Former President George H.W. Bush, who spent a lifetime in public
service and as the nation's leader scored a decisive victory over Saddam
Hussein but battled a faltering economy, died Friday at age 94.
Family
spokesman Jim McGrath said Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday,
about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush.
He
is survived by five children, including former President George W. Bush
and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. A sixth child died in early childhood.
The late former president also is survived by 17 grandchildren.
Former President George W. Bush issued the following statement upon his father's death:
"Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died.
George H.W. Bush
was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter
could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41's life
and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad,
and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens."
President
Trump, who is in Argentina attending the G-20 summit, also issued a
statement on behalf of himself and first lady Melania Trump. It read in
part:
"Melania and I join with a grieving Nation to mourn the loss of former President George H.W. Bush, who passed away last night.
"Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering
commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired
generations of his fellow Americans to public service — to be, in his
words, “a thousand points of light” illuminating the greatness, hope,
and opportunity of America to the world."
George H.W. Bush
was known for his gentlemanly demeanor, dedication to traditional
American values, willingness to take on foreign despots like Iraq's
Hussein and Panama's Manuel Noriega, and presiding over the breakup of
the Soviet Union.
FILE - In this Jan. 20, 1989, file photo, President George H.W.
Bush raises his right hand as he is sworn into office as the 41st
president of the United States by Chief Justice William Rehnquist
outside the west front of the Capitol as first lady Barbara Bush holds
the Bible for her husband. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov.
30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush.
(AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File)
In childhood, he was nicknamed "have half" for
his generosity in offering other youngsters half of whatever he had.
After leaving office, he was often referred to as "41" – shorthand for
his status as America's 41st president and to distinguish him from his
son and fellow president, George W., who was known as "43."
George Herbert Walker Bush was born June 12, 1924 in Milton, Mass., the
son of Dorothy Walker Bush and Prescott Bush, a banker who later became a
Republican senator from Connecticut. The family, which included four
sons and one daughter, was wealthy and politically active.
Bush attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. and after graduating on
his 18th birthday, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was commissioned
that same year, becoming the youngest pilot in the Navy, and flew 58
combat missions in the Pacific. In 1944, he was hit by anti-aircraft
fire 600 miles south of Japan but managed to bail out, and was awarded
the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals.
Former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, who died in April.
(FNC)
On January 6, 1945, the
20-year-old Bush married 19-year-old Barbara Pierce of Rye, N.Y., whom
he had met at a Christmas party three years earlier. They had four sons,
George, Jeb, Neil and Marvin, and two daughters, Robin and Dorothy.
Robin died of leukemia at age 3.
Following World War II, he enrolled at Yale University, where his first
son, George W., was born. Bush graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in
economics and was captain of the varsity baseball team.
He and Barbara then moved to Texas where he worked in the oil business
and was elected to two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. After
losing a campaign for the Senate in 1970, Bush was appointed to a
series of high-level political positions: U.S. Ambassador to the UN,
chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chief of the U.S. Liaison
Office in Beijing and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
In 1980 he was elected to the first of two terms as Ronald Reagan's vice
president and in 1988 was nominated by the Republicans to carry the
party's banner, with Sen. Dan Quayle of Indiana as his running mate, in
that year's presidential election.
FILE - In this Nov. 3, 1980 file photo, former President Gerald
Ford lends his support to Republican presidential candidate Ronald
Reagan and his running mate George H.W. Bush, in Peoria, Ill. Bush died
at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the
death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/File)
"This is America…a brilliant diversity spread like
stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky," he
said in his convention acceptance speech and the "thousand points of
light" phrase came to be associated with his administration.
"This is America … a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky."
— Former President George H.W. Bush
George Bush waves to a crowd of supporters Nov. 5, 1988. Bush and
his running mate Dan Quayle defeat Michael Dukakis in the Presidential
election. His efforts to reduce the deficit failed while creating the
lowest growth period since the Great Depression. (Photo by Cynthia
Johnson/Liaison)
At his Jan. 20, 1989 inauguration following his
defeat of Democrat Michael Dukakis, Bush declared "a new breeze is
blowing and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn … the totalitarian
era is passing."
And, in fact, the world did dramatically change with the end of the Cold
War, the breakup of the Soviet empire and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
But Bush faced new international challenges, as well. In 1989 he sent
American troops to Panama to depose that country's leader, Gen. Manuel
Noriega, who was returned to the U.S. to stand trial as a drug
trafficker. In 1990, he put together a 30-nation coalition to oppose
Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and in early 1991 launched Operation Desert
Storm, a 100-hour land battle that routed the Iraqi army.
FILE - In this Feb. 11, 1991, file photo, President George H.W.
Bush talks to reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House after
meeting with top military advisors to discuss the Persian Gulf War. From
left are, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, Vice President Dan Quayle,
White House Chief of Staff John Sununu, the president, Secretary of
State James A. Baker III, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Colin Powell.
Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months
after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)
But Bush – who once famously said "Read my lips:
no new taxes" -- was faced with economic discontent at home. Trying to
reduce the deficit, he signed a bill to raise taxes and also had to deal
with failing savings and loans.
On the judicial front, he made two Supreme Court appointments – David Souter in 1990 and Clarence Thomas in 1991.
April 20, 2017: President George H.W. Bush received a visit at the hospital from his son George W. Bush.
(@GeorgeHWBush/Twitter)
Although
occasionally criticized for his lack of eloquence – such as referring to
a focus on the larger picture as "the vision thing" – Bush's comments
also could be endearingly frank.
Referring to his dislike for a particular vegetable, he once said, "I do
not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and
my mother made me eat it. And I'm President of the United States and I'm
not going to eat any more broccoli."
Following his defeat by Bill Clinton in the 1992 election, George and
Barbara Bush moved to Houston, where he had long maintained a hotel room
as his legal address. They also spent time in Kennebunkport, Maine,
where the Bush family has long had a waterside home.
FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2009, file photo, President George W. Bush,
center, poses with President-elect Barack Obama, second left, and
former presidents, George H.W. Bush, left, Bill Clinton, second right,
and Jimmy Carter, right, in the Oval Office of the White House in
Washington. Bush has died at age 94. Family spokesman Jim McGrath says
Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight
months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/J. Scott
Applewhite, File)
He made appearances on behalf of his son, George
W., during his administration and in 2005 joined forces with Bill
Clinton, the man who defeated him, to help those devastated by Hurricane
Katrina and by the Asian tsunami.
""Because you run against each other, that doesn't mean you're
enemies," Bush said at the time, summing up his political philosophy.
"Politics doesn't have to be uncivil and nasty."
Active
until his last years, when his health confined him to a wheelchair, Bush
celebrated his 90th birthday jumping out of a helicopter.
More
recently, Bush joined the four other living ex-presidents in the fall of
2017 for a concert in Texas to benefit victims of hurricanes Harvey,
Irma and Maria.
