(b. June 12, 1924) Forty-first U.S. president (1989– 1993).

Born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, George H. W. Bush served in the Navy during World War II and later moved to Texas, where he amassed considerable personal wealth as an oilman. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1971, as ambassador to the United Nations, as U.S. envoy to China, and as director of the CIA. From 1981 to 1988, he served as vice president under Ronald Reagan.

The Bush presidential campaign of 1988 promised in part to carry on the legacy of Reagan's foreign policy. Furthermore, given Bush's background and experience, he felt well qualified to pursue this area of policy over which presidents have considerable control. In his first year in office, Bush pursued a short-term engagement when he sent troops into Panama to capture its dictator, Manuel Noriega, after an American...