Significant dates in former President George H. W. Bush’s life and career.
Significant dates in the life of former President George H. W. Bush:
— June 12,1924: George Herbert Walker Bush is born in Milton, Massachusetts.
— June 12,1942: Enlists in Navy on 18th birthday.
— Sept. 2,1944: Plane is shot down in Pacific Ocean and two crewmates killed. Bush is rescued by a submarine and receives the Distinguished Flying Cross.
— Jan. 6,1945: Marries Barbara Pierce, daughter of the publisher of McCall’s magazine. The Bushes eventually have six children: George W., future president; Jeb, future governor of Florida; Neil; Marvin; Dorothy; and Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3 in 1953.
— 1948: The family moves to Texas, where Bush prospers in oil business.
— November 1964: Loses bid for Senate to incumbent Sen. Ralph Yarborough.
— November 1966: Wins seat in House of Representatives.
— November 1970: Loses second try for Senate to Lloyd Bentsen.
— 1971: Appointed U. N. ambassador by President Richard Nixon.
— 1973: Named Republican National Committee chairman.
— 1974: Named head of U. S. Liaison Office in Beijing by President Gerald R. Ford.
— 1975: Named chief of CIA, which was beset by allegations of assassination plots and domestic spying.
— Winter 1980: Makes unsuccessful bid for Republican presidential nomination.
— Summer 1980: Chosen by Ronald Reagan as his running mate.
— November 1980: Reagan-Bush ticket defeats President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale.
— March 30,1981: Reagan seriously wounded in assassination attempt.
— Nov. 8,1988: Defeats Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, becoming first sitting vice president to win presidency since 1836.
— Dec. 7,1988: Joins Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev to discuss Gorbachev’s announcement that Soviet Union will reduce its armed forces.
— Jan. 20,1989: Sworn in as nation’s 41st president.
