Twanna M. Powell Lecture Series - 4/6/1998
George W. Bush
George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, was the 46th Governor of Texas at the time of his presentation for the Twanna M. Powell Lecture Series. Mr. Bush has earned a reputation as a compassionate conservative who shapes policy based on the principles of limited government, personal responsibility, strong families, and local control. On January 20, 2001, George W. Bush took the oath of office of President of the United States.
During three Texas Legislative sessions, Governor Bush worked in a spirit of bipartisan cooperation with statewide leaders and members of the Texas Legislature to enact historic reforms to improve public schools, put welfare recipients to work, curb frivolous lawsuits and strengthen criminal justice laws. In his five years in office, Governor Bush delivered the two largest tax cuts in state history, totaling nearly $3 billion, to Texas taxpayers.
Governor Bush's first priority is the education of our children. As Governor, he worked with the Texas Legislature to increase the state's share of funding for schools, to restore local control, to strengthen the state's accountability system, to give parents and students greater choice of schools, and to foster competition and creativity through charter schools and an expanded menu of educational opportunity. His most profound goal for Texas was that every child learn to read by third grade and continue to read at grade level or better throughout public school.
George W. Bush was born July 6th, 1946, and grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas. He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He served as an F-102 pilot for the Texas Air National Guard. He began his career in the oil and gas business in Midland in 1975 and worked in the energy industry until 1986. After working on his father's 1988 presidential campaign he assembled the group of partners that purchased the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989 and which later built the Ranger's new home, the Ballpark at Arlington.
He served as managing general partner of the Texas Rangers until he was elected Governor on November 8, 1994, with 53.5% of the vote. In a historic re-election victory, he became the first Texas Governor to be elected to consecutive four-year terms on November 3, 1998 winning 68.6% of the vote.
In 1998, Governor Bush won 49%of the Hispanic vote, 27% of the African-American vote, 27% of Democrats and 65% of women. He won more Texas counties, 240 of 254, than any modern Republican other than Richard Nixon in 1972 and is the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to win the heavily Hispanic and Democratic border counties of El Paso, Cameron and Hildalgo. Governor Bush resigned as Governor of the State of Texas on December 21, 2000, to assume the office of President of the United States.
President Bush and his wife, Laura, a former teacher and librarian who grew up in Midland, now reside at the White House. They have twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna. President Bush is a Methodist and has served on the boards of various charitable, business, and civic organizations.