George Bush

From the BBC:

"George Bush Senior Dies At 94"

Former US President George HW Bush has died at the age of 94 at home in Houston, Texas. Bush Sr served as the 41st US president between 1989 and 1993, his term defined by the end of the Cold War and the first Iraq war against Saddam Hussein.  While his health had been failing in recent years, he still managed to make public appearances. The former president died at 22:10 local time on Friday (04:10 GMT Saturday), a family spokesperson said. In April, he was admitted to hospital with a blood infection but had since been discharged. Bush was also being treated for a form of Parkinson's disease. He died seven months after his wife, Barbara.  "Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died," his son George Bush Jr, who went on to serve as the 43rd US president, said in a statement. "[He] was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for." Tributes have poured in for the former Republican - current US President Donald Trump praised his "essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family and country." The US flag has been lowered to half staff at the White House.  Bush Sr's single presidential term in office was dominated by foreign policy - the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.  He was instrumental in building the international military coalition that forced Iraq's Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait.  Bush became president after serving two terms as vice-president to Ronald Reagan, but he suffered the ignominy of becoming a single-term president - defeated by Bill Clinton in the 1992 election amid a weakening economy. His famous 1988 campaign promise - "Read my lips. No new taxes" - came back to haunt him when he felt compelled to reverse policy. Bush entered politics in 1964 after starting a Texan oil business and becoming a millionaire by the age of 40. During World War Two, he was an aviator before being shot down by the Japanese in September 1944 while on a bombing raid. Following his honourable discharge from the navy in 1945, Bush married then 18-year-old Barbara Pierce. Their marriage would last 73 years and they would have six children together.Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced, but family spokesman Jim McGrath said they would be made public "as soon as is practical". A lying in state in Washington is expected, followed by burial at the presidential library in Texas next to his late wife.  The last state funeral for a former president was that of Gerald Ford, which began on 30 December 2006 with a lying in state and service at the US Capitol. Further services were held at the Washington National Cathedral on 2 January 2007 and the following day in Grand Rapids, Michigan, his boyhood home. The US flag was flown at half mast on official buildings for 30 days. 

^ This is a sad day. President George H. W. Bush was not only a good leader during some rough times (the end of the Cold War) but also a good man. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46410225