PRESIDENTS DAY
Born: Born in Milton, Massachusetts, on June 12, 1924.
Education: Attended Phillips Academy in Andover. On his 18th birthday he enlisted in the armed forces. After World War II he graduated from Yale University.
Occupation: Soldier, Bush embarked on a career in the oil industry
of West Texas.Public official.
Religon: Methodist
Family life: On January 6, 1945 he married Barbara Pierce. They had six children: George, Robin (who died as a child), John (known as Jeb), Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. The death of their daughter Robin from leukemia when she was not quite four left George and Barbara Bush with a lifelong compassion. She says, "Because of Robin, George and I love every living human more." A strong advocate of volunteerism, Mrs. Bush helped many causes; including the homeless, AIDS, the elderly, and school volunteer programs. Today Barbara Bush lives in a home she and her husband built in Houston, Texas, where she enjoys being part of the community. Their children and grandchildren visit them often in Houston
and at the family summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Devoted to her family, Mrs. Bush still finds time to work on an autobiography, serve on the Boards of AmeriCares and the Mayo Clinic, and continue her prominent role in the Barbara Bush Foundation.
Political career:Served two terms as a Representative to Congress from Texas. Twice he ran unsuccessfully for the Senate. Then he was appointed to a
series of high-level positions: Ambassador to the United Nations, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chief of the U. S. Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In 1980 Bush campaigned for the Republican nomination for President. He lost, but was chosen as
a running mate by Ronald Reagan. In 1988 Bush won the Republican nomination for President and, with Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate, he defeated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in the general election.
Highlights of his predidency: President Bush sent American troops into Panama to overthrow the corrupt regime of General Manuel Noriega, who was threatening the security of the canal and the Americans living there. Noriega was brought to the United States for trial as a drug trafficker. Bush's greatest test came when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, then threatened
to move into Saudi Arabia. Vowing to free Kuwait, Bush rallied the United Nations, the U. S. people, and Congress and sent 425,000 American troops. They were joined by 118,000 troops from allied nations. After weeks of air and missile bombardment, the 100-hour land battle dubbed Desert Storm routed Iraq's million-man army. Despite unprecedented popularity from this military and diplomatic triumph, Bush was unable to withstand discontent at home from a faltering economy, rising violence in inner cities, and continued high deficit spending. In 1992 he lost his bid for re-election to Democrat William Clinton.
Appearance: George Bush is a tall fisherman with a crooked grin who dislikes seafood and favors conservative neckties.
Abraham Lincoln * Calvin Coolidge * Thomas Jefferson * Andrew Johnson
Herbert Hoover * James Madison * Ulysses S. Grant * Franklin D. Roosevelt
James Monroe * Rutherford B. Hayes * Harry S Truman
John Quincy Adams * James A. Garfield * Dwight D. Eisenhower * Andrew Jackson Chester A. Arthur * John F. Kennedy * Martin Van Buren * Grover Cleveland
Lyndon B. Johnson * William Henry Harrison * Benjamin Harrison * Richard M. Nixon
John Tyler * Grover Cleveland * Gerald Ford * James K. Polk * William McKinley
James E. Carter * Zachary Taylor * Theodore Roosevelt * Ronald W. Reagan
Millard Fillmore * William Howard Taft * George Bush * Franklin Pierce
Woodrow Wilson * William J. Clinton
