George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, dies aged 94
Rights — di Andrea Indiano
George H.W. Bush, president of the United States from 1989 to 1993, has died. He launched his sons' dynasty in American politics.
George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, dies aged 94
George H.W. Bush, president of the United States from 1989 to 1993, has died. He launched his sons' dynasty in American politics.
George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and father of the 43rd, George W. Bush, has died aged 94. Known as Bush Senior or as George H.W. Bush — precisely to distinguish him from his eldest son — he passed away on Friday at his home in Houston, Texas, after suffering various health problems in recent years due to Parkinson's disease and respiratory difficulties. Bush is remembered fondly by Americans and Republicans alike, as recent events and figures have led to a reassessment of his presidency — one that was nonetheless not without its blemishes.
Happiest of birthdays to Barbara Pierce of Rye, NY. I'm still the luckiest guy in the world.
George Bush's life and his bond with his wife Barbara
George Bush Senior died just eight months after the passing of his wife Barbara, a constant presence in his life, with whom he had six children. Two of them — his eldest, George Walker, and his third child, John Ellis, known as Jeb — followed in their father's political footsteps. Before entering the Republican Party, George Bush served as a pilot in the United States Navy and fought in the Pacific during the Second World War. Coming from a well-to-do family in Massachusetts, from a young age Bush Senior made a point of not trading on his background, earning a reputation as a hard worker in the political sphere as well. Thanks to his local commitment, he was elected as a congressman in Texas (where he had moved with his wife Barbara after his military service) for two terms, then served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Director of the CIA, and Vice President under Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989.
The Bush Senior presidency
His arrival at the White House coincided with the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union — a difficult period that was navigated globally without excessive risk, in part thanks to his leadership. In 1991, however, the start of the Gulf War in Iraq drew him considerable criticism and set off what amounted to an almost personal struggle with Saddam Hussein. Perhaps as a result of this, he lost the subsequent 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton. He was avenged, in a sense, by his son George W. Bush, president of the United States from 2001 to 2009, who was himself tragically embroiled in the Middle East through the war in Afghanistan following the attacks of 11 September 2001. Bush Senior nonetheless remained active in politics even after his presidency, supporting his sons in their careers while keeping a hand in the family business centred on Texas oil. Highly critical of his fellow Republican Donald Trump, he recently admitted to not having voted for him and to considering him a blowhard. "I come before you and assume the Presidency at a moment rich with promise. We live in a peaceful, prosperous time, but we can make it better," he said, in true American spirit, during his inaugural address at the White House.