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11470. President George
Walker Bush (photo). George W. Bush
is the 43rd President of the United States. Formerly the 46th Governor of the
State of Texas, Bush has earned a reputation as a compassionate conservative
who shapes policy based on the principles of limited government, personal
responsibility, strong families, and local control.
George W. Bush was born July 6, 1946, and grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas.
He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a Master of Business
Administration from Harvard Business School. He served as an F-102 pilot for
the Texas Air National Guard before beginning his career in the oil and gas business
in Midland in 1975, working in the energy industry until 1986. After working
on his father's successful 1988 presidential campaign, he assembled the group
of partners that purchased the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989.
He served as managing general partner of the Texas Rangers until he was elected
Governor on November 8, 1994, with 53.5 percent of the vote. In
an historic re-election victory, he became the first Texas Governor
to be elected to consecutive four-year terms on November 3, 1998, winning 68.6
percent of the vote.
As President, Bush will pursue the same common-sense approach and bipartisan
spirit as he has in Texas. He has proposed bold initiatives to ensure that America's
prosperity has a purpose. He has also addressed improving our nation's public
schools by strengthening local control and insisting on accountability; reducing
taxes on all taxpayers, especially for those Americans on the fringes of poverty;
strengthening the military with better pay, better planning, and better equipment;
saving and strengthening Social Security and Medicare by providing seniors with
more options; and ushering in the responsibility era in America.
President Bush is married to Laura Welch Bush, a former teacher and librarian,
and they have 19-year-old twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. The Bush family
also includes their two dogs, Spot and Barney, and a cat, India.