George Bush Sr.'s full name. Awards and achievements. Bush Sr.'s policy towards Asia and Latin America

George Bush Sr. is one of the largest politicians in the United States. He is known as the nation's 41st president, a distinguished congressman, orator, and diplomat, and as the father of the 43rd president. During his presidency, Bush Sr. managed to make a number of landmark decisions and strengthen the position of his native country in the international political arena. In 2017, the man was recognized as the longest-living person among the former US presidents.

Childhood and youth

George W. Bush was born on June 12, 1924 in Milton (in Massachusetts). Father of George Herbert Walker Bush full name former President of the United States) was no stranger to politics and business: the man served on the boards of large firms, ran his own banking business, and even represented the state of Connecticut in the capital's Senate for ten years.

Financial condition his father allowed George Bush Sr. to receive an excellent education - the young man graduated from the well-known Phillips Academy in his home state. This boarding school was considered the most prestigious at that time educational institution Massachusetts.

After graduating from high school, Bush enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942. In the army, after a short flight course, the future president managed to become the youngest military naval pilot of those years (George was 18 at the time). In 1945, the young man honorably retired from the army.

After his service, George Bush continued his studies again, choosing the famous Yale University. Instead of the traditional four years to master full course Bush Sr. spent only 2.5 years. During his studies, George managed to be the president of one of the student fraternities and lead the university basketball team.

In 1948, George Bush Sr. graduated from the university with a degree in economics. After Yale, George moved to Texas, where he began to delve into the laws and intricacies of the oil business. Thanks to his father's connections and position, George Bush was lucky enough to get a job as a sales specialist in a large company.

Some time later, having mastered the details of this business, George Bush Sr. opened his own oil company. The business turned out to be successful, and soon the man joined the list of American millionaires.

Policy

Success in business was not enough for the ambitious George Bush, who was always interested in foreign and domestic policy, and in 1964 the man put forward his own candidacy for the country's Senate. However, he failed in the elections, not gaining the required number of votes from Texas.

Then Bush Sr. decided to leave business and devote his life to politics. George's efforts were not in vain: already in 1966 he received the coveted seat in the House of Representatives of the country's Congress, and two years later he was re-elected to this post for the second time. But Bush’s repeated attempt to get into the US Senate in 1970 was again a failure.

That same year, George W. Bush was appointed the country's permanent representative to the UN, and three years later headed the Republican National Committee. At the same time, the politician honed his diplomatic skills, becoming the head of the American diplomatic mission and working on the visits of Henry Kissinger and Gerald Ford (former Secretary of State and President of the country) to China. Also for a year, George H. W. Bush headed the United States CIA (until 1977).

In 1980, George H. W. Bush tried for the first time to nominate his own candidacy for the country's presidential elections, but lost in terms of the number of votes in the primaries.

The battle for the presidency was fierce, but Bush, after a series of interviews and debates, won the support of a fairly large part of the electorate. But the conservative Reagan still managed to beat his rivals. Nevertheless, George Bush managed to stay in politics: it was Bush that Reagan chose as vice president and, in fact, as his main assistant.

Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush

As vice president, George H. W. Bush, with his characteristic candor and purposefulness, took on government drug control programs, reduced government influence on private business, and even served as the official acting president of the United States for eight hours when Ronald Reagan was forced to agree to the operation. on the intestines.

There were also scandals: in 1986, a number of illegal arms trafficking operations were uncovered. Some White House officials were involved, who supplied weapons to Iran, and the money received was sent to support an opposition group in Nicaragua. However, both Bush and Reagan said they were unaware of these illegal schemes.

In 1988, another election campaign started and George Bush again decided to try to take the presidency. This time the politician was much better prepared: one of Bush Sr.’s speeches, addressed to representatives of the Republican Party, even went down in history under the name “A Thousand Colors of Light.”

In it, the politician emphasized the postulates on which he intended to rely if elected to the post of president of the country. In particular, he noted his own opposition to abortion, and also stated that he would support the death penalty, the right of United States citizens to bear firearms, and would not allow the introduction of new taxes.

This time, the sympathies of voters were on Bush's side, and on November 8, 1988, the politician was officially elected as the new President of the United States. George Bush Sr. spent four years in this post. The results of Bush Sr.'s reign are primarily considered to be the improvement of relations with the USSR. George Bush held several meetings with.

As a result, politicians signed a formal agreement to limit the so-called “arms race.” Then, in 1992, America and Russia moved even further when Bush Sr. signed a document that meant a complete end to " cold war» between countries.

The efforts of George Bush in the domestic politics of the United States were no less effective. The politician's main efforts were aimed at reducing the budget deficit, which by the beginning of Bush Sr.'s reign had assumed a frightening magnitude.

In 1992, George Bush Sr. announced his intention to run for president again, but the politician failed to retain his seat. Democrat Bill Clinton won the election. However, leaving politics did not mean for George Bush a abandonment of public activities. The man continued to study public projects, helped societies to fight cancer, and also for some time headed funds to help those affected by tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes.

Personal life

The personal life of George HW Bush was happy. As soon as he returned from the army, the tall, handsome man (George Bush Sr.'s height is 188 cm) met love. The man's chosen one was Barbara Pierce (that was her maiden name).

Over the years life together the wife gave her husband six children: George Walker Bush (who later became the 43rd president of the United States), Paulina Robinson (the girl died at 4 years old due to leukemia), John Ellis (who also became a politician and led Florida for several years), Neil Mallon , Marvin Pierce and Dorothy Bush Koch.

Death

In 2017, George H. W. Bush became the longest-living person to hold the US presidency. Despite his advanced age and failing health, Bush celebrated his anniversary with a traditional parachute jump - so former politician celebrates anniversaries since 75 years.

And in 2018, photos of George Bush Sr. again appeared on the pages of news publications. This time the reason was a tragic page in the man’s biography: April 17, Bush’s wife, Barbara Bush. The last months of his life, George Bush was depressed by what happened.

On December 1, 2018, George H. W. Bush died at the age of 94. His press secretary announced the death of the former US President.

Awards and achievements

American

Ellis Island Medal of Honor
2006 - Philadelphia Medal of Freedom shared with William J. Clinton
2010 - Presidential Medal of Freedom

Foreign

Order of Merit pro Merito Melitensi, Knight Grand Cross (Malta)
1993 - Order of the Bath, Knight Commander (Great Britain)
1993 - Order of the British Empire, Knight Commander (Great Britain)
1994 - Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Knight Grand Cross Special Class (Germany)
1995 - Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, Knight Grand Cross (Poland)
1999 - Order of the White Lion, 1st class (Czech Republic)
2001 - Order of Dostyk (Kazakhstan)
2005 - Order of the Cross of the Land of Mary, 1st class (Estonia)
2005 - Jubilee medal “60 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War” Patriotic War 1941-1945." (Russia)

Polozova E.

It"s a very good question, very direct, and I"m not going to answer it.
– George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States

George Bush Sr., or George Herbert Walker Bush, was a prominent figure in American politics at the end of the 20th century. During his life, he managed to be a senator, a diplomat, the director of the CIA, and a vice president (under Ronald Reagan), and the 41st President of the United States. And that's not to mention the fact that he was only the second president in US history whose son (George W. Bush) also won the election and ended up in the White House.

George Herbert Walker Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, on June 12, 1924, the son of Prescott and Dorothy Walker Bush. George grew up in New England, in the state of Connecticut, from which his father was a senator. His parents, who valued hard work and service to society above all else, were able to pass on their values to the boy. After graduating from Phillips Academy, he, “inspired” by the attack on Pearl Harbor, deferred enrolling in Yale University and went to the front, choosing the Navy as his duty station. There, Bush became the youngest pilot in the US Navy. In the future, the young man will become the last US president to take direct part in World War II.

George HW Bush in the cockpit of an Avenger aircraft, 1944

Family and university

Bush served until the very end of the war. He then accepted an offer to attend Yale University, where he received a bachelor's degree in economics in 1948. There he excelled not only academically, but also in sports, and was captain of the baseball team. Like his father, he was a member of the secret society Skull & Bones.

His personal life did not bypass him at this time either: just a few weeks after returning from the theater of war, on January 6, 1945, George H. W. Bush married Barbara Pierce. They had six children: George Walker Bush, Pauline Robinson “Robin” Bush, who died of leukemia at the age of 4, John Ellis “Jeb” Bush, Neil Mallon Bush, Marvin (Marvin Pierce Bush) and Dorothy (Dorothy Bush). Two of Barbara and George's children followed in their father's footsteps and became politicians: George Jr., 43rd President of the United States, and John, 43rd Governor of Florida.

Bush Family

Political career

After the head of the family graduated from university, the Bushes moved to West Texas. There, George Sr. decided to go into the oil business. The choice turned out to be correct: by the age of 40 he became a millionaire.

Immediately after creating his own oil production company, he decided to try his hand at politics. In 1964, he ran for the Senate as a Republican representative, but was defeated.

Two years later, in 1966, he sold his oil business and finally devoted himself to politics. In November of the same year, he was elected to the House of Representatives and re-elected in 1968; during these four years he was also a member of the budget commission.

In 1970, he decided it was time for a second run for the Senate, but that too failed. But in December he was appointed permanent representative of the United States to the UN. The spring of 1973 was marked by another appointment - to the post of chairman of the Republican National Committee.

It was he who, in 1974-1975, as the head of the American diplomatic mission in China, Bush prepared the visits of Henry Kissinger and President Gerald Ford to the PRC.

For almost exactly a year, from January 30, 1976 to January 20, 1977, Bush Sr. served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

(Vice)presidency

Bush ran for president twice. His first attempt, in 1980, ended in failure: he lost to Ronald Reagan in the primary internal party elections. Nevertheless, Reagan invited Bush to become his vice president. Together they managed to beat the Democrats and occupy the White House for two terms.

President R. Reagan and Vice President J.G.W. Bush - official portrait

During his tenure as vice president, from 1981 to 1989, George H. W. Bush was responsible for several areas domestic policy, for example, oversaw the reduction of government price and business controls and coordinated counteraction to drug trafficking, and also made official visits to other countries.

Bush's second election campaign turned out to be much more successful: in 1988, he won the primaries and then the national elections, thus becoming the 41st President of the United States. His vice president was Dan Quayle, a Republican senator from Indiana.

The four years of Bush's presidency occurred during a difficult period: the end of the forty-year Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Soviet Union ceased to exist, Bush-backed Mikhail Gorbachev resigned. Bush met with both him and Russian President Boris Yeltsin seven times. Treaties on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive weapons were signed (START-1 in 1991 and START-2 in 1993).

He “succeeded” in other areas as well foreign policy: For example, it was he who sent American troops to Panama to overthrow the regime of General Manuel Noriega there. He also sent 425,000 American troops to help Kuwait after the invasion of the country by the troops of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. First there were weeks of bombing and fighting, and then a hundred-hour battle known as Operation Desert Storm. It was there that the million-strong Iraqi army was defeated.

However, neither the diplomatic nor the military triumphs of George Bush Sr. could overcome internal problems - the deteriorating economic situation, rising crime in cities, shortages. Therefore, it was not he who won the 1992 election, but Democrat Bill Clinton.

Post-presidency

After leaving the presidency, George HW Bush did not leave politics. In 2006, he served as Special Ambassador Secretary General UN Kofi Annan on the issue of eliminating the consequences of the earthquake in South Asia. He also served as chairman of the National Constitution Center of Philadelphia from 2006-2008. He also actively participates in the life of the Presidential Library and Museum named in his honor, as well as the State and Civil Service, located at Texas A&M University.

Bush Sr. did a lot of charity work. At the request of his son George W. Bush, he and President Bill Clinton helped raise funds for victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Katrina in the United States. In 2008, the 41st and 42nd Presidents of the United States established a special fund to raise money to rebuild Gulf Coast infrastructure; They were “prompted” to do this by another hurricane – Ike. He is also a life member of several charities.

In 1993, George H. W. Bush received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II, the third president to receive this honor.

On November 17, 2010, the White House announced that the 41st President of the United States would be awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest honor.

Republican George H. W. Bush presidential elections 1988 received a cabinet during a period of significant changes in the world: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the impending collapse Soviet Union, not the best economic situation in the United States of America itself... The president's rating was affected by attempts to resolve the budget deficit left after Ronald Reagan, and the actual failure to fulfill election promises due to insufficient mutual understanding with Congress in the economic sphere.

Bush Sr.'s foreign and domestic policies differed significantly from the actions of his predecessor, who was distinguished by both more radical actions and more conservative views. During the presidency of Ronald Reagan statesman, the future forty-first president of the United States, served as vice president for eight years. At the same time, Bush Sr. ran for a high position precisely as the “heir” and successor of Reagan.

1988 presidential election: victory of George W. Bush

Due to the fact that Ronald Reagan, who at the end of his second presidential term still had high ratings, could no longer run in the 1988 elections, the Republicans presented the candidacy of then Vice President George W. Bush. The Democratic Party nominated M. Dukakis, governor of Massachusetts.

The Democrat's campaign was characterized by several serious failures and harsh, mostly unfounded criticism (for example, the demand to open the candidate's medical history to the public and hints at the presence of mental illness in the anamnesis of M. Dukakis). Bush Sr. skillfully and very successfully positioned himself, using the popularity of his predecessor in his favor, which allowed him to win a landslide victory.

The political career of the Republican candidate has taken another turn. Traditionally for the United States, on January 20, 1989, George W. Bush took office as president. Many ordinary Americans and means mass media Then they called the rise to power of George H. W. Bush the “third term” of Ronald Reagan.

Election promises of the forty-first President of the United States

Many political scientists and journalists believe that the victory of George W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election is the result of only a competent election campaign and a good bet on continuing the course of Ronald Reagan. Bush Sr. promised not to raise taxes, to minimize the role of the federal government in the state's economy, to continue to fight crime and drug addiction, alcoholism, homosexuality and abortion, and to protect family values.

The powerful speech that the future occupant of the White House (usually not distinguished for eloquence) made at the 1988 Republican National Convention was remembered by voters and the media as “A Thousand Colors of Light.” The speech described George HW Bush's vision for America. The candidate expressed unconditional loyalty to the flag, supported school prayer and the death penalty, the right of citizens to freely own firearms and openly spoke out about his opposition to abortion.

Domestic policy of George H. W. Bush

Bush Sr., whose domestic policy following his presidency was not particularly successful, paid more attention to solving foreign policy issues. The president had to break his main campaign promise, but managed to ensure that the national course in the social and economic sectors became less ideological, which was clearly observed under Reagan. Below we take a closer look at several of the main points of the domestic policy of the forty-first US president.

A number of “social” laws adopted by George W. Bush

Under the forty-first President of the United States, legislation was adopted regarding support for people with disabilities, protection environment and protecting employees from discrimination. George Bush Sr. sought to take his first steps in the presidency by ensuring a high moral level of activity. He ensured that all top positions in the Department of Health and Human Services were filled by anti-abortion politicians. In addition, Bush Sr. vetoed federal funding for abortions for women from poor families.

Budget deficit and tax rate increase

George Bush Sr.’s “legacy” was the state budget deficit, which tripled in ten years (1980-1990). The President called on Congress to cut government spending, but no consensus could be reached. Democrats believed that the only correct solution to the problems was to raise taxes and cut social security. As a result, not only was a new individual tax introduced in the amount of 31% of profits, but also the rate on existing deductions was increased.

The level of the US economy, which had been steadily growing during the vice presidency of Bush Sr., stopped increasing, and later began to decline altogether. The reason for this was the president’s focus on foreign political activities.

It was the failure to fulfill the main election promise that became the reason for the president’s defeat in the next elections- Bill Clinton won in 1992. However, the “Bush clan” reminded the world community of itself in 2001, when the son of George H. W. Bush came to power. Bush Jr. remained in office until 2009.

Strategic weapons and refusal to stop nuclear testing

Another point of the domestic policy of the forty-first president of the United States of America is closely related to foreign policy. President Bush Sr. continued to lay the foundations for a new militarism and increased funding for the military sector, even despite the weakening and subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States' main adversary in the Cold War.

In addition, the politician refused to stop testing nuclear weapons after a corresponding step by the USSR. Bush Sr. supported and continued to develop the program “ star wars” is the most famous military program implemented by the United States since the Reagan era. By the way, some of the developments that were obtained during the implementation of the ambitious program later became “public domain” - GPS technology, for example, is now available to civilians, and navigation devices are freely available for sale.

Constitutional amendment prohibiting burning of national flag

Bush Sr. mentioned the need to adopt an amendment to the US Constitution banning burning of the national flag during the election race in his “A Thousand Colors of Light” speech. The President considered burning the flag a desecration of the state symbols of the United States of America. However, Bush Sr.'s aspirations never received support. Opponents appealed to the Constitution's First Amendment, which provides for the “burning of the Stars and Stripes” as part of demonstrations and rallies.

Foreign policy of George W. Bush

Bush Sr.'s foreign policy was distinguished by several successful military operations and a decrease in tensions between the United States and the USSR (in February 1992, an agreement was signed between the forty-first president of the United States and the then head of the Russian Federation to end the Cold War). The population's confidence rating in the actions of Bush Sr. reached 89% after ordering the start of military operations in Panama and the Persian Gulf.

Military intervention in Panama: Operation Just Cause

Bush Sr., whose policies in relations with other states received a positive response in American society, ordered the invasion of Panama on December 17-18, 1989. The official objectives of the invasion were stated to be authorized persons, become:

ensuring the safety of US citizens located in Panama;

protection of the Panama Canal, which has important geopolitical significance;

support for the Panamanian authorities legally elected during the elections;

the overthrow of General Noriega's regime and subsequent trial as a war criminal (in addition, General Noriega was accused of drug trafficking).

The invasion was preceded by pressure on Panama, the introduction of economic sanctions by the United States and an increase in the US military contingent in the independent state. Subsequently, the main operational tasks assigned to groups of saboteurs and US tactical aviation were completed in full in one day:

an attempt was made to capture the President of Panama;

television broadcasting was stopped (the emblem of the US Department of Defense and the requirement not to attack American soldiers were broadcast);

military personnel and equipment were landed at several airfields and an air base.

The last battles took place on Christmas morning 1989. As a result of the US military operation, the government of Panama was overthrown by force, and new president took the oath of office at a United States military base. Manuel Noriega remains in an American prison to this day, and the Panama Canal is under US control.

Reaction to the collapse of the communist system

George Bush Sr., whose foreign policy was distinguished by decisiveness, expectedly supported the development of democratic principles in the republics of the Soviet Union and condemned the August 1991 coup in Moscow. In 1992, he signed a treaty with Boris Yeltsin to end the Cold War.

Gulf War

The conflict that erupted over the restoration of Kuwait's independence became known for the scale of the use of aircraft and so-called smart weapons. Besides, military operation received the unspoken name of “television war” due to the widespread coverage of what was happening in the media.

The prerequisite for US intervention was the invasion of the regular Iraqi army into Kuwait, whose forces were retreating to the territory of Saudi Arabia. The Iraqi army was both quantitatively and qualitatively superior to the Kuwaiti forces, so the invasion was successful in advance for the aggressor.

On the same day, the world community condemned the intervention. A few days later, part of Kuwait's territory was effectively annexed to Iraq, while the UN Security Council continued to pass resolutions. At the same time, American troops had already begun to arrive in Saudi Arabia in order to ensure the security of a state that is clearly inferior to Iraq in military power and has significant oil reserves. The operation to liberate Kuwait began ten days later.

During Operation Desert Storm, Kuwait was completely liberated within four days. On March 3, a ceasefire agreement was signed.

Bush Sr.'s policy towards Asia and Latin America

US President George W. Bush did not forget about other regions that could potentially influence America. Politician great importance attached importance to international trade, so he put up with some phenomena that were alien to “American democracy.” For example, Bush Sr. did not intervene in the repressions in China, limiting himself only to an official appeal and the threat of sanctions.

Other military operations during the presidency of George H. W. Bush

In addition to the intervention in Panama and Operation Desert Storm, several other military incidents occurred during the presidency of George W. Bush. Among the latter we can list:

2 downed Libyan aircraft;

CIA involvement in the overthrow and murder of Ceausescu;

air support for the Philippine government during the suppression of the coup attempt;

military assistance to Guatemala in the “fight against communism”;

support for the coup d'état in Haiti;

“Renewing Hope” - US military occupation of Somalia;

assistance in the conflict between the pro-American candidate and the legitimate government of Angola.

It was under George H. W. Bush that America first tried on the role of “world policeman.”

Activities after the end of the presidential term

After the end of his term, George Bush Sr. (his photo is in the article) continued to engage in a number of commercial and public projects.

In addition, the forty-first president is the author of several books that are in demand not only in his homeland politician, but also all over the world.

He passed away at the age of 95 ex-president USA George Bush Sr., who led the country from 1989 to 1993. This is stated in a statement issued by his press service.

George Bush Sr. Photo: Reuters/Adrees Latif

According to a spokesman for the country's 41st president, Bush Sr. died on November 30 in Houston. The time and place of the funeral will be announced shortly.

In April 2018, the wife of the ex-president passed away - Barbara Pierce Bush with whom they lived for 73 years. A day after the funeral, Bush Sr. was admitted to the intensive care unit of a Houston hospital with blood poisoning. Former American leader last years suffered from a severe form of Parkinson's disease. He was chained to wheelchair, he was often hospitalized with various exacerbating diseases. In 2017, Bush Sr. was recognized as the longest-serving former American leader in the country's history.

Dossier

George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924 in the city of Milton, Massachusetts, in the family of a famous American banker and senator. Prescott Bush.

Shortly after his birth, the family moved from Milton to Greenwich, Connecticut. Here Bush began his education at the district day school. Beginning in 1936, he attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. The future politician from a young age showed leadership skills- He was an excellent student, and was president of the senior class, secretary of the student council, and captain of the baseball and football teams.

After graduating from school, Bush entered Yale University, but did not begin his studies because he went to the front of World War II.

Participation in World War II

In December 1941, the Japanese attacked the American naval and air base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, thereby drawing the United States into the Second World War. world war. After this event, 17-year-old Bush decided to join the US Navy. He became the youngest pilot in the history of the US Navy.

Bush served in the American army until the very end of the war, without being injured. However, in 1944, during one of the operations over the Pacific Ocean, his fighter came under intense anti-aircraft fire and was shot down. The pilot completed the mission by dropping bombs on the target and successfully ejected. He turned out to be the only survivor of the entire crew of the plane - the parachutes of his comrades did not open.

In total, Bush took part in 58 battles, for which he received an award for flying merits and three Air Medals. Following the Japanese surrender, he was given an honorable discharge in September 1945. A week after returning from the war, Bush married Barbara Pierce and was readmitted to Yale University.

Post-war activities

Bush graduated from the university in an accelerated program - in 2.5 years, receiving a bachelor's degree in economics. There he distinguished himself as a top student, served as a fraternity leader, captained the Yale baseball team, and played in the first two world collegiate championships.

After graduating from Yale, Bush and his family moved to Texas, where he founded his own oil company. By the age of 40, he became a millionaire.

Political career

Income from business allowed Bush to accumulate funds for his campaign for election to the House of Representatives.

In 1966, Bush was elected to Congress, and from that moment began his successful 40-year career as a civil servant. From 1971 to 1973 he served as the permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations, in 1973 he headed the National Committee Republican Party, in 1976 during the presidency Gerald Ford was appointed director of the CIA.

In 1980, Bush decided to run for president, but lost the internal party primaries to the former actor and governor of California Ronald Reagan. Having won the presidential race, Reagan appointed Bush as his vice president. The politician held this position for eight years, both terms of President Reagan.

Presidency

In 1988, Bush won the presidential election against a Democrat as the Republican candidate. Michael Dukakis. On January 20, 1989, he replaced Ronald Reagan in the highest US government position, becoming the second vice president in the history of the country to move to the chair of the head of the White House.

Bush served as US President for one term. His presidency saw major changes in the world: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the resignation of the first president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the collapse of the USSR, which marked the end of the Cold War. In February 1992, the presidents of Russia and the United States Boris Yeltsin and George W. Bush signed a joint declaration that officially ended the Cold War.

Bush's presidency was marked by military operations in Panama and the Philippines, as well as the massive Desert Storm military campaign to defeat the Iraqi army Saddam Hussein, which invaded Kuwait. And although the operation did not lead to the overthrow of the Hussein regime, Americans appreciated Bush's actions - his rating soared to a record 89%.

However, against the backdrop of foreign policy victories, the country's economy faltered. The American leader inherited from Reagan a huge budget deficit of $220 billion at that time, which he was never able to eliminate. Bush, under pressure from Congress and his advisers, decided to raise taxes on US citizens, which he promised to rid America of during the election campaign. As a result, Bush failed to be re-elected to a second presidential term in 1992, losing the election to a Democrat Bill Clinton.

Further activities

After leaving the post of head of the White House, 69-year-old Bush was practically done with politics. He supported his son's participation in the presidential elections. After George W. Bush won the election and became the 43rd President of the United States in 2001, his father received the unofficial prefix to the name “senior.”

In the 2000s, Bush Sr. traveled a lot around the world. Together with Bill Clinton, he began raising funds for victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami, as well as for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005.

After retiring, he began writing memoirs and skydiving. Since his 75th birthday, Bush Sr. has jumped every five years, most recently on his 90th birthday.

Family

Bush Sr. is survived by five children, 17 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. In his marriage to Barbara, the politician had six children: George Walker Bush (born in 1946), Paulina Robinson Bush (born in 1949, died of leukemia in 1953), John Ellis “Jeb” Bush (born . in 1953), Neil Mallon Bush (born in 1955), Marvin Pierce Bush (born in 1956), and Dorothy Bush Koch (born in 1959). Famous politician became not only George W. Bush, but also his younger brother Jeb. He served as governor of Florida and competed in the 2016 presidential race.

In Milton, Massachusetts.

Father - Prescott Sheldon Bush - an influential figure in the Republican Party, was a partner in the New York firm Brown, Brothers, Harriman and Company, and from 1952 to 1963 - a senator from the state of Connecticut. Mother - Dorothy Walker - from the New York banking clan of Walkers.

George Bush spent his childhood in Greenwich (Connecticut).

In 1936 he entered the prestigious military school- Phillips Academy in Andover (Massachusetts). Upon graduation in June 1942, six months after the United States entered World War II, he enlisted in the Navy.

After completing a ten-month flight training course, Bush was commissioned as a junior officer on June 9, 1943, becoming the youngest naval aviator.

George W. Bush flew 58 combat missions in the Southwest Pacific war zone. On September 2, 1944, Bush's plane was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft fire, and he, ordering the crew to abandon the plane, jumped with a parachute. All crew members survived, except one. On the water, the pilots were picked up by sailors from an American submarine. For his participation in hostilities, George W. Bush was awarded the Navy Officer's Cross and three combat medals.

George Bush Sr. opened an account in the popular social network Twitter.

The first message that the former American leader left on the microblogging service concerned the memorial service that took place in South Africa for the ex-president of that country, Nelson Mandela.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources