Remembering President George Herbert Walker Bush

Former President George Herbert Walker Bush passed away on November 30, 2018 at the age of 94. At the time of his passing, President Bush had lived longer than any previous president.

George H.W. Bush served as the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993 and also held the position of Vice President from 1981 to 1989. Outside of his presidential roles, Bush served the public in other ways – he was a WWII Navy veteran; he represented the 7th District of Texas in the House of Representatives; served as the Ambassador to the United Nations from 1971 to 1973; and was the Director of Central Intelligence from 1976 to 1977.

In remembrance of George H.W. Bush, the Unwritten Records presents photographs held in the Still Picture Branch that highlight his various roles and public service.

80-G-265727 (crop)
Photo ID: 80-G-265727 (cropped). Original caption: “Torpedo Squadron 51 (VT-51). G.H.W. Bush.” Date: October 23rd, 1944. Photo taken by: USS San Jacinto
80-G-387375
Photo ID: 80-G-387375. Former President Bush is standing in back row, third from the right. Original caption: “Officers at NAS Norfolk, VA. Left to right (top row): Ens. Wykes; Ens. Buchard; Lt. (jg) J.O. Guy; Ens. L. Grab; Lt. (jg) G. White; Ens. Bush; Ens. Boren; Ens. West; (bottom row) Ens. Waters; Lt. Daniels; Lt. Houle; (unknown); Lt. Comdr. Melvin; Lt. Hole; Lt. (jg) Nemsak; Lt. (jg) Plaisted.” Date: February 1944
80-G-387376
Photo ID: 80-G-387376. George Herbert Walker Bush is the 4th officer from the right (standing). Original caption: “Officers and men on board USS Jacinto (CVL-30), Gulf of Paria.” Date: December 1943
306-N-71-866
Photo ID: 306-N-71-866. Original caption: “Washington DC. George Bush is sworn in as a U.S. Representative to United Nations by Potter Stewart, Associate Justice of Supreme Court. Mrs. Bush and President Richard M. Nixon, right. Painting of Abraham Lincoln in background by artist George P. Healy.” Photo by: United States Information Agency (Pinto)
306-N-71-358
Photo ID: 306-N-71-358. Original caption: “New York City: George W. Bush, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, during a press conference.” Photo by: United States Information Agency (Riordan)
306-N-72-1617
Photo ID: 306-N-72-1617. Original caption: “New York City, NY. Entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. (center) receives certificate naming him to the US National Commission for UNESCO. Making presentation is George Bush (left), US Ambassador to UN. Right: John Upston, Executive Director of US Commission. Photo by: United States Information Agency (Riordan)
59-N-VS681-71
Photo ID: 59-N-VS-618-71. Original caption: “Ambassador George Bush presents a [lunar] bible to Michael Collins in Room 7316, Department of State, Washington DC.” Date: June 29th, 1971. Photo by: State Department (Nesbitt)
DF-SC-83-02197
Photo ID: 330-CFD-DF-SC-83-02197. Available in the NARA catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6362161. Original caption: “Vice President-elect George HWBush greets a crowd upon his arrival. Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.” Date: 11/18/1980. Photo by: Department of Defense (Clawson)
306-PSF-84-2790c
Photo ID: 306-PSF-84-2790c. Original caption: “Dallas, Texas. President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan (left) are joined by Vice President and Mrs. George Bush as delegates cheer at the Republican Convention.” Date: 1984. Photo by: United States Information Agency (Carol Hightower)
306-PSF-85-448c.jpg
Photo ID: 306-PSF-85-448c. Original caption: “Dallas, Texas. President Reagan and Vice President Bush after being nominated to run for a second term at the Republican National Convention.” Date: 1984. Photo by: United States Information Agency (Carol Hightower)
306-PSF-85-180c.jpg
Photo ID: 306-PSF-85-180c. Original Caption: “Washington, D.C. President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, Vice President George Bush and Mrs. Bush join in singing the National Anthem at an impromptu inaugural gala in a sports arena in a Maryland suburb of Washington.” Date: January 21, 1985. Photo by: White House (Pete Souza)
DD-ST-89-03758
Photo ID: 330-CFD-DD-ST-89-03758. Available in the NARA catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6435327. Original caption: “President-elect George H.WBush, Barbara Bush, Marilyn Quayle, and Vice President-elect J. Danforth Quayle greet spectators attending the Inauguration Day opening ceremony in honor of George H.WBush, 41st president of the United States.” Date: 1/18/1989. Photo by: Department of Defense (MSGT Patrick Nugent)
DN-SC-89-05558
Photo ID: 330-CFD-DN-SC-89-05558. Available in the NARA catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6440299. Original caption: “President George HWBush 41st President of the United States.” Date: c. 1989
DN-ST-89-08570
Photo ID: 330-CFD-DN-ST-89-08570. Available in the NARA catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6445000. Original caption: “President George H.WBush and Barbara Bush stand during a ceremony honoring US military personnel killed during the World War II fight for southern Italy in 1943-44.” Date: 5/28/1989. Photo by: Department of Defense (JO2 David Greitzer)
DESERT SHIELD
Photo ID: 330-CFD-DA-SC-91-10743. Available in the NARA catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6458779. Original caption: “President George HWBush peers out from a bunker at an M-2 .50-caliber machine gun. The president is in Saudi Arabia during the Thanksgiving holiday to visit U.S. troops deployed to the area during Operation Desert Shield.” Date: 11/22/1990. Photo by: Department of Defense (CPT Michael Edrington)
940908-F-0681L-022
Photo ID: 330-CFD-DF-SD-07-25418. Available in the NARA catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6686188. Original caption: “Former U.S. President George HWBush sits in the cockpit of a U.S. Navy TBM-1C Avenger aircraft in Fargo, N.D. Sept. 8, 1994. Lieutenant Junior Grade George Bush was a U.S. Navy Pilot assigned to Torpedo Squadron Fifty-One and flew the VT-51 aboard the Aircraft Carrier USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) during World War Two.” Date: 9/8/1994. Photo by: U.S. Air Force (TECH. SGT. David H. Lipp)
207-DP-9057-ADA_4573
Photo ID: 207-DP-9057-ADA_4573. Available in the NARA catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6200631. Original caption: “Secretary Alphonso Jackson with former President George H.WBush at Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.” Date: 7/26/2005. Photo by: Department of Housing and Urban Development (David Valdez)
311-MAD-17041
Photo ID: 311-MAD-17041. Available in the NARA catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5691850. Original caption: “Former President George HWBush speaks with FEMA representative Meredith Chandler during his visit to the Waveland Disaster Recovery Center (DRC). President Bush is touring the Mississippi and Louisiana gulf coasts to see the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and the ongoing recovery efforts.” Date: 11/8/2005. Photo by: Federal Emergency Management Agency (Mark Wolfe)
DESERT SHIELD
Photo ID: 330-CFD-DM-SN-92-04348. Available in the NARA catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/6474347. Original caption: “President George Bush has a word with his wife, Barbara, during their Thanksgiving Day visit to the 1ST Marine Division combat operations center (COC) during Operation Desert Shield.” Date: 11/23/1990. Photo by: Department of Defense (CPL. D. Haynes)

 

All of the photographs presented in this blog post are held and maintained by the NARA Still Picture unit. The images are unrestricted and may be used freely. Should you wish to use any of the photos included here, the following are examples of preferred credit lines:

National Archives photo no. 80-G-32500

Credit National Archives (photo no. 306-NT-186000)

Courtesy National Archives, photo no. 26-G-3422

National Archives (111-SC-202199)