George W. Bush was born on July 6, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut, and was the 43rd President of the United States.
Bush was born to parents Barbara Bush and former President George H. W. Bush. He has five siblings: Jeb Bush, Marvin Bush, Neil Bush, Dorothy Bush Koch, and Pauline Robinson Bush, who was diagnosed with leukemia and died at the age of three.
He served as Republican governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.
Why former President George W. Bush will win… after leaving office
Bush was first elected president in November 2000 and officially began his first term as president in January 2001 after defeating Democrat Al Gore in the presidential election. Bush was re-elected to a second term as incumbent in November 2004, defeating Democrat John Kerry, and led the United States until January 2009, when he passed the baton to former President Barack Obama.
Bush married Laura Bush on November 5, 1977, the day after her 31st birthday, in her hometown of Midland, Texas. The couple became engaged in September 1977 and were married less than two months later in a Methodist church. Bush and Laura met at a barbecue, and on their first date, Bush took Laura to play mini-golf.
The Bushes have twin daughters, Barbara Pierce Bush and Jenna Bush Hager, born November 25, 1981. The couple also have four grandchildren: Mila, Poppy, Hal and Cora.
Former First Lady George Bush issues statement on Afghanistan with message to U.S. troops and veterans
During his presidency, Bush owned an English springer spaniel named Spot Fetcher, who accompanied him to meetings in the Oval Office and on adventures around the White House. The dog was bred from Bush’s parents’ dog, Millie.
On September 11, 2001, less than a year after President Bush took office, the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked by terrorists. Planes crashed into both buildings, causing them to collapse and killing thousands. At the time, President Bush was reading to elementary school students at a school in Sarasota, Florida. He was calm and quiet when he received news of the attack and immediately returned to Washington to be briefed along with Vice President Dick Cheney.
President Bush was praised for the calm, patriotism and leadership he displayed upon learning of the attacks in the uncertain days and weeks after multiple planes were hijacked that day that shook America to its core.
Saddam was caught ‘like a rat’ in the raid
On December 30, 2003, during President Bush’s first term, Saddam Hussein, Iraqi leader and perpetrator of the 9/11 attacks on the United States, was captured by American forces.
During Bush’s presidency, Hussein was hanged in the early hours of December 30, 2006 for crimes against humanity. Americans across the country celebrated his death and praised President Bush for promising to eliminate Hussein and for following through on that promise.
While President Bush was praised for his response to the terrorist attacks, signing the No Child Left Behind and Patriot Acts, and creating the Department of Homeland Security, many Americans were unhappy with the sanctions imposed on interrogation techniques, the Iraq War, and taxes during his presidency.
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