George H.W. Bush - Fast Facts

Here's a look at the life of George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States.

Personal: Birth date: June 12, 1924

Birth place: Milton, Massachusetts

Birth name: George Herbert Walker Bush

Father: Prescott Bush, investment banker and senator

Mother: Dorothy (Walker) Bush

Marriage: Barbara (Pierce) Bush (January 6, 1945 - present)

Children: Dorothy, August 18, 1959; Marvin, October 22, 1956; Neil, January 22, 1955; John (Jeb) February 11, 1953; Pauline (Robin), December 20, 1949 - October 1953 (died of leukemia); George, July 6, 1946

Education: Yale University, B.A., 1948

Military service: US Navy, 1942-1945, Lieutenant Junior Grade

Religion: Episcopalian

Other Facts: Flew 58 combat missions for the Navy during World War II and was awarded three Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Has a form of Parkinson's disease.

Timeline: June 1943 - Becomes the youngest pilot in the Navy at the time, after earning his commission and wings.

1951 - Establishes the Bush-Overbey Oil Development Co. with John Overbey.

1953 - Forms Zapata Petroleum with William and Hugh Liedtke.

1964 - Runs unsuccessfully for the US Senate.

1967-1971 - US Representative from Texas' Seventh District.

1971-1972 - Ambassador to the United Nations.

1973-1974 - Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

1974-1975 - Serves as chief of the United States Liaison Office in China.

January 1976-January 1977 - Director of the CIA.

1980 - Runs for president, but loses his party's nomination to Ronald Reagan.

January 20, 1981 - Is sworn in as vice-president of the United States.

July 13, 1985 - Acting president for nearly eight hours while President Reagan undergoes surgery.

November 8, 1988 - Elected 41st president of the United States, with 53.1% of the popular vote and 426 electoral votes.

January 20, 1989 - Sworn in as 41st president of the United States.

December 1989 - Sends American troops to Panama (Operation Just Cause).

August 2, 1990 - Iraq invades Kuwait.

August 7, 1990 - Operation Desert Shield begins.

January 16, 1991 - Operation Desert Storm begins.

February 27, 1991 - Declares victory in Iraq.

November 3, 1992 - Loses the presidential election to Bill Clinton.

December 24, 1992 - Pardons six government officials who had been implicated in the Iran-Contra affair.

January 3, 1993 - Signs the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-II) with Russia.

February 19-21, 2005 - Tours areas in southeast Asia damaged by a tsunami with former President Bill Clinton.

September 1, 2005 - After Hurricane Katrina, Bush and Clinton form the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund.

January 10, 2009 - The USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier is commissioned.

February 15, 2011 - Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom.