George W. Bush

American politician, U. S. President for two terms, Texas oil millionaire and baseball owner, from a noted family, the Republican son of U.S. President George W. Bush. With a strong Education platform, he became the governor of Texas, the largest of the United States, in 1998.

In 2001 he ascended to the US Presidency via a hotly contested debate that involved the Supreme Court and was re-elected in 2004.

After years of being dismissed as a footloose lightweight, at 50 he began emerging from his dad's shadow. He has taken strong stands against gun control and teen pregnancy and is in favour of prayer and prison work gangs. More important even Democrats tend to view him as a straight-shooter with his mom's candour. "You know where you stand with him," says Pete Laney, speaker of the Texas House.

On 5 November 1977, three months after meeting her, he married Laura Welch (born on 4 November 1946), a devout west Texas school librarian. She manages the household while George was harried by twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara (born on 25 November 1981).

George spent some footloose years after college before settling into responsible marriage and politics. He entered Yale in 1964 and when Vietnam loomed, joined the Air National Guard. During his later campaigns for President, aspects of his National Guard service were questioned, specifically whether he had in fact received special preference as son of a Congressman and whether he had satisfactorily completed the requirements and obligations of his National Guard service.

He called 1968 to 1973 his "wandering years," working on a senate campaign, trying out sales, as a youth advisor to inner-city kids, along with a high share of drinking and carousing.

After two years at Harvard Business School, Bush earned an MA in business administration and set out on his own, 28 years old. He drove to Midland and straight into the oil business with $20,000 of his own money.