George W Bush (1946- )

George W. Bush 

Bush was born on 6 July 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut but was brought up in Texas when his father, the future President George HW Bush (in office 1989 - 1993), moved the family to try and make his fortune in the oil business. Bush was educated at Yale University. In 1968 he enrolled in the Texas Air National Guard as a pilot and, thus, was not eligible for the Vietnam War draft. He served two years in the Combat Crew Training School. After gaining his MBA in 1975, he returned to Texas to work in the oil industry. In 1978, he ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives. In 1988, Bush worked as a paid campaign advisor on his father's successful presidential bid. Around this time he reached an important turning point in his life, This was an important turning point in his personal life, pledging to quit his heavy drinking and becoming a born-again Christian.

By the late 1980s, Bush was independently wealthy as a result of selling his stake in the Texas Rangers baseball club. In 1994, he ran for the governorship of Texas and won; he was re-elected four years later. By 2000, he was the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, announcing social policies of 'compassionate conservatism', which included using churches and charities to use federal funds to deliver social services to the needy. After winning the nomination, Bush ran against the Democrat Al Gore. It was one of the closest races in presidential history, but after numerous court challenges and recounts Bush was declared the winner. He became only the second son to follow his father into the Oval Office.

For many Americans doubts about Bush's legitimacy as president were swept away on 11 September 2001, when Islamic fundamentalists conducted terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, causing the deaths of 3,000 people. Bush proclaimed that the US was at war with terrorism and this has remained the defining feature of his administration. As part of his 'war on terror', in 2001 Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan and in 2003 of Iraq.