Biography

George Walker Bush was born on July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Conn., the eldest son of President George Bush, who was then still a student at Yale. In 1948, the family moved to Odessa, Tex., where the senior Bush went to work in the oil business. George W., also known as just “W” to distinguish him from his father, grew up mainly in Midland, Tex., and Houston and later attended two of his father‘s alma maters, Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., and Yale. After graduating from Yale with a history degree in 1968, George W. joined the Texas Air National Guard, effectively avoiding military service in Vietnam. He underwent two years of flight training and subsequently served as a part—time fighter pilot until 1973.

Outside of his Guard commitment, Bush dabbled in politics and business but was frequently unemployed. Bush entered Harvard Business School in 1973, and after graduating with an MBA (1975) he returned to Texas, where he established his own oil and gas business in the late 1970s. In 1977 he met and married his wife, Laura Welch, a librarian. The couple has twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, born in 1981.

Coming from a prominent political family—his grandfather Prescott Bush had been a senator from Connecticut and his father a U.S. congressman and political appointee—George W. had been immersed in politics since childhood, and by 1977 he had worked on several political campaigns, including three of his father‘s. In that year Bush finally entered the fray himself, running for U.S. Congress from the West Texas district that included his hometown of Midland. Although he defeated two tough Republican opponents in the primaries, he ultimately lost in the general election to Democrat Kent Hance.

Following his defeat, Bush returned to the oil business, eventually merging his company with another oil company, Spectrum 7, and becoming its chief executive officer. Bush, however, never hit it big as an oilman the way his father had. In 1985 oil prices fell sharply, and the company verged on collapse until it was acquired by a Dallas firm. It was a lucky break for Bush, who wound up with a seat on the board and $300,000 in company stock.

The year 1986 proved something of a turning point for Bush, both personally and professionally. Although he had never been considered an alcoholic, Bush did have a history of drinking too much, and shortly after his fortieth birthday in July, 1986 he gave up alcohol for good. Around the same time he also experienced an awakening and strengthening of his Christian faith. Perhaps most importantly, though, he returned to politics. Having finalized the buyout of his oil company in September, he headed to Washington to become a paid adviser to his father‘s 1988 presidential campaign. It was while working on his father‘s campaign that Bush began to weigh the possibility of running for governor of Texas.In the end he decided to pass while his father was in office; with only a thin political resume, the younger Bush felt he would be quickly accused of running on his father‘s name and credentials.

After the 1988 election, Bush returned to Texas and in 1989 assembled a group of investors to buy the Texas Rangers for $86 million. Although Bush invested only $606,302, he was named managing partner, a position that allowed him to build his reputation in the public eye as a Texas businessman. A baseball enthusiast from his childhood, Bush preferred to sit in the stands among the other fans rather than in the owners‘ box. The younger Bush‘s political turn at bat finally came in 1993, when, in the wake of his father‘s unsuccessful bid for reelection, he announced his plans to run for the Texas governorship.

Although he had a tough opponent in the immensely popular incumbent Ann Richards, he created a clear agenda focused on issues such as education and juvenile justice and won with 53% of the vote. He was reelected in 1998, not long before he announced plans to run for president. At this point the Rangers partners decided to sell the team to a Dallas businessman for $250 million. The timing was fortuitous—George W. made $14.9 million (on his 606,302 investment), which helped fund his presidential campaign as well as his new 1,500—acre ranch near Crawford, Tex.

During the campaign leading up to the 2000 election, George W. characterized himself as a “compassionate conservative,” a vague description meant to evoke a kinder, gentler Republican without committing Bush to any kind of action. On welfare, for example, Bush has said, “It is conservative to reform welfare by insisting on work. It is compassionate to take the side of charities and churches that confront the suffering which remains.” On the core issues, however, Bush adhered closely to the traditional conservative line, favoring small government, tax cuts, a strong military and opposing gun control and abortion. Bush won plaudits for his choice of running mate, Dick Cheney, who had served as secretary of defense during his father‘s administration and commanded the Pentagon during the Persian Gulf War. Bush had often been faulted for his lack of Washington political experience and gravitas, qualities that Cheney brought to the ticket in abundance.

With the country in a state of general prosperity and the candidates divided primarily along ideological lines, the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore was perceived to be one of the least dynamic on issues, and the party conventions and presidential debates drew smaller audiences than in previous elections. The race was expected to be close, with polls showing the candidates neck—and—neck in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 7 election. Few, however, would have predicted the contest would come down to a few hundred votes in a single state. Bush officially became the president—elect on Dec. 13, after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a decision by the Florida Supreme Court to allow manual recounts of ballots in some Florida counties. With Florida in his column, Bush won the presidency with 271 electoral votes, just one more than he needed, although he lost the popular vote by half a million. Bush accepted the presidency in a televised speech and promised to bring the nation together.

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