George H. W. Bush 1989-1993

Born: 1924, Milton, MA

A product of the Eastern establishment, George Bush attended Andover and Yale and served as a Navy pilot in World War II before starting a successful oil business in Texas. Twice elected to Congress, he was U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., then headed the Republican National Committee, the U.S. Liaison Office in Peking, and the CIA. In 1980, he sought the Republican Presidential nomination, but became Ronald Reagan's running mate instead. A loyal and competent Vice-President, Bush won the White House in 1988, promising better education, a cleaner environment and no new taxes.

Bush's Presidency was marked by historic events in world affairs. Emboldened by glasnost and perestroika, Eastern bloc nations renounced communist rule; Germany united; and the Soviet Union disintegrated. The Cold War ended, but other wars began. When Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Bush assembled an international coalition to reverse the aggression, culminating in the successful military operation, "Desert Storm." But chaos and brutality reigned elsewhere in the world and nearly every nation battled recession. At home, the sour economy took its toll and, after 12 years of Republican administrations, Americans voted for change.

Forty-First President
Republican