- Wikipedia

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This article is about the 43rd president of the United States. For his father, the 41st president, see George H. W. Bush.

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George W. Bush
$\"Bush's$ Official portrait, 2003

43rd President of the United States
In office January 20, 2001 \u2013 January 20, 2009
Vice President	Dick Cheney
Preceded by	Bill Clinton
Succeeded by	Barack Obama
46th Governor of Texas
In office January 17, 1995 \u2013 December 21, 2000
Lieutenant	\n Bob Bullock \n Rick Perry \n
Preceded by	Ann Richards
Succeeded by	Rick Perry
\n
Personal details
Born	George Walker Bush (1946-07-06) July 6, 1946 (age 78) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	\n Laura Welch (m. 1977)
Children	Barbara Jenna
Parents	\n George H. W. Bush \n Barbara Bush \n
Relatives	Bush family
Residences	Dallas, Texas, U.S. Prairie Chapel Ranch, McLennan County, Texas, U.S.
Education	\n Yale University (BA) \n Harvard University (MBA) \n
Civilian awards	Full list
Signature	$\"Cursive$
Website	\n Official website \n Presidential Library \n Presidential Center \n White House Archives \n
Nickname	Dubya
Military service
Branch/service	\n United States Air Force\n Texas Air National Guard \n Alabama Air National Guard \n
Years of service	1968\u20131974
Rank	First Lieutenant
Unit	147th Reconnaissance Wing 187th Fighter Wing
Military awards	Air Force Pilot's Badge Outstanding Unit Award National Defense Service Medal ^{[citation needed]}
\n \n \n George W. Bush's voice \n \n George W. Bush addresses the nation following the September 11 attacks. Recorded September 11, 2001 \n

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Business and personal

Early life
Professional life
Eponyms
Family
Honors
Public image
Bibliography
Non-profit organizaitons\n
- Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
- One America Appeal

46th Governor of Texas

Governorship
Elections

43rd President of the United States

Tenure

Policies

Domestic
Economy
Foreign\n
- Bush Doctrine
- international trips
Space
Climate change
Legislation and programs
Pardons

Appointments

Federal judges\n
- Roberts
- Miers
- Alito
- George W. Bush Supreme Court candidates

Presidential campaigns

2000\n
- election
- primaries
- convention
- debates\n
  - Florida recount\n
    - Bush v. Gore
2004\n
- election
- primaries
- convention
- debates

\n $\"Seal$

George Walker Bush^[a] (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party, he was the 46th governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.\n

The eldest son of the 41st president, George H. W. Bush, he flew warplanes in the Texas Air National Guard in his twenties. After graduating from Harvard Business School in 1975, he worked in the oil industry. He later co-owned the Texas Rangers, of Major League Baseball, before being elected governor of Texas in 1994. As governor, Bush successfully sponsored legislation for tort reform, increased education funding, set higher standards for schools, and reformed the criminal justice system. He also helped make Texas the leading producer of wind-generated electricity in the United States. In the 2000 presidential election, he won over Democratic incumbent Vice President Al Gore, while losing the popular vote after a narrow and contested Electoral College win, which involved a Supreme Court decision to stop a recount in Florida.\n

In his first term, Bush signed a major tax-cut program and an education-reform bill, the No Child Left Behind Act. He pushed for socially conservative efforts such as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and faith-based initiatives. He also initiated the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, in 2003, to address the AIDS epidemic. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 decisively reshaped his administration, resulting in the start of the war on terror and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan in an effort to overthrow the Taliban, destroy al-Qaeda, and capture Osama bin Laden. He signed the Patriot Act to authorize surveillance of suspected terrorists. He also ordered the 2003 invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime on the false belief that they possessed weapons of mass destruction and had ties with al-Qaeda. Bush later signed the Medicare Modernization Act, which created Medicare Part D. In 2004, Bush was re-elected president in a close race, beating Democratic opponent John Kerry and winning the popular vote.\n

During his second term, Bush made free trade agreements. He appointed John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. He sought major changes to Social Security and immigration laws, but both efforts failed in Congress. Bush was widely criticized for his administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina and revelations of torture against detainees at Abu Ghraib. Amid his unpopularity, the Democrats regained control of Congress in the 2006 elections. The Afghanistan and Iraq wars continued; in January 2007, Bush launched a surge of troops in Iraq. By December, the U.S. entered the Great Recession, prompting the Bush administration to get congressional approval for economic programs intended to preserve the country's financial system, including the Troubled Asset Relief Program.\n

\nAfter his second term, Bush returned to Texas, where he has maintained a low public profile. At various points in his presidency, he was among both the most popular and the most unpopular presidents in U.S. history. He received the highest recorded approval ratings in the wake of the September 11 attacks, and one of the lowest ratings during the 2007\u20132008 financial crisis. Bush initially left office as one of the most unpopular U.S. presidents, but public opinion of him has improved since then. Scholars and historians rank Bush in the lower half of presidents.

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Early life and career

Education

Family and personal life

Alcohol abuse

Hobbies

Military career

Business career

Early political involvement

Texas governorship (1995\u20132000)

Presidential campaigns

2000 presidential candidacy

Primary

General election

2004 presidential candidacy

Presidency (2001\u20132009)

Domestic policy

Economic policy

2008 financial crisis

Education and public health

Social services and Social Security

Environmental policies

Energy policies

Stem cell research and first veto

Immigration

Hurricane Katrina

Midterm dismissal of U.S. attorneys

Foreign policy

September 11, 2001, attacks

War on terror

Afghanistan invasion

Iraq invasion

Surveillance

Interrogation policies

North Korea condemnation

Syria sanctions

AIDS Relief

Security incidents

2001 White House shooting

2005 Tbilisi grenade attack

2008 Baghdad shoeing

Judicial appointments

Supreme Court

Other courts

Cultural and political image

Image

Job approval

Foreign perceptions

Post-presidency (2009\u2013present)

Residence

Publications and appearances

Collaborations

Art

Legacy

Reception

Honors and awards

Notes

References

Further reading

Academic

Reflections on the Bush presidency

Primary sources

External links

George W. Bush

What happened with George W. Bush on 20 January, 2025

20 January, 2025