George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush was born in Massachusetts in 1924, enlisted in the Navy at eighteen, and flew torpedo bombers in the Pacific during World War II. After surviving a plane crash he returned home, graduated from Yale, and moved to Texas, where he founded a successful oil company. Bush entered politics in the 1960s, serving two terms in the House of Representatives before holding numerous diplomatic posts, including ambassador to the United Nations, envoy to China, and director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Ronald Reagan chose Bush as his running mate in 1980, and Bush spent eight years as vice president, chairing task forces on deregulation and anti-drug policies. In 1988 he won the presidency promising a "kinder, gentler nation" and vowing, "Read my lips: no new taxes." His term coincided with historic change: the Berlin Wall fell, Germany reunified, and the Soviet Union dissolved. Bush worked with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to ensure that these transitions happened peacefully.

When Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, Bush assembled one of the largest international coalitions in history. With United Nations approval, Operation Desert Storm liberated Kuwait through a brief but intense air and ground campaign in early 1991. The success demonstrated his preference for multilateral diplomacy and limited war aims.

At home Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), prohibiting discrimination based on disability, and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, which targeted acid rain and ozone depletion. However, an economic recession forced him to accept a budget compromise that included new taxes, angering conservatives who remembered his campaign promise. Rising deficits and unemployment weakened his 1992 reelection bid.

Bush lost to Bill Clinton but remained active in public service, partnering with former rival Clinton to raise disaster-relief funds and promote humanitarian projects. He spent his final years in Houston and at the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, and was widely regarded as a gracious elder statesman until his death in 2018.