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Bush, who grew up in Greenwich, turns 90 on Thursday. The former president of the United States was born June 12, 1924, in Milton, Mass.
Bush was elected president in 1988, serving until 1993. He had previously served as the 43rd vice president of the United States (1981 to 1989), a congressman, an ambassador, and director of Central Intelligence. He is the oldest living former president and vice president. He is also the last living former president who is a veteran of World War II.
Bush postponed college, enlisted in the U.S. Navy on his 18th birthday, and became the youngest aviator in the U.S. Navy at the time. He served until the end of the war.
Later, he moved his family to West Texas and entered the oil business, becoming a millionaire by the age of 40.
He became involved in politics soon after founding his oil company, serving two terms as a member of the House of Representatives.
In 1988, Bush ran a successful campaign to succeed Ronald Reagan as president, defeating Democratic opponent 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.
Bush left office in 1993. His presidential library was dedicated in 1997, and he has been active—along with President Bill Clinton—in various humanitarian activities.
In 1990, the Points of Light Foundation was created as a nonprofit organization in Washington to promote this spirit of volunteerism and in 2007, the Points of Light Foundation merged with the Hands On Network. Bush is honorary chairman of Points of Light.
Bush's eldest son, George W. Bush, later served as the 43rd president of the United States (2001 to 2009). They are the second set of father-son presidents.
In a playful nod the their legacy, the elder Bush nicknamed himself 41 while his son calls himself 43.
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