Bush was born and raised in New England in a wealthy family. His parents
valued hard work and public service . He was educated at Phillips Academy
Andover before joining the U.S. Navy and becoming a pilot, Bush was the youngest
pilot in the Navy, during World War II. After he left the Navy, he attended Yale
University and received a degree in economics.
After college Bush moved his young family to Texas, where he began to work in the oil
business. He eventually moved to Houston, Texas, where he became involved in
Republican Party politics, first serving as party chairman in Harris County, Texas, and then
serving two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Houston's
Seventh District
After losing an election for a U.S. Senate seat in 1970, Bush was appointed the
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations by President Richard Nixon. He went on to
hold a number of positions within the presidential administrations of Nixon and
Gerald Ford, including chairman of the Republican National Committee, U.S. envoy
to China, and director of Central Intelligence.
In the 1980 Republican presidential primaries, Bush ran as a moderate candidate
with years of experience. However, he was quickly overwhelmed by Ronald Reagan,
the former governor of California. Reagan asked Bush to be his vice president
to help attract moderates and bring foreign policy experience to the ticket.
The Reagan-Bush ticket won handily in both 1980 and 1984.
In the 1988 presidential election, Bush's candidacy offered a continuation of
the Reagan years. He wanted to soften some of Reagan's programs and promised
"a kinder and gentler nation". Bush was the first President since Martin Van Buren
to move directly from the vice presidency to the presidency through his own
election. Bush was sworn in as President on January 20, 1989, and with a strong
team of foreign policy advisers, he helped the United States navigate the
end of the Cold War and a new era in U.S.-Soviet relations. He also led an
international coalition of countries which successfully forced Iraq to withdraw
from Kuwait in the Persian Gulf War.
