Early life of George W. Bush
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- See also: Professional life of George W. Bush
George Walker Bush, the oldest child in a family of seven, grew up in the Texan cities of Midland and Houston and studied at Yale University and the Harvard Business School before serving in the Texas Air National Guard and engaged in behaviors that would embroil him in a substance abuse controversy. Bush would later own the Texas Rangers baseball franchise, govern Texas, and ultimately preside over the United States.
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[edit] Upbringing and education
George Walker Bush, the son of George Herbert Walker Bush and Barbara Bush, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on July 6, 1946. He was raised in Midland and Houston, Texas, with siblings Jeb, Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. (A younger sister, Robin, died of leukemia in 1953 at the age of three.) The family enjoyed the summers and most holidays at the Bush Compound in Maine.
Bush attended San Jacinto Junior High School in Midland, Texas, for seventh grade. He later moved to the Kinkaid School in Piney Point Village, Texas for two years. Afterward, like his father, Bush attended Phillips Academy (September 1961–June 1964) and later Yale University (September 1964–May 1968). At Yale, he joined Delta Kappa Epsilon, of which he was president from October 1965 until graduation, and the Skull and Bones secret society; Bush's father George H. W. Bush (1948) and grandfather Prescott S. Bush (1917) were also members of Skull and Bones. Bush was also in the Yale First XV rugby union team in 1968.[1] He was a C student, scoring 77% (with no As and one D, in astronomy) with a grade point average of 2.35 out of a possible 4.00. Bush has joked that he was known more for his social life than for his grades.[2] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1968. The entire entry from his yearbook read:
GEORGE WALKER BUSH. Born July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut, son of George H.W. Bush (Class of '48) and Barbara Pierce Bush. Prepared at Phillips Academy-Andover, Andover, Massachusetts. Entered Yale, September, 1964. History Major. Resident Member: Davenport (Social Council, 1964-68; Football, 1964-68, Captain, 1967-68; Baseball, 1965-68); Delta Kappa Epsilon, President, 1966-67; Skull and Bones; Inter- Council, 1966-67; Freshman Baseball, 1965; Rugby Club, 1966-68. Roommates: R.J. Dieter, C. Johnson, III, C. Johnson, Jr. Address: Apt. 8, 5000 Longmont Drive, Houston, Texas 77027.
After serving in the Texas Air National Guard, Bush entered Harvard Business School in 1973. He received a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 1975, and is the first U.S. president to hold an MBA.
[edit] Service in the Air National Guard
After graduating from Yale University, Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard on May 27, 1968, during the Vietnam War, with a commitment to serve until May 26, 1974. He was promoted to first lieutenant on the November 1970 recommendation of Texas Air National Guard commander Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian. He served as an F-102 pilot until 1972.
In September 1973, he received permission to end his six-year commitment six months early in order to attend Harvard Business School. He transferred to inactive reserve status shortly before being honorably discharged on October 1, 1973.[3]
It has been frequently alleged that Bush skipped over a waiting list to receive a National Guard slot, that he did not report for required duty from 1972 to 1973, and that he was suspended from flying after he failed to take a required physical examination and drug test. These issues were publicized during the 2004 Presidential campaign by the group Texans for Truth and other Bush critics.
[edit] Arrest controversy
On September 4, 1976, Bush was arrested by police near his family's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. He was arrested for indecent exposure, admitted his guilt in the incident, and was fined $1500. [4][5]
[edit] Family life
Bush married Laura Welch in 1977. They have twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna Bush, born in 1981.
Bush is 5 feet, 11 inches (180 cm) tall and says so in the 2000 documentary Journeys with George, though White House public relations have claimed that Bush is a full 6 feet tall.[6]
[edit] See also
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| Life and politics | Early life · Professional life · Military service · First term as U.S. President (2001-2005) · Second term as U.S. President (2005-) · Administration |  |
| Terms and policies | Foreign policy · Domestic policy · Bush Doctrine · Economic policy · Compassionate conservatism | |
| Perceptions | Public perception · Bushisms · Criticism · Movement to impeach · Fictionalized portrayals · As the subject of books and films | |
[edit] Notes
- Gould, Lewis L. (editor), American First Ladies: Their Lives and Their Legacy, Garland Publishing, New York and London, 1996. See pages 612-613 regarding the Bush family's "nomadic" existence in the cities of Huntington Park, Bakersfield, Whittier, Ventura and Compton, California.
- ^ Historical Rugby Milestones - 1900s. Rugby Football History. Retrieved on July 14, 2007.
- ^ "Self-Deprecating Bush Talks to Yale Grads", FoxNews.com, 21 May 2000.
- ^ George W. Bush discharge application, 5 September 1973, USAToday.com (PDF).
- ^ http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/11/02/bush.dui/ "Bush acknowledges 1976 DUI charge"], CNN.com, 2 November 2000.
- ^ Arrest record card for George W. Bush, The Smoking Gun, 4 September 1976.
- ^ "The Health and Medical History of President George W. Bush", 18 September 2005.
