George W. Bush
43rd President of the United States (2001–2009)
George W. Bush: from Texas governor to wartime president
Education, business and Texas politics
Born in Connecticut and raised largely in Texas, George W. Bush graduated from Yale in 1968 and earned an MBA from Harvard in 1975. He served in the Texas Air National Guard, worked in the energy business and joined the ownership group of the Texas Rangers. Voters elected him governor of Texas in 1994 and returned him to office in 1998.
The presidency after September 11
Bush became the 43rd U.S. president in January 2001. The September 11 attacks reshaped his administration’s priorities toward national security and overseas military action. His presidency encompassed the war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq, decisions that remain central to assessments of his record. At home, he signed the No Child Left Behind education law and major tax cuts.
A second term and contested legacy
Re-elected in 2004, Bush served until January 2009. His second term included the mounting costs of the Iraq war and the severe economic downturn of 2008. The Miller Center describes a presidency that attracted both strong defenders and sharp critics. That tension between security policy, domestic reform and economic crisis continues to shape how his eight years in office are studied.
Data and sources
George W. Bush White House Archives — Biography ↗
Miller Center, University of Virginia — George W. Bush ↗