-is-set.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 23, 1990 |access-date=March 21, 2013}}</ref> In November 1991, Bush signed the [[Civil Rights Act of 1991]], which was largely similar to the bill he had vetoed in the previous year.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=79–80}}

In August 1990, Bush signed the [[Ryan White CARE Act]], the largest federally funded program dedicated to assisting persons living with [[HIV/AIDS]].<ref>{{cite news| title='He Did Not Lead on AIDS': With Bush, Activists See a Mixed Legacy| last=Stack| first=Liam| date=December 3, 2018| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/us/george-bush-hiv-aids.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/us/george-bush-hiv-aids.html |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live| newspaper=The New York Times| access-date=April 29, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Throughout his presidency, the [[AIDS epidemic]] grew dramatically in the U.S. and around the world, and Bush often found himself at odds with AIDS activist groups who criticized him for not placing a high priority on HIV/AIDS research and funding. Frustrated by the administration's lack of urgency on the issue, [[ACT UP]] dumped the ashes of deceased HIV/AIDS patients on the White House lawn during a viewing of the [[AIDS Quilt]] in 1992.<ref>{{cite web| last=Domonoske| first=Camila| title='Kinder Gentler Indifference': Activists Challenge George H.W. Bush's Record On AIDS| date=December 4, 2018| publisher=NPR| url=https://www.npr.org/2018/12/04/673276127/kinder-gentler-indifference-activists-challenge-george-h-w-bush-s-record-on-aids| access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref> By that time, HIV had become the [[List of causes of death by rate|leading cause of death]] in the U.S. for men aged 25–44.<ref>{{cite web| title=Update: Mortality Attributable to HIV Infection Among Persons Aged 25–44 Years – United States, 1991 and 1992| url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00022174.htm| work=The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report| date=November 19, 1993| id=42(45)| pages=869–872| publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention| location=Atlanta, Georgia| access-date=April 29, 2020}}</ref>

==== Environment ====
{{See also|Global Change Research Act of 1990|U.S. Global Change Research Program|National Climate Assessment}}

In June 1989, the Bush administration proposed a bill to amend the [[Clean Air Act (United States)|Clean Air Act]]. Working with Senate Majority Leader [[George J. Mitchell]], the administration won passage of the amendments over the opposition of business-aligned members of Congress who feared the impact of tougher regulations.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=92–94}} The legislation sought to curb [[acid rain]] and smog by requiring decreased emissions of chemicals such as [[sulfur dioxide]],<ref name="cleanair1">{{cite news|title=Bush Signs Major Revision of Anti-Pollution Law|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/16/us/bush-signs-major-revision-of-anti-pollution-law.html|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 16, 1990}}</ref> and was the first major update to the Clean Air Act since 1977.<ref name="pshabecoff1">{{cite news|last1=Shabecoff|first1=Philip|title=Senators Approve Clean Air Measure By a Vote of 89-11|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/04/us/senators-approve-clean-air-measure-by-a-vote-of-89-11.html|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 4, 1990}}</ref> Bush also signed the [[Oil Pollution Act of 1990]] in response to the [[Exxon Valdez oil spill|''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill]]. However, the [[League of Conservation Voters]] criticized some of Bush's other environmental actions, including his opposition to stricter auto-mileage standards.<ref name="ebrown1">{{cite news|last1=Brown|first1=Elizabeth|title=Conservation League Gives Bush 'D' on Environment|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/1991/0319/19071.html|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor|date=March 19, 1991}}</ref>

==== Points of Light ====
{{Main|Points of Light}}

Bush devoted attention to voluntary service to solve some of America's most serious social problems. He often used the "thousand points of light" theme to describe the power of citizens to solve community problems. In his 1989 inaugural address, Bush said, "I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good."<ref name="President's Report">{{cite book|title=The Points of Light Movement: The President's Report to the Nation|publisher=Executive Office of the President, 1993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cH8vlwSAjv0C|year=1993}}</ref> During his presidency, Bush honored numerous volunteers with the Daily Point of Light Award, a tradition that his presidential successors continued.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Haven |first1=Stephanie |title=Obama, Bush present 5,000th Daily Point of Light Award for volunteers |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-bush-present-5000th-daily-point-of-light-award-for-volunteers/ |publisher=CBS News |date=July 15, 2013}}</ref> In 1990, the Points of Light Foundation was created as a nonprofit organization in Washington to promote this spirit of [[volunteerism]].<ref name=Perry>{{cite journal|last=Perry|first=Suzanne|title=After Two Tough Years, New Points of Light Charity Emerges|journal=Chronicle of Philanthropy|date=October 15, 2009|url=http://philanthropy.com/article/After-Two-Tough-Years-New/57753/|access-date=May 23, 2013}}</ref> In 2007, the Points of Light Foundation merged with the [[Hands On Network]] to create a new organization, [[Points of Light]].<ref name=Edward>{{cite journal|last=Edward|first=Deborah|title=Getting to Yes: The Points of Light and Hands On Network Merger|journal=RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service, the University of Texas at Austin|year=2008|url=http://www.rgkcenter.org/sites/default/files/file/research/gettingtoyes.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061145/http://www.rgkcenter.org/sites/default/files/file/research/gettingtoyes.pdf |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |url-status=live|access-date=May 23, 2013}}</ref>

==== Judicial appointments ====
{{Further|George H. W. Bush Supreme Court candidates|George H. W. Bush judicial appointments|George H. W. Bush judicial appointment controversies}}
[[File:Clarence Thomas official SCOTUS portrait.jpg|thumb|left|upright=.85|Bush appointed [[Clarence Thomas]] to the Supreme Court in 1991.]]

Bush appointed two justices to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]]. In 1990, Bush appointed a largely unknown state appellate judge, [[David Souter]], to replace liberal icon [[William J. Brennan Jr.]]<ref name="souter1"/> Souter was easily confirmed and served until 2009, but joined the liberal bloc of the court, disappointing Bush.<ref name="souter1">{{cite news|last1=Crawford Greenburg|first1=Jan|title=Supreme Court Justice Souter to Retire|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/SCOTUS/story?id=7477791&page=1|access-date=August 24, 2016|work=ABC News|date=May 1, 2009}}</ref> In 1991, Bush nominated conservative federal judge [[Clarence Thomas]] to succeed [[Thurgood Marshall]], a long-time liberal stalwart. Thomas, the former head of the [[Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]] (EEOC), [[Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination|faced heavy opposition]] in the Senate, as well as from [[United States pro-choice movement|pro-choice groups]] and the [[NAACP]]. His nomination faced another difficulty when [[Anita Hill]] accused Thomas of having sexually harassed her during his time as the chair of EEOC. Thomas won confirmation in a narrow 52–48 vote; 43 Republicans and 9 Democrats voted to confirm Thomas's nomination, while 46 Democrats and 2 Republicans voted against confirmation.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=243–244}} Thomas became one of the most conservative justices of his era.<ref name="ntotenberg">{{cite news|last1=Totenberg|first1=Nina|title=Clarence Thomas' Influence On The Supreme Court|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/10/11/141246695/clarence-thomas-influence-on-the-court|access-date=August 24, 2016|publisher=NPR|date=October 11, 2011}}</ref>

==== Other issues ====
Bush's education platform consisted mainly of offering federal support for a variety of innovations, such as open enrollment, incentive pay for outstanding teachers, and rewards for schools that improve performance with underprivileged children.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Bush Presidency: First Appraisals|last1=Campbell|first1=Colin|last2=Rockman|first2=Bert|publisher=Chatham House Publishers, Inc.|year=1991|isbn=0-934540-90-X|location=Chatham, New Jersey|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bushpresidencyfi0000unse/page/83 83]|url=https://archive.org/details/bushpresidencyfi0000unse/page/83}}</ref> Though Bush did not pass a major educational reform package during his presidency, his ideas influenced later reform efforts, including [[Goals 2000]] and the [[No Child Left Behind Act]].{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=239–240}} Bush signed the [[Immigration Act of 1990]],<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Schultz|first1=Jeffrey D.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WDV40aK1T-sC&pg=PA282|title=Encyclopedia of Minorities in American Politics: African Americans and Asian Americans|last2=Haynie|first2=Kerry L.|last3=Aoki|first3=Andrew L.|last4=McCulloch|first4=Anne M.|date=2000|publisher=Oryx Press|isbn=978-1-57356-148-8}}</ref> which led to a 40 percent increase in legal [[immigration to the United States]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fix|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jUJGWwD-9x8C&pg=PA304|title=The Paper Curtain: Employer Sanctions' Implementation, Impact, and Reform|date=1991|publisher=The Urban Institute|isbn=978-0-87766-550-2}}</ref> The act more than doubled the number of visas given to immigrants on the basis of job skills.<ref name="rpear1">{{cite news|last1=Pear|first1=Robert|title=Major Immigration Bill Is Sent to Bush|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/29/us/major-immigration-bill-is-sent-to-bush.html|access-date=August 25, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 29, 1990}}</ref> In the wake of the [[savings and loan crisis]], Bush proposed a $50&nbsp;billion package to rescue the [[Savings and loan association|savings and loans]] industry, and also proposed the creation of the [[Office of Thrift Supervision]] to regulate the industry. Congress passed the [[Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989]], which incorporated most of Bush's proposals.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=97–100}}

=== Public image ===
[[File:Bush I approval rating.png|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Bush's approval ratings (red) compared to his disapproval ratings (blue) during his presidency]]

Bush was widely seen as a "pragmatic caretaker" president who lacked a unified and compelling long-term theme in his efforts.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/presidents/george-h-w-bush-1482924.html |title=The Independent George H. W. Bush |work=The Independent |location=UK |date=January 22, 2009 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/54609/michael-howard/the-prudence-thing-george-bush-s-class-act |title=The Prudence Thing: George Bush's Class Act |issue=November/December 1998 |journal=Foreign Affairs |date=November 1, 1998 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |last1=Howard |first1=Michael |volume=77 |pages=130–134 |doi=10.2307/20049135 |jstor=20049135  |issn=0015-7120}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,963342-2,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108084103/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,963342-2,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 8, 2010 |magazine=Time |title=Where Is the Real George Bush? |date=January 26, 1987 |access-date=May 3, 2010 |first=Robert |last=Ajemian}}</ref> A Bush [[sound bite]], referring to the issue of overarching purpose as "the vision thing", has become a metonym applied to other political figures accused of similar difficulties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/quotations/phrasefable/visionthing/?view=uk |title=Quotations : Oxford Dictionaries Online |publisher=Askoxford.com |access-date=July 30, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030204213218/http://www.askoxford.com/worldofwords/quotations/phrasefable/visionthing/?view=uk |archive-date=February 4, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Listen Up, Mr. President: Everything You Always Wanted Your President to Know and Do |isbn=978-1-4391-4815-0 |last1=Thomas |first1=Helen |first2=Craig |last2=Crawford |publisher=Scribner |url=https://archive.org/details/listenupmrpresid00thom |year=2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-palermo/meg-whitmans-vision-thing_b_300845.html |title=Joseph A. Palermo: Meg Whitman's "Vision Thing" |work=HuffPost |access-date=September 5, 2010 |date=September 26, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090929/NEWS02/909290341/1003/NEWS02 |title=It's time to do the 'vision' thing |work=[[Barre Montpelier Times Argus]] |date=September 29, 2009 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204102054/http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090929/NEWS02/909290341/1003/NEWS02 |archive-date=February 4, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Mazurak |first=Zbigniew |url=http://www.therealitycheck.org/?p=7492 |title=Sarah Palin as a GOP Nominee? |publisher=The Reality Check |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/10/01/barack_obama_does_not_want_to_become_known_as_the_great_ditherer |title=Obama does not want to become known as 'The Great Ditherer' |first=David |last=Rothkopf |date=October 1, 2009 |work=Foreign Policy |access-date=September 5, 2010 |archive-date=March 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326180923/http://rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/10/01/barack_obama_does_not_want_to_become_known_as_the_great_ditherer |url-status=dead }}</ref> His ability to gain broad international support for the [[Gulf War]] and the war's result were seen as both a diplomatic and military triumph,<ref name="white house bio">{{cite book |last1=Freidel |first1=Frank |last2=Sidey |first2=Hugh |title=The Presidents of the United States of America |date=2006 |publisher=White House Historical Association|chapter-url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/george-h-w-bush/ |access-date=February 15, 2017 |chapter=George H. W. Bush}}</ref> rousing bipartisan approval,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://people-press.org/report/182/modest-bush-approval-rating-boost-at-wars-end |title=Modest Bush Approval Rating Boost at War's End: Summary of Findings – Pew Research Center for the People & the Press |publisher=People-press.org |access-date=September 5, 2010|date=April 18, 2003}}</ref> though his decision to withdraw without removing Saddam Hussein left mixed feelings, and attention returned to the domestic front and a souring economy.<ref name="pbs">{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bush41/program/intro.html |work=American Experience |title=George H. W. Bush |publisher=PBS |date=October 3, 1990 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |archive-date=April 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430215321/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bush41/program/intro.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> A ''New York Times'' article [[Supermarket scanner moment|mistakenly depicted]] Bush as being surprised to see a supermarket [[barcode reader]];<ref name=Goldberg08>{{cite journal |last=Goldberg |first=Jonah |date=August 22, 2008 |title=The Corner: The Supermarket Scanner Story Cont'd |journal=[[National Review]] |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/167613/supermarket-scanner-story-contd-jonah-goldberg | access-date=June 26, 2017}}</ref><ref name=Rosenthal92>{{cite news |last=Rosenthal |first=Andrew |date=February 5, 1992 |title=Bush Encounters the Supermarket, Amazed |journal=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/05/us/bush-encounters-the-supermarket-amazed.html | access-date=November 5, 2015}}</ref> the report of his reaction exacerbated the notion that he was "out of touch".<ref name=Goldberg08 />

Bush was popular throughout most of his presidency. After the Gulf war concluded in February 1991, his approval rating saw a high of 89 percent, before gradually declining for the rest of the year, and eventually falling below 50 percent according to a January 1992 [[Gallup Inc.|Gallup]] poll.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 21, 1992 |title=Stop panicking in public, Mr. President |journal=[[Democrat and Chronicle]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/democrat-and-chronicle-stop-panicking-in/129085796/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=September 24, 2001 |title=Bush Job Approval Highest in Gallup History |journal=[[Gallup Inc.]] |last=Moore |first=David W. |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/4924/bush-job-approval-highest-gallup-history.aspx}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Presidential Job Approval Center |journal=[[Gallup Inc.]] |url=https://news.gallup.com/interactives/507569/presidential-job-approval-center.aspx |access-date=July 29, 2023}}</ref> His sudden drop in his favorability was likely due to the [[early 1990s recession]], which shifted his image from "conquering hero" to "politician befuddled by economic matters".<ref name="snopes">{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/history/american/bushscan.htm |title=Maybe I'm Amazed |date=April 1, 2001 |access-date=April 11, 2008 |website=Snopes.com |archive-date=May 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120527030747/http://www.snopes.com/history/american/bushscan.asp |url-status=dead}}</ref> At the elite level, several commentators and political experts lamented the state of American politics in 1991–1992 and reported the voters were angry. Many analysts blamed the poor quality of national election campaigns.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Troy|first=Gil|year=1995|title=Stumping in the Bookstores: A Literary History of the 1992 Presidential Campaign|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27551506|journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly|volume=25|issue=4|pages=697–710|jstor=27551506|issn=0360-4918}}</ref>

=== 1992 presidential campaign ===
{{Main|George H. W. Bush 1992 presidential campaign}}{{Further|1992 United States presidential election}}

Bush announced his reelection bid in early 1992; with a coalition victory in the Persian Gulf War and high approval ratings, Bush's reelection initially looked likely.<ref name="skornacki">{{cite news|last1=Kornacki|first1=Steve|title=What if Mario Cuomo had run for president?|url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/what-if-mario-cuomo-had-run-president|access-date=August 25, 2016|publisher=MSNBC|date=January 2, 2015}}</ref> As a result, many leading Democrats, including [[Mario Cuomo]], Dick Gephardt, and [[Al Gore]], declined to seek their party's presidential nomination.{{sfn|Waterman|1996|pp=337–338}} However, Bush's tax increase angered many conservatives, who believed that Bush had strayed from the conservative principles of Ronald Reagan.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=444–445}} He faced a challenge from conservative political columnist [[Pat Buchanan]] in the [[1992 Republican Party presidential primaries|1992 Republican primaries]].{{sfn|Patterson|2005|p=246}} Bush fended off Buchanan's challenge and won his party's nomination at the [[1992 Republican National Convention]]. Still, the convention adopted a socially conservative platform strongly influenced by the [[Christian right]].{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=251–252}}

[[File:ElectoralCollege1992.svg|upright=1.3|thumb|Bush was defeated in the [[1992 United States presidential election|1992 presidential election]] by [[Bill Clinton]].]]

Meanwhile, the Democrats nominated Governor [[Bill Clinton]] of Arkansas. A moderate who was affiliated with the [[Democratic Leadership Council]] (DLC), Clinton favored welfare reform, deficit reduction, and a tax cut for the middle class.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=247–248}} In early 1992, the race took an unexpected twist when Texas billionaire [[H. Ross Perot]] launched a third-party bid, claiming that neither Republicans nor Democrats could eliminate the deficit and make government more efficient. His message appealed to voters across the political spectrum disappointed with both parties' perceived fiscal irresponsibility.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Perot Vote|publisher=President and Fellows of Harvard College|access-date=April 23, 2008|url=http://www.hks.harvard.edu/case/3pt/perot_vote.html}}</ref> Perot also attacked NAFTA, which he claimed would lead to major job losses.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|p=251}} National polling taken in mid-1992 showed Perot in the lead, but Clinton experienced a surge through effective campaigning and the selection of Senator Al Gore, a popular and relatively young Southerner, as his running mate.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=504–506}}

Clinton won the election, taking 43 percent of the popular vote and 370 electoral votes, while Bush won 37.5 percent of the popular vote and 168 electoral votes.<ref>{{cite web|title=1992 Presidential General Election Results|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1992|website=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|access-date=May 22, 2018}}</ref> Perot won 19% of the popular vote, one of the [[List of third party performances in United States presidential elections|highest totals for a third-party candidate]] in U.S. history, drawing equally from both major candidates, according to exit polls.<ref>{{cite news|last=Holmes |first=Steven A. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DB1F3FF936A35752C1A964958260 |title=The 1992 Elections: Disappointment – News Analysis – An Eccentric but No Joke; Perot's Strong Showing Raises Questions On What Might Have Been, and Might Be – |work=The New York Times |date=November 5, 1992 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref> Clinton performed well in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the West Coast, while also waging the strongest Democratic campaign in the South since the 1976 election.{{sfn|Patterson|2005|pp=252–253}} Several factors were important in Bush's defeat. The ailing economy which arose from recession may have been the main factor in Bush's loss, as 7 in 10 voters said on election day that the economy was either "not so good" or "poor".<ref>{{cite news|author=R. W. Apple Jr. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D81439F937A35752C1A964958260 |title=THE 1992 ELECTIONS: NEWS ANALYSIS; The Economy's Casualty – |location=Pennsylvania; Ohio; New England States (Us); Michigan; West Coast; New Jersey; Middle East |work=The New York Times |date=November 4, 1992 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/09/BUGBI72U8Q1.DTL&type=business|title=Downside of the Reagan Legacy|work=The San Francisco Chronicle|access-date=April 11, 2008|author=Lazarus, David|date=June 9, 2004}}</ref> On the eve of the 1992 election, the unemployment rate stood at 7.8%, which was the highest it had been since 1984.<ref>{{cite journal | author = WSJ Research | year = 2015 | journal = The Wall Street Journal | title = How the Presidents Stack Up: A Look at U.S. Presidents' Job Approval Ratings (George H.W. Bush) | url=https://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-presapp0605-31.html | access-date=November 4, 2015}}</ref> The president was also damaged by his alienation of many conservatives in his party.{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=233–234}} Bush partially blamed Perot for his defeat, though exit polls showed that Perot drew his voters about equally from Clinton and Bush.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=521}}

Despite his defeat, Bush left office with a 56 percent job approval rating in January 1993.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/poll%5Fclintonlegacy010117.html|title=Poll: Clinton Legacy Mixed|author=Langer, Gary|work=ABC News|date=January 17, 2001|access-date=April 11, 2008}}</ref> Like many of his predecessors, Bush issued a [[List of people pardoned by George H. W. Bush|series of pardons]] during his last days in office. In December 1992, he granted executive clemency to six former senior government officials implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal, most prominently former Secretary of Defense [[Caspar Weinberger]].<ref name="scientists">{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/news/iran/1992/921224-260039.htm |title=Bush pardons Weinberger, Five Other Tied to Iran-Contra |access-date=April 11, 2008 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists |author1=Mcdonald, Dian |date=December 24, 1992 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421150512/http://www.fas.org/news/iran/1992/921224-260039.htm |archive-date=April 21, 2008}}</ref> The charges against the six were that they lied to or withheld information from Congress. The pardons effectively brought an end to the Iran-Contra scandal.<ref>Carl Levin, and Henry Hyde, "The Iran-Contra Pardons-Was It Wrong for Ex-President Bush to Pardon Six Defendants". ''American Bar Association Journal'' 79 (1993): 44–45. Levin says yes, Hyde says no.</ref>

According to [[Seymour Martin Lipset]], the 1992 election had several unique characteristics. Voters felt that economic conditions were worse than they were, which harmed Bush. A rare event was the presence of a strong third-party candidate. Liberals launched a backlash against 12 years of a conservative White House. The chief factor was Clinton uniting his party and winning over several heterogeneous groups.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lipset|first=Seymour Martin|year=1993|title=The Significance of the 1992 Election|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/419496|journal=PS: Political Science and Politics|volume=26|issue=1|pages=7–16|doi=10.2307/419496|jstor=419496|s2cid=227288247 |issn=1049-0965}}</ref>

== Post-presidency (1993–2018) ==
{{Main|Post-presidency of George H. W. Bush}}

=== Appearances ===
After leaving office, Bush and his wife built a retirement house in the community of [[West Oaks, Houston]].<ref name=Feldman>{{cite news |last=Feldman |first=Claudia |url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1992_1099189 |title=Moving back to the 'hood .../CITIZEN BUSH |work=[[Houston Chronicle]] |date=December 13, 1992 |page=Lifestyle p. 1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208154849/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1992_1099189 |archive-date=December 8, 2012 }}</ref> He established a presidential office within the Park Laureate Building on [[Memorial Drive (Houston)|Memorial Drive]] in Houston.<ref>"[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ST&s_site=dfw&p_multi=ST&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF8EDE5F8E0428&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D Bushes upbeat for step-down]". ''[[Fort Worth Star-Telegram]]''. January 10, 1993. 1 News. Retrieved October 15, 2012. "Bush's Houston office will be in the Park Laureate Building on Memorial Drive"</ref> He also frequently spent time at his vacation home in Kennebunkport, took annual cruises in Greece, went on fishing trips in Florida, and visited the [[Bohemian Club]] in Northern California. He declined to serve on corporate boards but delivered numerous paid speeches and was an adviser to [[The Carlyle Group]], a private equity firm.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=540–541}} He never published his memoirs, but he and Brent Scowcroft co-wrote ''[[A World Transformed]]'', a 1998 work on foreign policy. Portions of his letters and his diary were later published as ''The China Diary of George H.&nbsp;W. Bush'' and ''[[All the Best (book)|All the Best, George Bush]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lozada |first1=Carlos |title=The memoir I wish George H.W. Bush had written |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/book-party/wp/2018/12/01/feature/the-memoir-i-wish-george-h-w-bush-had-written/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=December 1, 2018}}</ref>

During a 1993 visit to Kuwait, Bush was targeted in an assassination plot directed by the [[Iraqi Intelligence Service]]. President Clinton retaliated when he ordered the [[1993 cruise missile strikes on Iraq|firing]] of 23 [[cruise missile]]s at Iraqi Intelligence Service headquarters in [[Baghdad]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/longroad/etc/assassination.html |title=frontline: the long road to war: assassination |publisher=PBS |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref> Bush did not publicly comment on the assassination attempt or the missile strike, but privately spoke with Clinton shortly before the strike took place.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=541–543}}

In the [[1994 United States gubernatorial elections|1994 gubernatorial elections]], his sons George W. and Jeb concurrently ran for [[Governor of Texas]] and [[Governor of Florida]]. Concerning their political careers, he advised them both that "[a]t some point both of you may want to say 'Well, I don't agree with my Dad on that point' or 'Frankly I think Dad was wrong on that.' Do it. Chart your own course, not just on the issues but on defining yourselves".{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=546–549}} George W. won his race against [[Ann Richards]] while Jeb lost to [[Lawton Chiles]]. After the results came in, the elder Bush told ABC, "I have very mixed emotions. Proud father, is the way I would sum it all up."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/09/us/1994-elections-nation-bushes-texas-elects-george-w-while-florida-rejects-jeb.html |title=The 1994 Elections: The Nation The Bushes; Texas Elects George W. While Florida Rejects Jeb |date=November 9, 1994 |first=Sam Howe |last=Verhovek |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Jeb would again run for governor of Florida in 1998 and win at the same time that his brother George W. won re-election in Texas. It marked the second time in United States history that a pair of brothers served simultaneously as governors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rosenbaum |first=David E. |date=November 4, 1998 |title=George W. Bush Is Re-elected in Texas; His Brother Jeb Is Victorious in Florida |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/04/us/1998-elections-nation-governors-george-w-bush-re-elected-texas-his-brother-jeb.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:G & B. Bush F-SD-03-15575.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|left|George and Barbara Bush, 2001]]

Bush supported his son's candidacy in the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]] but did not actively campaign in the election and did not deliver a speech at the [[2000 Republican National Convention]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=552–555}} George W. Bush defeated Al Gore in the 2000 election and was re-elected in 2004. Bush and his son thus became the second father–son pair to each serve as President of the United States, following [[John Adams]] and [[John Quincy Adams]].{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=560}} Through previous administrations, the elder Bush had ubiquitously been known as "George Bush" or "President Bush", but following his son's election, the need to distinguish between them has made [[retronym]]ic forms such as "George H.&nbsp;W. Bush" and "George Bush Sr." and colloquialisms such as "Bush 41" and "Bush the Elder" more common.<ref>{{cite book |title=41: A Portrait of My Father |first=George W. |last=Bush |author-link=George W. Bush |publisher=Crown Publishers |isbn=978-0-553-44778-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/41portraitofmyfa0000bush/page/265 265] |year=2014 |url=https://archive.org/details/41portraitofmyfa0000bush/page/265 }}</ref> Bush advised his son on some personnel choices, approving of the selection of Dick Cheney as running mate and the retention of [[George Tenet]] as CIA Director. However, he was not consulted on all appointments, including that of his old rival, Donald Rumsfeld, as Secretary of Defense.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=554, 563–564}} Though he avoided giving unsolicited advice to his son, Bush and his son also discussed some policy matters, especially regarding national security issues.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=567–568}}

In his retirement, Bush used the public spotlight to support various charities.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|pp=582–583}} Despite earlier political differences with Bill Clinton, the two former presidents eventually became friends.<ref>{{cite news |last=Healy |first=Patrick |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/19/us/politics/19memo.html |title=A Candidacy That May Test a Friendship's Ties |work=The New York Times |date=May 19, 2007 |access-date=May 22, 2011}}</ref> They appeared together in television ads, encouraging aid for victims of the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami]] and [[Hurricane Katrina]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=1446477 |title=People of the Year: Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush |work=ABC News |date=December 27, 2005 |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref> However, when interviewed by Jon Meacham, Bush criticized Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and even his son George W. Bush for their handling of foreign policy after the September 11 attacks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/george-hw-bush-dick-cheney-donald-rumsfeld-iraq-jon-meacham/414343/|title=George H.W. Bush's Feuds With Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney Go Back 40 Years|first=David A.|last=Graham|date=November 5, 2015|website=The Atlantic}}</ref>

=== Final years ===
[[File:Five Presidents Oval Office.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|From left to right: George H.&nbsp;W. Bush, [[Barack Obama]], [[George W. Bush]], [[Bill Clinton]], and [[Jimmy Carter]]]]

Bush supported Republican [[John McCain]] in the 2008 presidential election,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/18/AR2008021800930.html |title=George H. W. Bush Endorses McCain for President |date=February 18, 2008 |access-date=March 28, 2008 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> and Republican [[Mitt Romney]] in the 2012 presidential election,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/George-HW-Bush-endorses-Romney/52521333006200/ |title=George H.W. Bush endorses Romney |date=March 29, 2012 |work=United Press International}}</ref> but both were defeated by Democrat [[Barack Obama]]. In 2011, Obama awarded Bush with the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the highest civilian honor in the United States.{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=598}}

Bush supported his son Jeb's bid in the [[2016 Republican Party presidential primaries|2016 Republican primaries]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/11/bush-father-son-want-jeb-bush-white-house/18873307/ |title=Bush father, son want Jeb Bush to run for White House |date=November 11, 2014 |newspaper=The Arizona Republic}}</ref> Jeb Bush's campaign struggled, however, and he withdrew from the race during the primaries. Neither George H.&nbsp;W. nor George W. Bush endorsed the eventual Republican nominee, [[Donald Trump]];<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/05/05/george-w-bush-trump-former-presidents/83962432/ |title=Bush 41, 43 won't be endorsing Trump |first=Eliza |last=Collins |newspaper=USA Today}}</ref> all three Bushes emerged as frequent critics of Trump's policies and speaking style, while Trump frequently criticized George W. Bush's presidency. George H.&nbsp;W. later said he voted for the Democratic nominee, [[Hillary Clinton]], in the general election.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/11/04/both-bush-presidents-openly-condemned-trump-book-claims-one-even-voted-for-clinton/ |title=White House attacks legacies of both Bush presidents after reports they refused to vote for Trump |last=Selk |first=Avi |date=November 4, 2017 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=November 4, 2017}}</ref> After the election, Bush wrote a letter to President-elect Donald Trump in January 2017 to inform him that because of his poor health, he would not be able to attend [[First inauguration of Donald Trump|Trump's inauguration]] on January 20; he gave him his best wishes.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Garcia |first1=Feliks |title=George HW Bush sends personal note to Donald Trump on why he can't attend inauguration |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/george-hw-bush-donald-trump-inauguration-letter-president-attendance-a7534221.html |access-date=January 18, 2017 |work=The Independent |date=January 18, 2017}}</ref>

In August 2017, after the violence at [[Unite the Right rally]] in [[Charlottesville, Virginia]], both presidents Bush released a joint statement saying, "America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all forms[. ...] As we pray for Charlottesville, we are all reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city's most prominent citizen in the Declaration of Independence: we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/4903103/george-bush-president-statement-hatred-charlottesville/|title= Both Presidents Bush Condemn Hatred a Day After Trump's Press Conference|magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date= May 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/16/16156738/george-hw-bush-george-w-bush-statement-charlottesville-trump|title= Presidents George Bush and G.W. Bush issue joint statement condemning racism and anti-Semitism|website= [[Vox (website)|Vox]]|date= August 16, 2017|access-date= May 3, 2020}}</ref>

On April 17, 2018, Barbara Bush died at the age of 92<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nemy |first1=Enid |title=Barbara Bush, Wife of 41st President and Mother of 43rd, Dies at 92 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/us/barbara-bush-dead.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/us/barbara-bush-dead.html |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 17, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> at her home in Houston, Texas. Her funeral was held at [[St. Martin's Episcopal Church (Houston)|St. Martin's Episcopal Church]] in Houston four days later.<ref name="houstonchroniclebushfamilyreleases">{{cite news|last1=Kamath|first1=Tulsi|title=Bush family releases details on Barbara Bush's funeral, public visitation|url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Funeral-information-for-Barbara-Bush-has-been-12842950.php|access-date=April 18, 2018|work=Houston Chronicle|date=April 17, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Linge|first1=Mary Kay|title=Presidents pay their respects as Barbara Bush is laid to rest|url=https://nypost.com/2018/04/21/presidents-pay-their-respects-as-barbara-bush-is-laid-to-rest/|access-date=April 21, 2018|work=New York Post|date=April 21, 2018}}</ref> Bush, along with former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush (son), Bill Clinton and First Ladies [[Melania Trump]], [[Michelle Obama]], [[Laura Bush]] (daughter-in-law) and Hillary Clinton attended the funeral and posed together for a photo as a sign of unity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/barbara-bush-funeral-today-trump-melania-presidents/story?id=54630500|title=Barbara Bush remembered at funeral as 'the first lady of the greatest generation'|work=ABC News|first=Morgan|last=Winsor|date=April 21, 2018|access-date=April 21, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/23/politics/presidents-picture-barbara-bush-funeral-photographer/index.html|title= The story behind that viral photo of the past 4 presidents all in the same place|publisher= CNN|date= April 23, 2018|access-date= May 8, 2020}}</ref>

On November 1, 2018, Bush went to the polls to vote early in the midterm elections. This would be his final public appearance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/politics/george-hw-bush-final-public-appearance-voting/|title= George H.W. Bush Was Last Seen in Public 1 Month Before Death — and It Was to Vote with His Dog|website= [[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date= May 8, 2020}}</ref>

=== Death and funeral ===
{{Main|Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush}}
[[File:The United States Capitol (46125518422).jpg|thumb|upright=.95|Members of the public pay their respects at the casket of President Bush [[lying in state]] in the [[United States Capitol rotunda|Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol]] in Washington, D.C.]]
After a long battle with vascular [[Parkinson's disease]], Bush [[Death and state funeral of George H. W. Bush|died at his home]] in Houston on November 30, 2018, at the age of 94.<ref>{{cite news |title=Former President George H.W. Bush dead at 94 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-george-hw-bush-dead-94/story?id=44866630 |work=ABC News |date=December 1, 2018 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref><ref name="nytimes_obituary">{{cite news |last=Nagourney |first=Adam |date=November 30, 2018 |title=George Bush, 41st President, Dies at 94 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/30/us/politics/george-hw-bush-dies.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/30/us/politics/george-hw-bush-dies.html |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 30, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> At the time of his death he was the [[List of presidents of the United States by age|longest-lived U.S. president]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Bowden |first=John |date=November 25, 2017 |title=Bush 41 becomes longest-living president in US history |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/361795-bush-41-becomes-longest-living-president-in-us-history/ |work=The Hill |location=Washington, D.C. | access-date=November 25, 2017}}</ref> a distinction now held by Jimmy Carter.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barrow| first=Bill| title=Jimmy Carter's new milestone: Longest-lived U.S. president| work=The Detroit News| url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2019/03/22/carter-president-longest-lived/39240613/| date=March 22, 2019| access-date=March 22, 2019}}</ref> He was also the [[List of vice presidents of the United States by age|third-oldest vice president]].{{efn|The longest-lived U.S. vice president is [[John Nance Garner]], who died on November 7, 1967, 15 days short of his 99th birthday.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lewis |first=Janna |date=January 22, 2009 |title=Texans who were presidents, vice-presidents |url=http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/leisure/texans-who-were-presidents-vice-presidents/article_6b538cd2-aa2a-53a2-bc6f-6df30cfadf71.html |work=Fort Hood Sentinel |location=Fort Hood, Texas |access-date=April 22, 2018}}</ref>}} Bush [[Lying in state#United States|lay in state]] in the [[United States Capitol rotunda|Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol]] from December 3 through December 5; he was the 12th U.S. president to be accorded this honor.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bush-expected-to-lie-in-state-in-us-capitol-in-line-with-tradition-trump-to-attend-funeral| title=George H.W. Bush to lie in state in US Capitol; Trump to attend funeral| last1=Pergram| first1=Chad| last2=Shaw| first2=Adam| others=[[John Roberts (journalist)|John Roberts]] contributed to this report| date=December 1, 2018|publisher=Fox News| access-date=January 21, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Individuals Who Have Lain in State or in Honor| url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Lie-In-State/Lie-In-State-Honor/| publisher=Office of the Historian, U.S. House of Representatives| location=Washington, D.C.| access-date=January 21, 2019}}</ref> Then, on December 5, Bush's casket was transferred from the Capitol rotunda to [[Washington National Cathedral]] where a state funeral was held.<ref name=cbsnewsfuneral>{{cite news| author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->| title=Thousands honor former President George H.W. Bush at National Cathedral funeral| date=December 6, 2018| publisher=CBS News| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/president-george-h-w-bush-funeral-national-cathedral-washington-dc-live-stream-today-2018-12-05/| access-date=January 19, 2019}}</ref> After the funeral, Bush's body was transported to George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in [[College Station, Texas]], where he was buried next to his wife Barbara and daughter Robin.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/us/bush-texas-funeral-burial.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/us/bush-texas-funeral-burial.html |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live | title=For George Bush, One Last Funeral, and then a 70-Mile Train Ride| newspaper=The New York Times| date=December 12, 2018| last1=Fernandez| first1=Manny}}{{cbignore}}</ref> At the funeral, former president George W. Bush eulogized his father saying,
"He looked for the good in each person, and he usually found it."<ref name=cbsnewsfuneral/>

== Personal life ==
In May 1991, ''The New York Times'' revealed that Bush had developed [[Graves' disease]], a non-contagious [[thyroid]] condition that his wife Barbara also had.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Altman |first1=Lawrence |title=In Strange Twist, Bush Is Suffering From Same Gland Disease as Wife |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/10/us/in-strange-twist-bush-is-suffering-from-same-gland-disease-as-wife.html |access-date=June 5, 2018 |work=The New York Times |date=May 10, 1991}}</ref> Bush had two separate hip replacement surgeries in 2000 and 2007.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Burke |first1= Monte |title=George H. W. Bush's Sporting Life |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0412/life-fishing-tennis-baseball-skydiving-george-bush-sporting-life.html |access-date=August 6, 2021 |work=Forbes |date=March 25, 2010}}</ref> Thereafter, Bush started to experience weakness in his legs, which was attributed to vascular [[parkinsonism]], a form of Parkinson's disease. He progressively developed problems walking, initially needing a walking stick for mobility aid before he eventually came to rely on a wheelchair from 2011 onwards.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Solomon |first1= John |title=George H.W. Bush - Revisited |url=https://publicintegrity.org/accountability/george-h-w-bush-revisited/ |access-date=August 6, 2021 |work=The Center for Public Integrity |date=March 21, 2011}}</ref>

Bush was a lifelong [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopalian]] and a member of St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston. As President, Bush regularly attended services at [[St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square|St. John's Episcopal Church]] in Washington D.C.<ref>{{cite news |last=Paulsen |first=David |date=December 4, 2018 |title=Bush remembered as lifelong Episcopalian with deep ties to his church |url=https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/12/04/washington-national-cathedral-prepares-to-host-state-funeral-for-george-h-w-bush/ |work=Episcopal News Service |access-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> He cited various moments in his life on the deepening of his faith, including his escape from Japanese forces in 1944, and the death of his three-year-old daughter Robin in 1953.<ref name=":0" /> His faith was reflected in his "thousand points of light" speech, his support for prayer in schools, and his support for the [[Anti-abortion movements|pro-life movement]] (following his election as vice president).<ref name="Post-Faith">{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Lori |date=December 1, 2018 |title=George H.W. Bush helped lead GOP toward evangelicalism |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/12/01/george-hw-bush-helped-push-gop-towards-evangelicalism/?noredirect=on |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/the-faith-of-george-h-w-bush-189108/ |title=The Faith of George HW Bush |first=Gary S. |last=Smith |date=June 26, 2017 |work=[[The Christian Post]] |access-date=June 1, 2018}}</ref> Shortly after his death, it was revealed that Bush secretly [[Child sponsorship|financed]] the education and food expenses of a schoolboy from the Philippines under the assumed name "George Walker" through the charity [[Compassion International]].<ref name="hwbsponsor">{{Cite news |date=2018-12-21 |title=George HW Bush's sponsorship made me successful, says Filipino man |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46653203 |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="Tantuco">{{Cite news |last=Tantuco |first=Vernise |date=2018-12-20 |title=How George H.W. Bush secretly helped a Filipino boy for 10 years |url=https://www.rappler.com/philippines/219291-george-hw-bush-sponsored-wrote-letters-filipino-child/ |access-date=2024-11-09 |work=[[Rappler]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
=== Historical reputation ===
[[File:US Navy 051008-N-9274T-001 After arriving on board Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB), New Orleans, former President George H. Bush sits down to eat with military personnel.jpg|thumb|Bush visits [[Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans|NAS JRB]] during [[Hurricane Katrina]] relief efforts, 2005]]
{{conservatism US|politicians}}

Polls of historians and political scientists have [[Historical rankings of presidents of the United States|ranked]] Bush in the top half of presidents. A 2018 poll of the [[American Political Science Association]]'s Presidents and Executive Politics section ranked Bush as the 17th best president out of 44.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Brandon|last1=Rottinghaus|first2=Justin S.|last2=Vaughn|title=How Does Trump Stack Up Against the Best — and Worst — Presidents?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/19/opinion/how-does-trump-stack-up-against-the-best-and-worst-presidents.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190310203020/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/02/19/opinion/how-does-trump-stack-up-against-the-best-and-worst-presidents.html/|archive-date=March 10, 2019|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 19, 2018}}</ref> A 2017 [[C-SPAN]] poll of historians also ranked Bush as the 20th best president out of 43.<ref>{{cite web|title=Presidential Historians Survey 2017|url=https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2017/?page=overall|website=[[C-SPAN]]|access-date=May 14, 2018}}</ref> Richard Rose described Bush as a "guardian" president, and many other historians and political scientists have similarly described Bush as a passive, hands-off president who was "largely content with things as they were".{{sfn|Greene|2015|pp=255–256}} Professor Steven Knott writes that "[g]enerally the Bush presidency is viewed as successful in foreign affairs but a disappointment in domestic affairs."<ref name="knottlegacy">{{cite web|last1=Knott|first1=Stephen|title=George H. W. Bush: Impact and Legacy|url=https://millercenter.org/president/bush/impact-and-legacy|website=Miller Center|publisher=University of Virginia|date=October 4, 2016}}</ref>

Biographer Jon Meacham writes that, after he left office, many Americans viewed Bush as "a gracious and underappreciated man who had many virtues but who had failed to project enough of a distinctive identity and vision to overcome the economic challenges of 1991–92 and to win a second term."{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=567}} Bush himself noted that his legacy was "lost between the glory of Reagan ... and the trials and tribulations of my sons."{{sfn|Meacham|2015|p=595}} In the 2010s, Bush was fondly remembered for his willingness to compromise, which contrasted with the intensely partisan era that followed his presidency.<ref name="jshesol1">{{cite magazine|last1=Shesol|first1=Jeff|title=What George H. W. Bush Got Wrong|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/what-george-h-w-bush-got-wrong|access-date=August 30, 2016|magazine=The New Yorker|date=November 13, 2015}}</ref>

In 2018, ''[[Vox (website)|Vox]]'' highlighted Bush for his "pragmatism" as a moderate Republican president by working across the aisle.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TImO_RquoW8|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201102004813/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TImO_RquoW8|archive-date= November 2, 2020|title= The George H.W. Bush promise that changed the Republican Party|website= Vox |via=YouTube |date=May 4, 2018 |access-date= October 29, 2020|url-status= live }}</ref> They specifically noted Bush's accomplishments within the domestic policy by making [[Bipartisanship|bipartisan]] deals, including raising the tax budget among the wealthy with the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. Bush also helped pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 which ''The New York Times'' described as "the most sweeping anti-discrimination law since the Civil Rights Act of 1964.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/07/27/opinion/a-law-for-every-american.html |url-access=subscription |title= A Law for Every American|website= The New York Times|date= July 27, 1990|access-date= October 30, 2020}}</ref> In response to the ''Exxon Valdez'' oil spill, Bush built another bipartisan coalition to strengthen the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-can-breathe-easier--literally--thanks-to-george-hw-bush/2018/12/02/e7a2acbe-f66a-11e8-8d64-4e79db33382f_story.html |url-access=subscription |first1=Monica |last1=Medina |date=December 2, 2018 |title= We can breathe easier - literally - thanks to George H.W. Bush|newspaper= The Washington Post|access-date= October 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://environmentamerica.org/blogs/environment-america-blog/ame/lessons-bipartisanship-1990-clean-air-act-amendments|title= Lessons in Bipartisanship: The 1990 Clean Air Act amendments|website= Environmental America|date=November 15, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220815231021/https://environmentamerica.org/blogs/environment-america-blog/ame/lessons-bipartisanship-1990-clean-air-act-amendments |archive-date= Aug 15, 2022 }}</ref> Bush also championed and signed into a law the Immigration Act of 1990, a sweeping bipartisan immigration reform act that made it easier for immigrants to legally enter the county, while also granting immigrants fleeing violence the temporary protected status visa, as well as lifted the pre-naturalization English testing process, and finally "eliminated the exclusion of homosexuals under what Congress now deemed the medically unsound classification of 'sexual deviant' that was included in the [[Immigration Act of 1965|1965 act]]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Glass |first=Andrew |date=2018-11-29 |title=Bush signs immigration reform statute into law, Nov. 29, 1990 |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/11/29/bush-immigration-reform-1990-1014141 |access-date=October 29, 2020 |website=Politico|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Bush-41-s-immigration-plan-actually-worked-13443111.php |first1=Bruce |last1=Morrison |title= Bush 41's immigration plan actually worked|website= Houston Chronicle|date= December 4, 2018|access-date= October 30, 2020}}</ref> Bush stated, "Immigration is not just a link to our past but it's also a bridge to America's future".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4737330/user-clip-george-hw-bush-immigration|title= George H.W. Bush on Immigration |date=November 30, 1990 |work=Immmigration Act Signing Ceremony |publisher= C-SPAN|access-date= October 30, 2002}}</ref>

According to ''[[USA Today]]'', the legacy of Bush's presidency was defined by his victory over Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait and by his presiding over the dissolution of the Soviet Union and [[German reunification]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Remembering Former President George H.W. Bush's life and legacy |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/12/01/live-former-president-george-h-w-bushs-life-and-legacy/2173047002/ |newspaper=USA Today|date=December 1, 2018 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> [[Michael Beschloss]] and [[Strobe Talbott]] praise Bush's handling of the Soviet Union, especially how he prodded Gorbachev in terms of releasing control over the [[satellite state]]s and permitting German unification—and especially a united Germany in NATO.<ref>Michael R. Beschloss and Strobe Talbott, ''At the Highest Levels: The Inside Story of the End of the Cold War'' (Boston, 1993), pp. 470-72.</ref> [[Andrew Bacevich]] judges the Bush administration as "morally obtuse" in the light of its "business-as-usual" attitude towards China after the massacre in [[Tiananmen Square]] and its uncritical support of Gorbachev as the Soviet Union disintegrated.<ref>Andrew J. Bacevich, ''American Empire: The Realities and Consequences of U.S. Diplomacy'' (2002), 64–68, quoted in Sparrow, p. 143.</ref> David Rothkopf argues:

{{blockquote|In the recent history of U.S. foreign policy, there has been no president, nor any president's team, who, when confronted with profound international change and challenges, responded with such a thoughtful and well-managed foreign policy...[the Bush administration was] a bridge over one of the great fault lines of history [that] ushered in a "new world order" it described with great skill and professionalism.<ref>{{cite book|first=David|last=Rothkopf|title=Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1N1DleUGufwC&pg=PA261|year=2009|publisher=PublicAffairs|page=261|isbn=9780786736003}}</ref>}}However, [[Time (magazine)|''TIME'']] has criticized Bush's [[domestic policies]] involving "drugs, homelessness, racial hostility, education gaps, [and] issues with the environment", and it argues that these issues in the United States became worse in the 21st century primarily due to Bush setting a poor example and his handling of these concepts during his presidency.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2023 |editor-last=Jacobs |editor-first=Sam |editor-link=Samuel Jacobs (journalist) |editor2-last=Rothman |editor2-first=Lily |editor3-last=Benedict |editor3-first=Julie Blume |editor4-last=Cassidy |editor4-first=Catherine |editor4-link=Catherine Cassidy |title=George H.W. Bush |magazine=TIME Person of the Year: 95 Years of the World's Most Influential People |publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |page=63}}</ref>

=== Memorials, awards, and honors ===
{{Main|List of awards and honors received by George H. W. Bush}}
[[File:George Bush Presidential Library.jpg|thumb|The [[George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum]] on the west campus of [[Texas A&M University]] in [[College Station, Texas]], 2011]]

In 1990, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine named him the [[Time Person of the Year|Man of the Year]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Church |first=George J. |date=January 7, 1991 |title=A Tale of Two Bushes |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2030812_2030725_2030636,00.html |magazine=Time |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> In 1997, the Houston Intercontinental Airport was renamed as the [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Benito |first1=Marcelino |title=George H.W. Bush's legacy lives on at Houston airport named after him |url=https://www.khou.com/article/news/politics/george-h-w-bush/george-hw-bushs-legacy-lives-on-at-houston-airport-named-after-him/285-619965236 |publisher=KHOU 11 |date=December 2, 2018}}</ref> In 1999, the CIA headquarters in [[Langley, Virginia]], was named the ''[[George Bush Center for Intelligence]]'' in his honor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/04/26/bush.cia/|title=Former President Bush honored at emotional ceremony renaming CIA headquarters|first=Paul|last=Courson|date=April 26, 1999|publisher=CNN}}</ref> In 2011, Bush, an avid golfer, was inducted in the [[World Golf Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldgolfhalloffame.org/george-h-w-bush/ |title=Bush, George H.W. |access-date=June 1, 2018}}</ref> The {{USS|George H.W. Bush}} (CVN-77), the tenth and last {{sclass|Nimitz|aircraft carrier|0}} [[supercarrier]] of the United States Navy, was named for Bush.<ref Name="NavyNews12182008">{{cite web |title=Future USS George H. W. Bush to Transit |publisher=Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs |date=December 18, 2008 |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=41503 |access-date=December 22, 2008}}</ref><ref name="NewCarrier">{{cite news |url=http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/carrier-awaits-call-come-life-ceremony-today |title=Carrier awaits a call to come to life in ceremony today |last=Jones |first=Matthew |date=January 10, 2009 |work=The Virginian Pilot |publisher=Landmark Communications |access-date=January 10, 2009 |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204192433/http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/carrier-awaits-call-come-life-ceremony-today |url-status=dead }}</ref> Bush is commemorated on a postage stamp that was issued by the [[United States Postal Service]] in 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=Texas ceremony marks issuing of George H.W. Bush stamp |url=https://www.apnews.com/57b0b4fb96b241d4a90a0470d3cef0d8 |access-date=September 8, 2019 |work=[[Associated Press News]] |date=June 12, 2019}}</ref> In December 2020, the [[United States Mint]] honored Bush with a [[Presidential Dollar]] coin.

The [[George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum]], the tenth U.S. [[Presidential library system|presidential library]], was completed in 1997.<ref>{{cite press release |date=November 6, 1997 |title=National Archives Accepts Bush Library as Tenth Presidential Library |url=https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/1998-47 |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]] |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> It contains the presidential and vice presidential papers of Bush and the vice presidential papers of Dan Quayle.<ref name="bushmaterials">{{cite web |title=The Birth of the Tenth Presidential Library: The Bush Presidential Materials Project, 1993–1994 |publisher=George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum|url=http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/giq.html |access-date=March 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410185146/http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/giq.html |archive-date=April 10, 2007}}</ref> The library is located on a {{convert|90|acre|adj=on}} site on the west campus of [[Texas A&M University]] in College Station, Texas.<ref name="Eagle">{{cite news |last=Heathman |first=Claire |date=July 3, 2013 |title=How Texas A&M became home to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum |url=https://www.myaggienation.com/campus_evolution/how-texas-a-m-became-home-to-the-george-bush/article_baa24bb4-e411-11e2-8085-0019bb2963f4.html |work=[[The Bryan-College Station Eagle]] |access-date=November 30, 2018}}</ref> Texas A&M University also hosts the [[Bush School of Government and Public Service]], a graduate [[public policy school]].<ref name="Eagle" /> In 2012, Phillips Academy also awarded Bush its Alumni Award of Distinction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Finis Origine Pendent All-School Meeting: October 20, 2022 | date=October 24, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBtRgB6eO5A |via=YouTube |access-date=July 28, 2023 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Electoral history of George H. W. Bush]]
* [[List of members of the American Legion]]
* [[List of presidents of the United States]]
* [[List of presidents of the United States by previous experience]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|25em}}

=== Works cited ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Greene |first=John Robert |title=The Presidency of George Bush |year=2015 |edition=2nd |publisher=University Press of Kansas |isbn=978-0-7006-2079-1}}
* {{cite book|last1=Herring|first1=George C.|title=From Colony to Superpower; U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1776|date=2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-507822-0|url=https://archive.org/details/fromcolonytosupe00herr}}
* {{cite book|last1=Leuchtenburg|first1=William E.|authorlink=William Leuchtenburg|title=The American President: From Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton|date=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195176162}}
* {{cite book |last=Meacham |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Meacham |title=Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iMgOCAAAQBAJ |year=2015 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-4000-6765-7}}
* {{cite book |last1=Naftali |first1=Timothy |author-link=Timothy Naftali |title=George H. W. Bush |date=2007 |publisher=Times Books |isbn=978-0-8050-6966-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/georgehwbush0000naft_v9m8 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Patterson|first1=James|title=Restless Giant: The United States from Watergate to Bush v. Gore|date=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0195122169|url=https://archive.org/details/restlessgiantuni00patt_0}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rossinow|first1=Douglas C.|title=The Reagan Era: A History of the 1980s|date=2015|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=9780231538657}}
* {{cite journal|last=Saunders|first=Harold|title=What Really Happened in Bangladesh: Washington, Islamabad, and the Genocide in East Pakistan|journal=Foreign Affairs|volume=93|issue=3|date=July 2014|pages=36–42}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Waterman|first1=Richard W.|title=Storm Clouds on the Political Horizon: George Bush at the Dawn of the 1992 Presidential Election|journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly|year=1996|volume=26|issue=2|pages=337–349|jstor=27551581}}
* {{cite book|last1=Wilentz|first1=Sean|title=The Age of Reagan|date=2008|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-06-074480-9|url=https://archive.org/details/ageofreaganhisto00wile}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
=== Secondary sources ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite AV media |title=The Presidents: George H. W. Bush |medium=Television production |url=http://video.pbs.org/video/979907571 |year=2008 |work=[[American Experience]] |publisher=[[PBS]] |access-date=October 8, 2014}}
* {{cite book |last1=Andrew |first1=Christopher |author-link=Christopher Andrew (historian) |title=For the President's Eyes Only: Secret Intelligence and the American Presidency from Washington to Bush |date=1996 |publisher=Harper Perennial |pages=503–536 |isbn=978-0-06-092178-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=Barilleaux |first=Ryan J. |author2=Stuckey, Mary E. |year=1992 |title=Leadership and the Bush Presidency: Prudence or Drift in an Era of Change |url=https://archive.org/details/leadershipbushpr0000unse |url-access=registration |publisher=Praeger |location=New York |isbn=978-0-275-94418-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Becker |first1=Jean |date=2021 |title=The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H. W. Bush's Post-Presidency |publisher=Twelve |isbn=978-1-53-873530-5}}
* {{cite book |last1=Becker |first1=Jean |date=2024 |title=Character Matters: And Other Life Lessons from George H. W. Bush |publisher=Twelve |isbn=978-1-53-875857-1}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Brands |first1=H. W. |title=George Bush and the Gulf War of 1991 |journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly |year=2004 |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=113–131 |doi=10.1111/j.1741-5705.2004.00038.x |jstor=27552567}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Cox |first1=Michael |last2=Hurst |first2=Steven |date=2002 |title='His Finest Hour?' George Bush and the Diplomacy of German Unification |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/714000344 |url-access=subscription |journal=Diplomacy and Statecraft |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=123–150 |doi=10.1080/714000344 |issn=0959-2296}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Cull |first=Nicholas J. |date=January 2010 |title=Speeding the Strange Death of American Public Diplomacy: The George H. W. Bush Administration and the US Information Agency |journal=Diplomatic History |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=47–69 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-7709.2009.00832.x |jstor=24916033}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ducat |first=Stephen J. |year=2004 |title=The Wimp Factor: Gender Gaps, Holy Wars, and the Politics of Anxious Masculinity |url=https://archive.org/details/wimpfactorgender00duca |publisher=Beacon Press |location=Boston |isbn=978-0-8070-4344-8 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Duffy |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Duffy (American journalist) |author2=Goodgame, Dan |title=Marching in Place: The Status Quo Presidency of George Bush |year=1992 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-0-671-73720-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/marchinginplaces00duff }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Engel |first=Jeffrey A. |date=January 2010 |title=A Better World...but Don't Get Carried Away: The Foreign Policy of George H. W. Bush Twenty Years On |journal=Diplomatic History |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=25–46 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-7709.2009.00831.x |jstor=24916032}}
* {{Cite book |last=Engel |first=Jeffrey A. |date=2017 |title=When the World Seemed New: George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War |url=https://archive.org/details/whenworldseemedn0000enge |location=Boston; New York |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=9781328511652 |oclc=1016805975 |access-date=27 May 2024}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fitzwater |first=Marlin |author-link=Marlin Fitzwater |title=Call the Briefing |year=1995 |publisher=Times Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7388-3458-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Green |first=Fitzhugh |title=George Bush: An Intimate Portrait |year=1989 |publisher=Hippocrene |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8705-2783-8}}
* {{Cite book |last=Han |first=Lori Cox |date=2011 |title=A Presidency Upstaged: The Public Leadership of George H. W. Bush |location=College Station, TX |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=9781603442206 |oclc=639940951}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hyams |first=Joe |author-link=Joe Hyams |title=Flight of the Avenger: George Bush at War |year=1991 |publisher=Harcourt Brace Jovanovic |location=San Diego |isbn=978-0-15-131469-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kelley |first=Kitty |author-link=Kitty Kelley |title=The Family: The True Story of the Bush Dynasty |year=2004 |publisher=Doubleday |location=London |isbn=978-0-385-50324-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/familyrealstoryo00kell }}
* {{Cite book |last=Maynard |first=Christopher |date=2008 |title=Out of the Shadow: George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War |location=College Station, TX |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=9781603440394 |oclc=190596196}}
* {{cite news |last=McBride |first=Tim |date=June 12, 2009 |title=The President Who Treated Me Like a Son |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2009/06/12/the-president-who-treated-me-like-a-son.html |newspaper=The Daily Beast |access-date=October 8, 2014}}
* {{Cite book |last=Meacham |first=Jon |date=2024 |title=The Call to Serve: The Life of an American President, George Herbert Walker Bush: A Visual Biography |location=College Station, TX |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=9780593729458 |oclc=639940951}}
* {{Cite book |last=Podhoretz |first=John |author-link=John Podhoretz |title=Hell of a Ride: Backstage at the White House Follies, 1989–1993 |year=1993 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=New York |isbn=978-0-671-79648-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/hellofridebackst00podh }}
* {{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Curt |title=George H. W. Bush: Character at the Core |publisher=Potomac Books |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-61-234685-4 |author-link=Curt Smith (author)}} 
* {{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Jean Edward |author-link=Jean Edward Smith |title=George Bush's War |year=1992 |publisher=Henry Holt & Company |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8050-1388-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/georgebushswar00smit }}
* {{Cite book |last=Sununu |first=John H. |title=The Quiet Man: The Indispensable Presidency of George H. W. Bush |publisher=Broadside Books |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-06-238428-7 |author-link=John H. Sununu}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Troy |first=Gil |date=Fall 1995 |title=Stumping in the Bookstores: A Literary History of the 1992 Presidential Campaign |journal=Presidential Studies Quarterly |volume=25 |issue=4: Perceptions of the Presidency |pages=697–710 |jstor=27551506}}
* {{cite book |last1=Updegrove |first1=Mark K. |author-link=Mark K. Updegrove |title=The Last Republicans: Inside the Extraordinary Relationship between George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush |date=2017 |publisher=Harper |isbn=978-0-06-265412-0}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wicker |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Wicker |title=George Herbert Walker Bush |publisher=Lipper/Viking |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-670-03303-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/georgeherbertwal00wick }}
{{refend}}

=== Primary sources ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bush |first=George H. W. |title=Looking Forward: An Autobiography |year=1987 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York |isbn=978-0-385-14181-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/lookingforward00bush }}
* {{Cite book |last=Bush |first=George H. W. |author2=Scowcroft, Brent |title=A World Transformed |title-link=A World Transformed |year=1998 |publisher=Knopf |location=New York |isbn=978-0-679-43248-7 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Bush |first=George H. W. |title=All the Best, George Bush |title-link=All the Best (book) |year=1999 |publisher=Scribner |location=New York |isbn=978-0-684-83958-5 }}
* {{cite interview |last=Bush |first=George H. W. |last2=Bush |first2=Barbara |interviewer=McGrath, Jim |title=Interview with: George W. Bush, Barbara Bush |url=http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/oral-history/george-bush.php |year=2009 |access-date=October 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114224918/http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/oral-history/george-bush.php |archive-date=November 14, 2013 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |last=Bush |first=George W. |title=41: A Portrait of My Father |year=2014 |publisher=Crown |isbn=978-0-553-44778-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/41portraitofmyfa0000bush }}
* {{cite book |last=Bush Koch |first=Dorothy |title=My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H. W. Bush |isbn=978-0-446-57990-2 |publisher=Grand Central Publishing |year=2006 |url=https://archive.org/details/myfathermypresid00koch }}
* {{cite book |last=Bush|first=George H. W.|editor-last= Engel|editor-first=Jeffrey A.|title=The China Diary of George H. W. Bush: The Making of a Global President |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRvdwoKQOgQC&pg=PA356 |year=2011 |publisher=Princeton UP |isbn=978-1-4008-2961-3}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|wikt=Bush|b=no|s=Author:George Herbert Walker Bush|v=no}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190206232136/https://www.bush41.org/ George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Center]
* [https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/george-h-w-bush/ White House biography]
* [http://millercenter.org/president/speeches#bush Full audio of a number of Bush speeches] [[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]
* {{New York Times topic|people/b/george_bush}}
* {{Biographical Directory of Congress|B001166}}
* [https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/04/04/clinton-bush-heavyweight-orig.cnn 1992 election episode in CNN's Race for the White House]
* <!--
Links formerly displayed via the CongLinks template:
* [http://www.ontheissues.org/Gerald_Ford.htm Issue positions and quotes] at [[On the Issues]]
* [http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n88-112497 Works by or about George H. W. Bush] in libraries ([[WorldCat]] catalog)
* [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/georgebush Appearances] on [[C-SPAN]] programs
* [http://www.charlierose.com/guest/view/3592 Appearances] on [[Charlie Rose (TV show)|''Charlie Rose'']]
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0124132 Appearances] at the [[Internet Movie Database]]
* [https://www.theguardian.com/world/george-bush-senior Collected news and commentary] at ''[[The Guardian]]''
* [http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/george_bush//index.html Collected news and commentary] at ''The New York Times''
* [http://topics.wsj.com/person/B/george-hw-bush/5370 Collected news and commentary] at ''The Wall Street Journal'' (paywall)
* -->
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070516070910/http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/bush Extensive essays on Bush] and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the [[Miller Center of Public Affairs]]
* {{C-SPAN|60}}
 [http://www.c-span.org/video/?151637-1/life-portrait-george-hw-bush "Life Portrait of George H. W. Bush"], from [[C-SPAN]]'s ''[[American Presidents: Life Portraits]]'', December 13, 1999
* [https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/bush/player/ ''George H. W. Bush''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116044653/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/bush/player/ |date=January 16, 2017 }}&nbsp;an [[American Experience]] documentary
* {{Gutenberg author|id=1672}}
* {{find a Grave|4311}}

{{George H. W. Bush}}
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