George H.W. Bush Remembered as Humble American Patriot
"Through all that he accomplished, he remained humble, following the quiet call to service that gave him a clear sense of direction," President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump said of Bush
By Staff Report ••
The nation’s 41st President George H.W. Bush, who on June 12 became the first former U.S. president to turn 94, died today.
After former President George H.W. Bush died Friday night, he was remembered as a humble patriot and man of character by other presidents, including his son, and others in the political world.
"George H. W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for," former President George W. Bush, who served in the Oval Office eight years after his father, said in a statement. "The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens."
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George H. Bush, newly appointed United Nations Ambassador shown Dec. 18, 1970. (AP Photo/John Duricka)
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In 1988, George H.W. Bush was elected as the 41st President of the United States. Entering presidency during the final dissolution of the USSR, Bush was embarking upon a dramatically changing world. He is best known for his foreign policy during Operation Desert Storm in Kuwait and for his impressive record in public service.
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George Herbert Walker Bush is pictured here at one and a half years old. The former president was born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts to Senator Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker. He has three brothers: Prescott S. Bush Jr., Jonathan J. Bush and William Trotter Bush, as well as a sister, Nancy Walker Bush Ellis.
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The former president enlisted in the armed forces on his 18th birthday, becoming the youngest pilot in the U.S. Navy at the time. Bush went on to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal for his bravery in action during a mission over the Pacific. Here, he is pictured in the cockpit of his TBM Avenger during World War II.
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In January 1945, the former president married Barbara Pierce. The two met at a Christmas dance, and George invited Barbara to his senior prom later that spring. In response, Barbara wrote, "I'm really all excited, but scared to death too. If you hear a big noise up there, don't worry, it's just my knees knocking."
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Here, Bush poses with his wife Barbara and his brother Bucky in the 1940s. George Bush went on to graduate from Yale with a degree in economics. Afterwards, he continued on to the oil business where he profited greatly before entering politics in 1964.
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After two unsuccessful runs for the Senate seat, Bush served two terms as a U.S. congressman from Texas between 1966-1970. In this photo from 1968, the elder Bush is about to pin a lieutenant bar on his son after he was made an officer in the Texas Air National Guard.
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Rep. George H.W. Bush sits alone in front of television set in Houston on Nov. 3, 1970, as he trails in his bid for the U.S. Senate against Democrat Lloyd Bentsen.
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Although he was unsuccessful in his two races for the senate, Bush was appointed to a series of high-level positions, including ambassador to the United Nations (1971-1971) and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (1976-1977).
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Secretary of State Henry Kissinger talks with George Bush, then Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to the People's Republic of China, at the White House on August 28, 1974, shortly after Gerald Ford became President.
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In December 1975, George H. W. Bush looks over his material prior to delivering testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on his qualification for the job of CIA director. He would serve in this role for 357 days, giving national security briefings to Jimmy Carter both during his campaign and following his election.
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Presidential candidate George H. W. Bush poses during a 1980 Los Angeles, California, photo portrait session. Bush would later become Vice President under Ronald Reagan later that year.
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In November 1983, George H. W. Bush looks over captured weapons and anti-aircraft guns taken during the Grenada invasion.
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In 1988, Bush won the Republican nomination for president. Along with Indiana Senator Dan Quayle as his running mate, he defeated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis in the general election.
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George H.W. Bush, then Vice President of the United States, sits with his sons George W. and Jeb while holding a fish, August 1983 in Kennebunkport, Maine.
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In a sand-bagged bunker, the then-president peers along the barrel of a machine gun in Saudi Arabia. During the 1990 Thanksgiving holiday, he visited U.S. troops deployed to the area during Operation Desert Shield. The operation was dubbed as one of the greater displays of his foreign policy during his presidency.
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President George Bush gestures as he chats with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Washington after a summit meeting with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in Helsinki, Finland on Sept. 9, 1990. At right is UPI White House reporter Helen Thomas.
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Bush leans over Brandon Seeger, a student at the Saturn School of Tomorrow, in St. Paul, Minnesota where the president visited to talk about his plans for educational programs. Seeger showed the president how his computer worked during a writing workshop at the school.
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In this photo from 1992, Bush works his way through a sea of California National Guardsmen in Los Angeles, before leaving the state for Washington, D.C. He was in L.A. for two days where he viewed the damage done in the L.A. riots of 1992.
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Bush and his wife Barbara were known to visit Houston during the winter and spend their summers in a home in Kennebunkport, Maine.
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In 1992, Bush lost his bid for reelection to Democrat Bill Clinton. The two have since become close friends and are seen here during a friendly game of golf.
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Former President George H. W. Bush offers a toast at former President Gerald Ford at Ford's Library rededication April 17, 1997 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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In this Jan. 20, 2001, photo, President George W. Bush waves as he watches his inaugural parade pass by the White House viewing stand in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20, 2001. With him are his wife and first lady Laura Bush and his father, former President George H.W. Bush. The last time the nation had seen a president's father live long enough to attend his son's inauguration was 40 years earlier, when Joseph Kennedy watched the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy in 1961.
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Former President George H.W. Bush saw both his sons enter politics, following in his footsteps. Here, he and the rest of the Bush family monitor election night returns for Jeb Bush, center, on November 5, 2002 in their Miami, Florida hotel room. Jeb would continue as Florida's governor until 2009 before unsuccessfully mounting a run for President in 2016.
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Former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton (not pictured) and George H.W. Bush (R) joins President George W. Bush in the Oval Office on Sept. 1, 2005 in Washington, DC. President Bush appointed Clinton and the older Bush to lead a fund-raising effort for victims of hurricane Katrina.
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Accompanied by their wives, former presidents George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush wave to reporters outside St. John's church in Washington for a conference on first ladies.
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U.S. President Barack Obama shared a moment with former President George H.W. Bush during the 2010 Medal of Freedom presentation ceremony at the East Room of the White House on February 15, 2011, in Washington, DC. Obama presented the medal, the highest honor awarded to civilians, to twelve pioneers in sports, labor, politics and arts.
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Former President George H. W. Bush is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011. Obama said Bush and 14 other people awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom "reveal the best of who we are and who we aspire to be."
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Still a sports buff even in his later years, former President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara arrived at the Houston Astros baseball game against the Colorado Rockies on the opening day of the 2012 Major League Baseball season.
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Then-Presidents Mikhail Gorbachev of the former USSR and George H.W. Bush first met in 1989 shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The two were reunited in Houston, Texas on Nov. 1, 2012. They duo were accompanied by former First Lady Barbara Bush, Gorbachev's daughter Irina Virganskaya, and adviser Pavel Palazhchenko.
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George H.W. Bush attended the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas in April 2013. President Barack Obama stands with the former presidents, from second from left, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter.
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George H.W. Bush and his son, former President George W. Bush embraced each other during the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
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In this photo taken April 9, 2014, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are greeted by former President George H.W. Bush as they arrive on Air Force One at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
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Former President George H.W. Bush, left, strapped to Sgt. 1st Class Mike Elliott, a retired member of the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, land on the lawn at St. Anne's Episcopal Church after making a tandem parachute jump near Bush's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine on June 12, 2014. Bush made the jump, his eighth, in celebration of his 90th birthday.
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Former President George H.W. Bush is interviewed for "The Presidents' Gatekeepers" project about the White House Chiefs of Staff at the Bush Library, October 24, 2011, in College Station, Texas.
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Former President George H.W. Bush at his home in Kennebunkport, Maine, June 17, 2015.
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Former president George H.W. Bush talks with Houston Texans owner Bob McNair before the first half of an AFC Wild Card NFL game between the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders, Jan. 7, 2017, in Houston.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump said they join the nation in mourning Trump's inspiring and faithful predecessor, according to a statement released early in the morning in Argentina, where they are attending the G-20 summit.
"President Bush guided our Nation, and the world, to a peaceful and victorious conclusion of the Cold War," they said. "As President, he set the stage for the decades of prosperity that have followed. And through all that he accomplished, he remained humble, following the quiet call to service that gave him a clear sense of direction."
Vice President Mike Pence said in a statement that "his example will always inspire and his lifetime of service will be enshrined in the hearts of the American people forever."
Former President Barack Obama had visited with Bush in Houston earlier in the week, and he and Michelle Obama in a statement called Bush a "patriot and humble servant" of his country with "a legacy of service that may never be matched."
"George H.W. Bush’s life is a testament to the notion that public service is a noble, joyous calling. And he did tremendous good along the journey," they said, citing his role in bringing the Cold War to an end, saving Kuwait from Saddam Hussein and legislative achievements.
Statement by the Office of George H. W. Bush on the passing of the 41st President of the United States of America this evening at 10:10pm CT at the age of 94. pic.twitter.com/XUPgha2aUW
Former President Bill Clinton also paid tribute to Bush with a statement made with his wife Hillary, saying "he never stopped serving."
"Few Americans have been—or will ever be—able to match President Bush’s record of service to the United States and the joy he took every day from it; from his military service in World War II, to his work in Congress, the United Nations, China, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Vice Presidency and the Presidency, where he worked to move the post Cold War world toward greater unity, peace, and freedom."
And former President Jimmy Carter said he and wife Rosalynn "are deeply saddened" by Bush's death. They said in a statement that his administration "Was marked by grace, civility, and social conscience."
Many others, from others leaders to public figures, paid their respects to Bush.
"It was a time of great change, demanding great responsibility from everyone. The result was the end of the Cold War and nuclear arms race said former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev said he and his wife "deeply appreciated the attention, kindness and simplicity typical of George and Barbara Bush, as well as the rest of their large, friendly family" said former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev."
"I was honored to be nominated by him to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States," said U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. "Both he and Mrs. Bush were the essence of decency and kindness then and throughout the years."
Even the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, shared his memories of "the first American President that I was privileged to meet." He wrote in a statement that he was "deeply touched" by Bush's "concern for the Tibetan people and the situation in Tibet." The Dalai Lama added that he led "a meaningful life, dedicated to public service."
Bush tried to "create a new international order based on justice and equality among nations" ... he never "forgot the Kuwaiti people and will remain in their memory." said Kuwait's ruling emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah. Bush led a 35-nation coalition into Kuwait after Iraq annexed and invaded the country.
"I will never forget George H.W. Bush and President Clinton meeting me in my old hometown of New Orleans to show support and raise money after Hurricane Katrina. I send my love to his family tonight" said Ellen DeGeneres via Twitter.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell remembered the times Bush participated in the coin tosses before two Super Bowls, including Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans after Sept. 11. Goodell said in a statement that Bush "was a true friend of the NFL and a genuine fan who understood the power of sports to bring people together. Our entire league is grateful for this extraordinary man."
"Texans are genuinely honored that he called the Lone Star State home and we collectively grieve this monumental loss" said Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
"It was with sadness that I learned of the death of President George H W Bush last night," Queen Elizabeth II said in a statement. "President Bush was a great friend and ally of the United Kingdom. ... Prince Philip and I remember our days in Texas in 1991 with great fondness."
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he's "deeply saddened" by the news of Bush's passing. Abe praised Bush in a statement Saturday for Bush's role in ending the Cold War with the Soviet Union and taking leadership in the Gulf War.
"Bush accomplished historic, great achievements by contributing to peace and stability of the international community," Abe said from the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires.
During his four-year presidency, Bush visited Japan twice and played tennis with Emperor Akihito. Abe said that "hugely" contributed to further enhancing amicable Japan-U.S. relations.
