“Some political people do lie all the time, and step over their friend to achieve the objective themselves. But I’m one who believes that one’s word of honor is about one of the most fundamentally important things there is.”

George H.W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts on June 12, 1924, and was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, an affluent suburb of New York City. He served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. While the cause of death is unknown it is believed that he died of a broken heart since his wife died 8 months earlier.

At the age of 18, he became the youngest pilot working in the U.S. Navy. During the second world war, he was shot down while in combat over the Pacific ocean. Bush also got the honor of achieving the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After the war had ended, Bush entered Yale college, wherein only three short years he earned a Bachelor’s Association degree in economics and a Phi Beta Kappa key award.

Bush entered into the workforce by sweeping warehouse floors and painting machinery, but he soon climbed his way to the top. By 1950, he formed the Bush-Overbey Company with his partner John Overbey in Midland, Texas. This company grew dramatically and which led him to take on more partners. A couple of years later in 1954, Bush co-founded and became the president of a company that dealt in oil exploration, Zapata Offshore Company.

All of this helped Bush earn his very own fortune. Because of this, Bush started to become active in Republican Party politics. By the year 1964, he became chairman of the Republic Party in Harris County, Texas. He then ran for U.S. Senate that same year but was ultimately defeated because of the Democratic landslide that occurred.

In the election of 1966 Bush was luckier and became the first-ever Republican to represent the city of Houston in Congress. Bush was re-elected without a hitch in 1968. In 1970, Bush was finally ready to go and try to be elected for the Senate again but this time was defeated by Lloyd Bentsen.

In 1980, Bush decided to make his own run for the title of President. During the beginning of the year, Bush made a solid appearance. But, by the time the Republicans finally decided to meet for their convention in Detroit, it was evident that Ronald Reagan would become the nominee for the Republicans. Because of this George Bush decided to drop out of the race since he believed he had no chance of winning. A lot of the Republicans were startled when Reagan decided to go and select Bush as his official running mate. During this time, the two were widely considered to be impregnable leaders of opposite wings of the Republican Party. Reagan was a conservative while Bush was a moderate. But, Bush did indeed campaign very effectively for the ticket. Reagan and Bush won skillfully and were re-elected by a sweep in the year 1984.

George Bush ran for president again in late 1988 and, in the end, won the Republican nomination over a variety of nominees. His election that year was a significant win, but it was not the landslide that he had experienced when he  Reagan was elected in 1984.

Two of the most major and delightful of his entire presidency were the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) being passed and how he prosecuted the war to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. The effort that was put forth by the U.S. was overwhelming. They ended up leading an impressive alliance that included Arab countries that had a long relationship with the United States in which the Arab countries were strongly suspicious of the U.S. The experience that they gained from the cooperation between both countries happened to lead to a reestablishment of the blocked process for the Mideast to obtain peace.

An inactive economy took away any chance for President Bush to be re-elected in 1992. Bush was sadly defeated by Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas, the candidate for the Democratic Party. Bush tried to avoid criticizing Clinton when he left office and supported him when the very disputed North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into action. Even though NAFTA was initially drafted during Bush’s presidency.

For Bush’s 72nd, 75th, 80th, 85th, and 90th birthdays he fulfilled an old dream and parachuted from an airplane for the first times since his time in the military. On Bush’s 80th birthday, he decided to parachute two times onto the grounds of his presidential library. These events amazed just about everyone considering his old age.

Bush forged a partnership with the former president Clinton to mobilize international support for disaster relief for Indonesia after they were hit with a tsunami in 2005.

Then, President Barack Obama presented Bush with the  Presidential Medal of Freedom for a lifetime of service in 2011. This award is the nation’s highest civilian honor and took place in a ceremony at the White House.

To take  a look back at George H.W. Bush’s legacy, click on the link here.

Many of my facts were obtained from this website.