41st president and father of 43rd: A look into the life of George H W Bush

Former US president George H W Bush, who helped steer America through the end of Cold War, has died at age 94, his family announced late Friday

1 / 7

George H W Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, died on Friday at age 94. His presidency, which ran from 1989 to 1993, was defined by two events - his aggressive response to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and the soon-to-be-broken "read my lips" pledge he made not to raise taxes while running for president in 1988. At a time when the Cold War was ending and the influence of Soviet-style communism was withering, Bush's military and diplomatic actions firmly cast the United States as the world's leading superpower.

2 / 7

"Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died," his son, former president George W Bush, said in a statement released on Twitter by a family spokesman. "George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. His death, which was announced by his office, came less than eight months after that of his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush -- to whom he was married for 73 years.

3 / 7

George Herbert Walker Bush was a moderate Republican known for his diplomacy and ability to compromise with Democrats. He was a symbol of a relatively collegial period in Washington that nevertheless set the stage for the divisive, partisan gridlock that now plagues the U.S. capital.

4 / 7

Bush ran for president in 1980 and squared off in the primaries against Reagan, a former actor and California governor who cast himself as a tough-talking conservative in contrast with Democratic President Jimmy Carter.

5 / 7

In one of his last public appearances, Bush was on the field as son George W Bush threw out the first ball at a Houston Astros' World Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in October 2017.

6 / 7

At the time of his death, Bush was the American president to have lived the longest. Jimmy Carter was born a few months later, so he could quickly reset the record. "America has lost a patriot and humble servant in George Herbert Walker Bush. While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude," former president Barack Obama said in a statement.

7 / 7

Bush had a form of Parkinson’s disease that forced him to use a motorized scooter in recent years, and he had been in and out of hospitals during that time as his health declined. In April 2014, he made a surprise appearance on the tarmac in Houston to greet the Obamas on Air Force One, sporting his trademark colorful socks in his wheelchair. "When the president comes to your hometown, you show up and welcome him," Bush told reporters. In April 2018, a day after attending wife Barbara Bush’s funeral, he was treated for an infection that had spread to his blood.