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George H. W. Bush: Difference between revisions
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'''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 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, 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]]. | 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]]. | ||
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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> | 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, | 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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=== Final years === | === Final years === | ||
[[File:Five Presidents Oval Office.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|From left to right: George H. W. Bush, [[Barack Obama]], | [[File:Five Presidents Oval Office.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|From left to right: George H. 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 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}} | ||