George W. Bush Biography

Fast Facts

• Widely recognized for providing landmark support to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS with 2003's President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which provided $15 billion over five years in a program since estimated to have saved as many as 10 million lives
• Along with Bill Clinton, he co-founded the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, helping communities to rebuild and creating opportunities for economic growth
• Following the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, he and Laura secretly arranged a visit with the base commander, offering private support to survivors and wounded victims while insisting on no media coverage during their visit
• Recieved a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a master's from Harvard Business School
• In 1968, became a member of the Texas Air National Guard, and later performed drills with the Alabama Air National Guard before his honorable discharge from the Air Force Reserves in 1974
• Born in Connecticut, he attended primary education in Midland and Houston, Texas, where he and his siblings were raised, before graduating high school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass
• Quote: "(On first meeting wife Laura) "I saw an elegant, beautiful woman who turned out not only to be elegant and beautiful, but very smart and willing to put up with my rough edges, and I must confess has smoothed them off over time․""
• After leaving the presidency, he has since preferred to lead a private lifestyle and rarely makes public or political appearances
• In addition to longstanding hobbies such as reading non-fiction works and playing golf, he has also taken up oil painting since leaving the presidency, with dogs being his favored subjects to paint
• Made history with a 2002 State of the Union address, as it was the first in U․S․ history to be broadcast live on the Internet