George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush, born July 6, 1946, is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009, and the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. The eldest son of Barbara and George H. W. Bush, he was born in New Haven, Connecticut.He was raised in Midland and Houston, Texas, with four siblings, Jeb, Neil, Marvin and Dorothy. Bush has English and some German ancestry, along with more distant Dutch, Welsh, Irish, French, and Scottish roots. Bush attended public schools in Midland, Texas, until the family moved to Houston after he completed seventh grade. He then went to The Kinkaid School, a prep school in Houston, for two years.Bush attended Yale University from 1964 to 1968, graduating with an B.A. in history. Eight months into Bush's first term as president, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks occurred. In response, Bush launched the War on Terror, an international military campaign which included the war in Afghanistan launched in 2001 and the war in Iraq launched in 2003. In addition to national security issues, Bush also promoted policies on the economy, health care, education, social security reform, and amending the Constitution to disallow same-sex marriage. Bush left office in 2009, and was succeeded as president by Barack Obama, who ran on a platform of change from Bush's policies. |