The biography of
the next President of the USA
George W. Bush
and
The next First Lady of The White House
Laura Welch Bush
|
School kids learn about Governor Bush Click here
|
George W. Bush is the 46th Governor of the State of Texas. Now in his second four-year term, Governor Bush has earned a reputation as a principled
conservative who shapes policy based on his beliefs in limited government,
personal responsibility, strong families and local control.
During his first legislative session, Governor Bush successfully worked with Lt.
Governor Bob Bullock, House Speaker Pete Laney, and members of the 74th
Legislature. Together they enacted substantive reforms on Governor Bush's four
major priorities for Texas: curbing lawsuit abuse, providing local control of schools,
strengthening juvenile and criminal justice laws, and reforming welfare.
Governor Bush also worked with the Legislature to pass a balanced $79.9 billion
two-year state budget. The no- new taxes budget dedicated the lion's share of new
revenue to Texas public schools, and represented the lowest rate of growth in state
spending from one biennium to the next in more than 50 years.
Before taking office in January 1995, Governor Bush served as managing general partner of the Texas Rangers baseball organization. In April of 1989, Bush led a group of partners in purchasing the Rangers. Bush was instrumental in bringing together the Rangers and the City of Arlington to build the Rangers' new home, The Ballpark in Arlington. In 1975, Bush founded and became CEO of Bush Exploration, a Midland, Texas based oil and gas company. He was involved in energy exploration throughout the 1980s.
George W. Bush grew up in Midland and Houston. Bush is a former F-102 pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a MBA from Harvard Business School.
He was elected Governor on November 8, 1994, with 53.5 percent of the vote. His large margin of victory after a positive, issue-specific campaign was viewed as a mandate for constructive reforms.
Governor Bush was re-elected in November 1998 by a lanslide. He became the first Governor in the history of
Texas to win two four year terms back to back.
Bush and his wife, the former Laura Welch, now reside in the historic Governor's Mansion in Austin with their 16 year-old twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. Bush has been an active member of the Methodist Church and has served on the boards of various business, charitable, and civic organizations.
Laura Welch Bush uses her public role as First Lady of Texas to highlight literacy and education in Texas. A former public school teacher and librarian, Mrs. Bush joins her husband, Governor George W. Bush, in promoting a statewide reading initiative.
The goal of the Governor’s initiative is for all Texas children to learn to read on grade level or better by the end of the third grade and continue reading on grade level or better throughout their schooling. As part of this effort, Mrs. Bush spearheaded the First Lady’s Family Literacy Initiative for Texas. Funded by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, this initiative aids literacy programs that focus on the reading skills of entire families.
In 1996, she organized and served as honorary chairman of the first annual Texas Book Festival. The three-day celebration of Texas books and authors benefited Texas public libraries.
Mrs. Bush also highlights issues important to women and children. She joined the National Governor’s Association’s Governor’s Spouse Program in promoting breast cancer awareness and women’s health issues, and she works with agencies and volunteer groups to promote child heath and safety.
A native of Midland, Texas, Laura Bush earned a degree in education from Southern Methodist University and a masters in library science from the University of Texas Graduate School of Library Science in Austin. She taught elementary grades in public schools in Dallas, Houston and Austin from 1968 to 1977. She serves on several boards, including the advisory board of the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom and the national advisory board of Reading is Fundamental.
She and George W. Bush were married in Midland in 1977. They are the proud parents of 16-year-old twins, Barbara and Jenna, who are named after their grandmothers. The Bush family is active in the United Methodist Church.
Important Notice