George W. Bush

• Chart pointers (PVNR): D-10 (career) Lagna Cancer, Sun + Moon together in the D-10. For the 2004 election, read from the Surya-chakra (Sudarshan) sign Libra: the Raj Yogas — 1st, 9th and 10th lords ganged together in the 9th — overrode a slightly negative planet-count, so PVNR predicted Bush would WIN (correct). Lesson 55 also analyses the 2003 Iraq War timing.

• Kind of work: Politics and the executive office — Governor then two-term President; before that a Texas oilman and a baseball-team owner. Plain-spoken, faith-driven, decisive-by-instinct rather than detail-driven.
• Fame: Global, at the very top tier. A wartime president whose name is permanently bound to 9/11, the War on Terror, Afghanistan and the Iraq War; one of the most recognized people on earth during 2001–2009.
• Position / power: Commander-in-chief of the world's foremost military for eight years; before that the governor of one of the largest US states. Power held continuously 1995–2009.
• Wealth: Wealthy. Born into a patrician political-business dynasty; made his own fortune on a ~$15 million windfall from selling his Texas Rangers stake (1998); post-presidency net worth commonly estimated around $40–50 million, swelled by a ~$7 million memoir advance and speaking fees.
• Legal / negative: A 1976 DUI arrest (concealed until 2000); the contested, court-decided 2000 election; the disputed WMD rationale for the Iraq War; "Mission Accomplished"; the slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina (2005); the 2008 financial crisis on his watch. Polarizing — left office with low approval that later partly rehabilitated.
• Health: Notably fit — runner, then mountain-biker; "heart-healthy" reputation. Famous minor scare: fainted after choking on a pretzel (Jan 2002). Quit alcohol entirely at 40 (1986).
• Death: (n/a — living)

• 1946-07-06 — Born in New Haven, Connecticut, to George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush; eldest of six children.
• 1948–1959 — Family relocates to Texas (Odessa, then Midland and Houston) as his father builds an oil business; raised a West Texan.
• 1953 — Younger sister Robin Bush dies of leukemia at age 3, a formative family grief.
• 1961–1964 — Attends Phillips Academy (Andover), Massachusetts.
• 1964–1968 — Yale University; B.A. in history (1968). Fraternity president (Delta Kappa Epsilon); member of Skull and Bones.
• 1968-05 — Joins the Texas Air National Guard as a pilot trainee weeks before graduation; commissioned second lieutenant July 1968.
• 1970-06 — Certified as an F-102 fighter pilot.
• 1972–1973 — Transfers to Alabama Air National Guard while working on a Senate campaign; later a source of "where was he?" controversy.
• 1973–1975 — Harvard Business School; earns an MBA (1975) — the first US president to hold one.
• 1974-11-21 — Honorable discharge from the Guard.
• 1976-09-04 — Arrested for DUI near Kennebunkport, Maine (pleads guilty; fined; license briefly suspended). Kept private until revealed days before the 2000 election.
• 1977 — Founds the oil-exploration company Arbusto Energy (later Bush Exploration) in Midland.
• 1977-11-05 — Marries Laura Welch, a schoolteacher and librarian, after a short courtship.
• 1978 — Runs for the US House (Texas's 19th district); loses to Democrat Kent Hance, ~46.8% to 53.2% — his only electoral defeat.
• 1981-11-25 — Twin daughters Barbara and Jenna born (named for their grandmothers).
• 1980s — His oil ventures struggle with the oil-price collapse; firms merge/are absorbed (Spectrum 7, then Harken Energy).
• 1986 — Around his 40th birthday, becomes a born-again evangelical Christian and gives up alcohol for good.
• 1988 — Works on his father's successful presidential campaign as a key adviser and liaison to the religious right.
• 1989-04 — Leads an investor group buying the Texas Rangers baseball team; his personal stake ~$500,000. Serves as managing general partner and public face of the club.
• 1994-11-08 — Elected Governor of Texas, defeating popular incumbent Democrat Ann Richards, ~53.5% to 45.9%.
• 1995-01 — Sworn in as the 46th Governor of Texas; focuses on education, tort reform, welfare and crime.
• 1998-11 — Re-elected governor in a landslide (~68%), the first Texas governor elected to consecutive 4-year terms.
• 1998 — The Rangers are sold; Bush's stake yields roughly $15 million, the foundation of his personal wealth.
• 1999–2000 — Runs for the Republican presidential nomination; survives a tough primary against John McCain; picks Dick Cheney as running mate.
• 2000-11-07 — Election Day vs. Vice President Al Gore; result hinges on Florida, decided by a razor-thin margin.
• 2000-11-26 — Florida certifies Bush the winner by 537 votes; legal battles over recounts continue.
• 2000-12-12 — U.S. Supreme Court, 5–4, halts the Florida recount (Bush v. Gore), effectively awarding Florida and the presidency to Bush.
• 2000-12-13 — Gore concedes. Bush wins the Electoral College 271–266 while losing the national popular vote by ~500,000.
• 2001-01-20 — Inaugurated as the 43rd President.
• 2001-06-07 — Signs his first major tax cut (Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act).
• 2001-09-11 — Al-Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon kill nearly 3,000; the defining event of his presidency. Bush hears the news in a Florida classroom; addresses the nation that night.
• 2001-09-14 — "Bullhorn" moment at Ground Zero; declares a global War on Terror.
• 2001-10-07 — Launches the War in Afghanistan against the Taliban and al-Qaeda; Kabul falls in mid-November.
• 2001-10 — Signs the USA PATRIOT Act, expanding surveillance and counterterror powers.
• 2002-01-08 — Signs No Child Left Behind, his signature education-accountability law.
• 2002-01-13 — Faints after choking on a pretzel while watching football; bruises his lip; recovers within seconds.
• 2002-01-29 — "Axis of Evil" State of the Union (Iraq, Iran, North Korea).
• 2002-11 — Creates the Department of Homeland Security, the largest federal reorganization in decades.
• 2003-03-19/20 — Launches the invasion of Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein, citing WMD; Baghdad falls in early April.
• 2003-05-01 — "Mission Accomplished" speech aboard USS Abraham Lincoln declaring major combat over — later a symbol of premature triumph as the insurgency grows.
• 2003-12-13 — Saddam Hussein captured by US forces.
• 2004-11-02 — Re-elected, defeating Senator John Kerry: ~286–251 in the Electoral College, ~50.7% to 48.3% of the popular vote — this time winning the popular vote.
• 2005-01-20 — Second inauguration; pushes (unsuccessfully) for Social Security privatization.
• 2005-08-29 — Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; the sluggish federal/FEMA response badly damages his standing.
• 2006-12-30 — Saddam Hussein executed by the Iraqi government.
• 2007-01 — Announces the Iraq "surge" of additional troops to quell the insurgency.
• 2008-09 — Global financial crisis erupts (Lehman Brothers collapses Sept 15); markets crater in his final months.
• 2008-10-03 — Signs the $700 billion TARP bank-rescue (Emergency Economic Stabilization Act).
• 2008-12 — A journalist throws shoes at him at a Baghdad press conference; Bush ducks both.
• 2009-01-20 — Leaves office with low approval ratings; retires to Dallas, Texas, and Crawford ranch.
• 2010-11-09 — Publishes his memoir Decision Points (reportedly a ~$7 million advance; sells over 2 million copies quickly).
• 2013-04-25 — George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum dedicated at Southern Methodist University, Dallas.
• 2014 — Publishes 41: A Portrait of My Father, a biography of George H. W. Bush.
• 2017-02 — Releases Portraits of Courage, a book of his oil paintings of wounded veterans (he took up painting in retirement, inspired by Churchill).
• 2018-12-01 — His father, George H. W. Bush, dies; he delivers a tearful eulogy.
• 2020s — Largely stays out of partisan politics; net worth widely estimated around $40–50 million.

Nature & personality

Plain-spoken, folksy and instinctive rather than studious; sold himself as a "compassionate conservative" and a regular Texan despite a blue-blooded Connecticut–Yale–Harvard lineage. Famous for malapropisms ("Bushisms"), self-deprecating humor and a strong loyalty streak. A decisive, gut-led executive — "the decider" — who delegated detail and stuck to commitments. Carried a wild, hard-drinking streak into his 30s, then made a sharp life pivot: faith became central after a born-again experience around 1986, and he never drank again. Disciplined in body and routine (early riser, daily exercise), warmer and more reflective in retirement.

Profession, fame & status

Three careers stacked: West Texas oilman (mostly unprofitable), baseball executive (the Texas Rangers, where he became publicly known and financially secure), and politician. Rose fast once in office — two terms as Texas governor, then two terms as President. His fame is wartime fame: 9/11, the War on Terror, Afghanistan and Iraq, the surge, Katrina, the 2008 crash. Held continuous high power 1995–2009. Left deeply polarizing; reputation later softened as he embraced an apolitical, philanthropic, painter's retirement.

Wealth & money

Born into the Bush–Walker dynasty (Wall Street, oil, politics) but his personal fortune was self-made through one shrewd bet: a ~$500,000 stake in the Texas Rangers in 1989 that returned roughly $15 million when the team sold in 1998. Entered the White House already wealthy; left it and multiplied his money via a ~$7 million memoir advance, additional books and lucrative speaking engagements. Post-presidency net worth commonly cited around $40–50 million.

Marriage, relationships & children

Married Laura Welch on 5 November 1977 — a steady, much-credited stabilizing partnership; she is widely seen as a calming influence and was a popular First Lady. Twin daughters Barbara and Jenna born 25 November 1981; Jenna later became a TV host and author. A close, durable family — no divorce, no public marital scandal.

Health

Conspicuously fit for a president: a marathon-era runner who switched to intense mountain biking after knee trouble; routinely posted strong physical-exam results ("heart-healthy"). The notable episode was minor — fainting briefly after choking on a pretzel on 13 January 2002, leaving a bruised lip. His big health-related transformation was behavioral: total abstinence from alcohol from age 40 (1986).

Legal troubles / controversies

A 1976 DUI arrest in Maine, hidden until it surfaced days before the 2000 vote. The 2000 election itself — won only after the Florida recount and the 5–4 Bush v. Gore decision, while losing the popular vote — left a lasting legitimacy debate. As president: the WMD case for the 2003 Iraq War (no stockpiles found), Abu Ghraib, enhanced-interrogation/"torture" debates, warrantless surveillance, the "Mission Accomplished" symbolism, and the widely faulted Katrina response (2005). His presidency ended amid the 2008 financial collapse. No personal criminal charges; the controversies are political and policy-level.

• D-10 Cancer, with Sun + Moon together in the D-10. For the 2004 election, reading from the Surya-chakra sign Libra, the Raj Yogas — 1st, 9th and 10th lords conjoined in the 9th (house of fortune) — overrode a slightly negative count of well-placed planets, so a career "cannot take a death-blow that year": PVNR's pre-vote verdict was that Bush would WIN (correct). Lesson 55 also covers the timing of the 2003 Iraq War.

PVNR SJC Lesson 55. Life events from the public record.