George H. W. Bush

President George H.W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush was the 41st president of the United States (1989 to 1993) and the Vice President under Ronald Reagan (1981 - 1989).  He first ran from president in 1980, but lost the Republican nomination to Reagan.  In 1988 he ran against Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis. Some of his famous quotes:  "not gonna do it," "read my lips," "thousand points of light", and "no new taxes."

Some notable events that took place during Bush's tenure as president was the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), the dissolution of the Soviet Union (1991), the invasion of Panama to overthrow Noriega (1989), and the first Gulf War in Iraq (1990).  Although he was only a one-term president, history has looked favorably over his tenure.

Bush managed to stay active long after his presidency, although not so much in the area of politics (compared to Jimmy Carter, for example).  In fact, if some of you remember, he went skydiving on his 80th, 85th, and 90th birthdays.