In memorium: President George H.W. Bush

December 01,  2018 By Hannah Wise Good afternoon, Last night, former President George H.W. Bush, a war hero, father of a president and founder of the modern Texas Republican Party who presided over momentous global changes, died at 94. We are taking a look back at the life, career and legacy of the 41st president, who called Houston home for much of his life. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. [George H.W. Bush dies at 94: president, family man, war hero]( President-elect George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, waved to supporters in Houston after winning the presidential election in 1988. Bush died Friday at age 94. (File 1988/Associated Press) Obituary George H.W. Bush dies at 94: president, family man, war hero As the nation’s 41st commander in chief, Bush presided during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the turning back of an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, with a deftness honed as a diplomat and CIA chief. But he was ousted after one term, his popularity sapped after an extended recession and anger over the breaking of his “no new taxes” pledge — a turning point that continues to reverberate in Washington budget fights. For more than two decades after that, he was a senior statesman, forming a friendship with the Democrat who defeated him, Bill Clinton, and seeing his family firmly cemented as one of the nation’s political dynasties. As his wife, Barbara Bush, told friends: "He may not be able to keep a job but he's certainly not boring," Susan Garrett Baker, wife of Bush secretary of state James Baker, recalled at the former first lady's funeral. Bush was the son of a two-term U.S. senator from Connecticut. He would become only the second president, after John Adams, whose son followed him to the White House. George W. Bush of Dallas, a two-term Texas governor, became the nation’s 43rd chief executive eight years after his father’s defeat. ["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 said in a written 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." The world remembers 'a man of the highest character: [Tributes pour in for President George H.W. Bush]( From Washington: [Trump calls George H.W. Bush a 'very fine man,' and declares a national day of mourning, plans to attend funeral]( [George H.W. Bush, a life in photos]( Former President George H.W. Bush acknowledged fans' cheers at the Ballpark in Arlington before a 1994 Texas Rangers game against the Minnesota Twins. (File 1994/Staff) Photo essay A life and legacy in photos With a rich political and personal legacy, [former President George H.W. Bush left no shortage of memorable photos]( from his time both in and out of office. He was also no stranger to controversy and was voted out after one term, bringing an end to the Reagan Republican era. Before his life in the limelight, the senator's son made his mark as a Navy pilot in WWII and captain of the Yale baseball team before making his fortune drilling oil in Texas. His marriage to Barbara Pierce, daughter of the McCall's magazine publisher, was the longest of any U.S. presidential couple. Command and Control: [Tested under fire: George H.W. Bush showed steady hand after attempt on Reagan's life]( Politics: [George H.W. Bush let his emotions show at son's inauguration]( [No more decent man: A journalist remembers President George H.W. Bush]( U.S. Congressman George H.W. Bush spoke to students on the Southern Methodist University campus during his 1970 run for a Republican Senate seat, a race that he lost. Bush was a Texas congressman from 1966-1970. (File 1970/Staff) Commentary There's not a more decent man: A journalist remembers President George H.W. Bush Former Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau Chief Carl P. Leubsdorf recounts his memories covering the 41st president of the United States: I first met George Bush on a fall day in 1970, as he toured Texas, campaigning for the U.S. Senate in his chartered DC-3. The lanky, youthful looking Houston congressman struck me as open and friendly, moderate in manner and approach. [But when he spoke, I was struck by the contrast between his manner and his sharply conservative comments.]( That contrast always seemed present as the man who grew up among the liberal Republicans of his New England youth rose to political power in the far more conservative GOP of his adopted Texas home. He eagerly embraced the latter's ideology, as a youthful critic of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, in his sometimes harsh 1988 presidential campaign and in picking abortion rights foes for the federal bench. But he always seemed vaguely uncomfortable doing what he felt he had to do to succeed politically. It may explain why he always seemed more at ease dealing with foreign policy. One thing never changed: his inherent decency and graciousness, whether dealing with fellow Republicans who undercut his efforts to curb the budget deficit or a press that sometimes treated him unfairly by calling this genuine World War II hero a "wimp" or taking advantage of his good manners to suggest he was out of touch with technological advance. Editorial: [George H.W. Bush 'best understands what government can and cannot do': Why we backed him in 1988]( Politics: [Despite family tree's political roots, Bushes dislike talk of a dynasty]( [George H.W. Bush, man of grace, led through character and compassion]( Vice President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, are joined in their bedroom by six of their grandchildren at the family retreat in Kennebunkport, Maine. The spontaneous moment, shot for LIFE magazine in 1987 by George H.W. Bush's personal photographer, David Valdez, became an iconic photo of the family. (File 1987/David Valdez) Editorial George H.W. Bush, man of grace, led through character and compassion Upon hearing that George H.W. Bush passed away, our first thought turned not to his time in the Oval Office but to his daughter Robin.  The second child and the eldest daughter of George and Barbara Bush, Pauline Robinson Bush died of leukemia before her fourth birthday in 1953.  [George Bush would later wonder if, when he met her again in heaven, she would be a child or an adult.]( If that was part of the mystery that has now been revealed to him, we can know with certainty that it was a reunion filled with a deep and abiding joy. Referred to as “the quiet man” in a recent book of that title by his one-time chief of staff John H. Sununu, George H.W. Bush was a leader the country turned to again and again in crisis. He led the Republican National Committee during the collapse of Richard Nixon’s presidency. He took the helm of the Central Intelligence Agency when it was at a low ebb. And he took up the reins as vice president in the Reagan administration at a time when the United States was in retreat abroad and retrenching economically at home. As president, he saw in the collapse of the Soviet Union a rare opportunity to enable the spread of human liberty on a mass scale.  When others might have wished him to go on a world victory tour celebrating the collapse of the evil empire, President Bush refused to gloat. 👋 That's all for today! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. Do you have feedback? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to [newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com](mailto:newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com?subject=). 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