Former President George H.W. Bush Dies at Age 94

Former President George H.W. Bush has died at the age of 94. Spokesman Jim McGrath made the announcement following his passing, late on Friday, November 30.

Bush rose through the political ranks from congressman to U.N. ambassador, then Republican Party chairman to envoy to China, and from the director of the CIA to two terms as vice president to Ronald Reagan. He was elected President of the United States from 1989 to 1993.

Photo: Facebook/George Bush

He was an avid outdoorsman who sought to safeguard the environment during his presidency. He signed the first improvements to the Clean Air Act which hadn’t been reviewed or overhauled in over a decade. He would also go on to sign the Americans with Disabilities Act – legislation designed to ban workplace discrimination against those with disabilities. It would also require public places and transportation to make improvements for access. It would also be under his leadership that America invaded Panama in 1989 and the Gulf War would ensue from August of 1990 through late February of 1991.

In his post-presidency, Bush would go on to do an occasional speech or a paid appearance as well as make visits abroad. He supported President Bill Clinton on the North American Free Trade Agreement. He visited the Middle East. And, he returned to China, where he was the former U.S. ambassador. He was a steadfast humanitarian who went on to partner with Clinton in raising tens of millions for victims of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. During this time, Bush and Clinton built a strong friendship.

Photo: Facebook/George H. W Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush was born June 12, 1924. He was raised in Massachusetts but would later go on to make Texas his home. He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and went on to marry Barbara (his teenage sweetheart) in 1945. They remained happily married until Barbara’s passing in April of this year. He was a graduate of Yale University who went on to make a name in the oil fields of west Texas, eventually moving to Houston where he became active in the Republican Party. In politics, as in all aspects of life, he showed great commitment, and voters honored him as a president, both during and after his leadership. He and Barbara were predeceased by daughter Robin, who succumbed to leukemia in 1953 at the age of 4. He is survived by sons George W., Jeb, Neil, and Marvin, and daughter Dorothy Bush LeBlond, and numerous grand and great-grandchildren.