George Walker Bush was the 43rd President of the United States.
He was born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut. His father, George H. W. Bush, had been a decorated WWII pilot. When the war ended, George H.W. Bush married his sweetheart, Barbara Pierce, and together they moved to New Haven, Connecticut, so he could attend Yale University.
It was there they had their eldest son, George W. Bush. George H.W.
Bush graduated Yale in 1948, and the family moved to West Texas, surprising many that thought he would go to Wall Street. In 1950, they settled in Midland, Texas, the place George W. Bush calls home. George W. Bush spent his days riding bike, attending Cub Scouts trips, and playing baseball.
Then, in 1953, his 3-year-old sister, Robin, was diagnosed with Leukemia. She died that same year. The death took a toll on Bush’s parents, but brought him and his mother closer, as he spent all his time with her.
In 1959, Bush and his family left Midland and moved to Houston, Texas where his dad, a CEO of an offshore drilling company, could be closer to his rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1961, Bush was accepted into Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, the same high school his father attended. The new school was academically challenging for Bush, although he excelled in sports.
Afterwards, he attended Yale, a college with family ties. Here, he was a popular student with a strong social life. He graduated with a degree in history, went to Harvard and got a degree in business administration, and then traveled back home to Midland and pursued a career in the oil business. In Midland he also met his wife, Laura Welch, and they had twin daughters together. Bush moved to Washington D.
C. in 1988 to help his father’s presidential campaign. After his father won in 1989, Bush moved back to Texas and took the role as an owner of the Texas Rangers, earning himself a reputation as a profitable businessman. When Bush’s father lost his reelection to Bill Clinton, Bush decided to get into politics himself. He ran for governor of Texas in 1994 and faced off against the popular democrat, Ann Richards. The democrats were sure his temper would lose him the campaign, but with his surprisingly easy-going personality, people skills, family reputation, and success with the Rangers, he was able to win the vote with 53%. As a governor, his draw was to Republicans and conservatives, but he quickly developed a status for a bipartisan governing.
After being a governor of Texas, Bush decided to run for President in 1999. Throughout the campaign, he held a strong lead over his democratic opposer, Al Gore. However, as what would be a controversial Election Day grew closer, the polls grew closer as well. On the night of the election, the counts were too close to declare a clear winner, and the result of the election came down to Florida. The electors could not decide upon a winner, and a recount was called. The recount was stopped when the Democrats and Republicans argued over procedure, and the Supreme Court stepped in. They first attempted to stop the Florida Supreme Court’s decision to make an extension for the set date in which the votes must be certified, but by the time the arguments were heard, the certification had already gone through. Next, the Florida Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote, ordered a recount across the state, but the U.
S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, ordered a delay in the Florida Supreme Court’s conclusion. By this 5-4 vote, the recount in Florida was stopped, and the outcome of the 2000 election was essentially won by that 1 vote. Bush had won the election, even though Gore had won the popular vote.
Many are of the opinion that the court overstepped its boundaries, and that the election was solely a political determination. George W. Bush’s first election was met with terrorism and war after the al Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Centers on September 1, 2011.
To prevent future attacks, Bush implemented several new programs, including the Homeland Security Department. After the 9/11 attacks, he had the highest approval rating of any President. During this term, he also “declared war on terror”, and sought to destroy al Qaeda terrorist groups in Afghanistan, and eventually he ordered troops to invade Iraq. In 2004, Bush won the reelection with 51%. Although the wars were not going strong, he stood firm on his belief that they were bettering the world against terrorism. After Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S.
history, the Bush administration received criticism for their failure to respond quickly to the devastation, and Bush’s approval rating dropped to one of the lowest of any President. As his second term came to an end, the U.S. was facing tough times; they were fighting two wars in foreign countries, were in a multi-trillion dollar debt–the worst since the Great Depression, and the stock market was hurt by a severe credit crisis.
George W. Bush’s presidency was a controversial one, and many remember him today for 9/11 and the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan.
