George H.W. Bush's Extensive Public Service Career

President Trump declared a national day of mourning for former President George H.W. Bush, who died on November 30th at the age of 94. The 41st president will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, where he will then be transported to Washington National Cathedral for his state funeral service. He will lie in repose at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas.

Bush’s long public service career began with his Navy service during World War II. In 1966 he was elected to the House of Representatives for a Texas house district. Within a decade of being first elected to the House, he was named the Ambassador to the United Nations, served as the Republican National Committee Chairman, was sent to China as the U.S. envoy, and served as Director of the CIA.

Bush tried his hand at the presidency in 1980, only to drop out in the primaries, reemerging as Regan’s running mate. He served two terms as Vice President under Regan. He ran a successful bid for the presidency in 1989. In his one term presidency, he was criticized for his apathetic response during the height of the AIDS crisis and for raising taxes. Some of his achievements during his one-term presidency were the brief but successful Gulf War. He was also the first president to navigate the post-Soviet Union world after the collapse of the union on Christmas Day, 1991.