Jeb Bush's father is Barbara Bush.
George Herbert Walker Bush -LRB- born June 12 , 1924 -RRB- is an American politician who was the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981 to 1989 .. 41st. List of Presidents of the United States. George. George W. Bush. President of the United States. President of the United States. Vice President of the United States. Vice President of the United States. 43rd. List of Governors of Florida. A member of the Republican Party , he was previously a congressman , ambassador , and Director of Central Intelligence .. Director of Central Intelligence. Director of Central Intelligence. Republican Party. Republican Party ( United States ). He is the oldest living former President and Vice President .. Since 2000 , Bush has often been referred to as `` George H. W. Bush '' , `` Bush 41 '' , `` Bush the Elder '' , or `` George Bush Senior '' to distinguish him from his eldest son , George W. Bush , who became the 43rd President of the United States after the 2000 election .. George. George W. Bush. President of the United States. President of the United States. George W. Bush. George W. Bush. 2000 election. United States presidential election, 2000. 43rd. List of Governors of Florida. Bush was born in Milton , Massachusetts , to Prescott Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush .. Dorothy. Dorothy Bush Koch. Prescott Bush. Prescott Bush. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 , Bush postponed his university studies , enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday , and became the youngest aviator in the U.S. Navy at the time .. Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor. U.S. Navy. U.S. Navy. aviator. naval aviator. He served until the end of the war , then attended Yale University .. Yale University. Yale University. Graduating in 1948 , he moved his family to West Texas and entered the oil business , becoming a millionaire by the age of 40 .. Texas. Texas. West Texas. West Texas. oil business. petroleum industry. Bush became involved in politics soon after founding his own oil company , and he won election to the House of Representatives in 1966 .. House of Representatives. United States House of Representatives. In 1971 , President Richard Nixon appointed Bush as Ambassador to the United Nations , and in 1973 , Bush became the Chairman of the Republican National Committee .. Republican National Committee. Republican National Committee. Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon. Ambassador to the United Nations. United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Chairman of the Republican National Committee. Chairman of the Republican National Committee. The following year , President Gerald Ford appointed Bush as the ambassador to the People 's Republic of China , and later reassigned Bush to the position of Director of Central Intelligence .. Director of Central Intelligence. Director of Central Intelligence. Gerald Ford. Gerald Ford. Bush ran for president in 1980 but was defeated in the Republican primary by Ronald Reagan .. Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan. United States presidential election, 1980. Republican primary. Republican Party presidential primaries, 1980. Reagan chose Bush as his running mate , and Bush became vice president after the Reagan -- Bush ticket won the 1980 election .. United States presidential election, 1980. During his eight-year tenure as vice president , Bush headed administration task forces on deregulation and fighting the `` War on Drugs '' .. War on Drugs. War on Drugs. In 1988 , Bush ran a successful campaign to succeed Reagan as President , defeating Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis .. United States presidential election, 1988. Democratic. Democratic Party ( United States ). Michael Dukakis. Michael Dukakis. Foreign policy drove the Bush presidency  : military operations were conducted in Panama and the Persian Gulf ; the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 , and the Soviet Union dissolved two years later .. Foreign policy. Foreign policy. military operations. military operations. in Panama. United States invasion of Panama. the Persian Gulf. Gulf War. Berlin Wall. Berlin Wall. Soviet Union. Soviet Union. Though the agreement was not ratified until after he left office , Bush also signed the North American Free Trade Agreement , which created a trade bloc consisting of the United States , Canada , and Mexico .. North American Free Trade Agreement. North American Free Trade Agreement. trade bloc. trade bloc. Canada. Canada. Mexico. Mexico. Domestically , Bush reneged on a 1988 campaign promise and , after a struggle with Congress , signed an increase in taxes that Congress had passed .. United States presidential election, 1988. reneged on a 1988 campaign promise. Read my lips : no new taxes. In the wake of a weak recovery from an economic recession , along with continuing budget deficits and the diminution of foreign politics as a major issue in a post-Cold War political climate , he lost the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton .. Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton. economic recession. Early 1990s recession. political climate. political climate. 1992 presidential election. United States presidential election, 1992. Bush left office in 1993 .. His presidential library was dedicated in 1997 , and he has been active -- often alongside Bill Clinton -- in various humanitarian activities .. Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton. presidential library. George Bush Presidential Library. With George W. Bush 's victory in the 2000 presidential election , Bush and his son became the second father-son combination to serve as president , following John Adams and John Quincy Adams .. George. George W. Bush. George W. Bush. George W. Bush. John Adams. John Adams. John Quincy Adams. John Quincy Adams. Another member of the Bush family , Bush 's second son Jeb Bush , served as the 43rd Governor of Florida -LRB- 1999 -- 2007 -RRB- and sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 .. Bush family. Bush family. Jeb. Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush. 43rd. List of Governors of Florida. sought. Jeb Bush presidential campaign, 2016. United States presidential election, 2016