#Who was george w bush jr vice president full#

He was criticized for being too slow to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina, which struck New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

#Who was george w bush jr vice president full#

But after a close race, Bush defeated Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.īush’s second term proved full of trial. Bush declared a worldwide “war on terrorism,” took the nation into battle against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, and waged war against the Iraqi dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.īush's campaign for reelection in 2004 was jeopardized by the Iraq War's growing unpopularity and its connection to the larger global war on terror. Also, a hijacked commercial airplane headed for the United States Capitol was overtaken by passengers and crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. On September 11, 2001, almost three thousand people were killed in an attack by the terrorist group Al-Qaeda on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Bush won the Electoral College with 271 votes, although lost the popular vote to his opponent, Vice President Al Gore. In a controversial decision, the Supreme Court ordered Florida to stop a subsequent recount of the ballots. Due to the closeness of the vote, a recount was conducted and was contested in federal court. The general election result hinged on the state of Florida. Extolling 'compassionate conservatism,' he won the 2000 Republican presidential nomination. In 1994, Bush defeated incumbent Ann Richards to become governor of Texas. He became managing partner of the Texas Rangers while keeping his eye on political opportunities in his home state. On his 40th birthday, he gave up drinking alcohol and grew more serious about his Christian faith. In the 1980s, Bush worked to gain a foothold in a ﬂagging Texas oil economy while serving as adviser during his father’s vice presidency and presidential campaigns. In 1978, Bush was defeated in a campaign for the U.S. In 1977 he married Laura Welch, a teacher and librarian, who, in 1982, gave birth to twins Jenna and Barbara. He served in the Texas Air National Guard, went to Harvard Business School, and then returned to Midland, where he entered the oil industry. George followed in his father's footsteps, attending prep school at the Phillips Academy and graduating from Yale in 1968.

Bush entered the oil business, the family moved to Midland, Texas. Although initially focused on tax cuts and education reform, Bush's two terms became defined by the Septemterrorist attacks.īush was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on Jwhere his father was attending Yale. Bush became the second presidential son (after John Quincy Adams) to assume office.