George W. Bush is the 46th Governor of the State of Texas. Now entering his second term, Governor 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.

During two Texas Legislative sessions, Governor Bush has worked in a spirit of bipartisan cooperation with Lt. Governor Bob Bullock, House Speaker Pete Laney, 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 1998, Texas taxpayers began receiving the largest tax cut in Texas history, a $1 billion dollar school property tax cut funded by savings from state government.

Governor Bush's first priority is the education of Texas children. He has worked with the 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 is that every child will learn to read by third grade and will continue to read at grade level or better throughout public school.

George W. Bush was born July 6, 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 percent 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 percent of the vote.

Governor Bush won 49 percent of the Hispanic vote, 27 percent of the African-American vote, 27 percent of Democrats and 65 percent 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 Hidalgo.

Governor Bush and his wife, Laura, a former teacher and librarian who grew up in Midland, reside in the historic Governor's mansion in Austin with their 17-year-old twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, their dog, Spot, and their three cats, India, Cowboy and Ernie.

Governor Bush is a Methodist and has served on the boards of various charitable, business, and civic organizations.   (From the George W. Bush offical web site).

A former President and a future President relaxing.

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Last update: 10/09/00

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