Former President George H. W. Bush has died at the age of 94.
Statement by the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, on the passing of his father this evening at the age 94. pic.twitter.com/oTiDq1cE7h
— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) December 1, 2018
Family spokesman Jim McGrath says Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush.
The nation’s 41st president served from 1989 to 1993, and eight years later watched his son George W. became the 43rd president.
In 1987 when Bush was Vice President, he traveled to King County to cut the dedication ribbon for the Museum of Flight in Tukwila.
“Our spirit of innovation didn’t stop with the dogged determination of the Wright Brothers, or with the daring … spirit of adventure of Charles Lindbergh,” Bush said that day. “Americans are still dreaming, still creating, still innovating – much of it going on right here in this part of Seattle, Washington.”
Watch that dedication from the KIRO 7 archives below.
Bush had a form of Parkinson's disease and used a motorized scooter or wheelchair to get around.
He was the youngest naval aviator when he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1943, spurred by the attack on Pearl Harbor.
He flew 58 combat missions during World War II, including one that required he be rescued by a submarine after his plane was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft fire.
For his bravery, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
It was while he was enlisted that he first met Barbara Bush, then a student at Smith College. The couple were married in Jan. 6, 1945, making theirs the longest marriage of any presidential couple in American history.
The couple had six children: George W., Robin, John (known as Jeb), Neil, Marvin and Dorothy. Robin died as a child. George W. Bush served two terms as president from 2001 to 2009. Jeb Bush ran for the Republican nomination in the run-up to November's election, but lost his bid to President-elect Donald Trump.
Following in the footsteps of his father, U.S. Sen. Prescott Bush (R-Connecticut), George Bush launched a career in politics in 1963 after settling with his family in Texas. He served as a congressman, CIA director and Ronald Reagan's vice president.
In 1989, became the first sitting vice president to secure the presidency since 1837.
Only one other U.S. president, John Adams, had a son who also became president.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
