Former US President George HW Bush dies at the age of 94

Former US President George HW Bush, died late Friday at the age of 94, his son George W Bush, also a former US President, announced in a statement. Bush was the longest living US President. He was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital for a blood infection on 22 April, a day after the funeral of his wife Barbara, who died on April 17 at the age of 92.

"He was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for," the Bush family said in a statement.

Bush had also been admitted to the hospital in January and April 2017 for the treatment of pneumonia. In the month of January, his wife Barbara was also admitted to the same hospital on complaints of fatigue and coughing.

Statement by the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, on the passing of his father this evening at the age 94. pic.twitter.com/oTiDq1cE7h

— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) December 1, 2018

Before entering into the US politics in 1964 as a Republican, Bush was a World War Two veteran and Texan oil tycoon. During his political career, he advocated a "kinder, gentler" conservatism. He is known for perusing policies that helped topple the Soviet empire and waging the Persian Gulf War against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein following his invasion to Kuwait.

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Political career of George HW Bush, the 41st US President

The World War II veteran and Texan oil tycoon, George HW Bush won a seat in House of Representatives in 1966. In 1971, he was installed as the United States' permanent ambassador to the United Nations (UN). In 1974, Bush was also chosen to head the newly established mission in Beijing. The 38th US President Gerald Ford appointed Bush as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1976. In 1981, he became the vice-president during the rule of President Ronald Reagan.

In 1989, he went on to become the first serving US Vice President in the 150 years to be elected to the highest office. He led the US into the first Gulf War also known as the Persian Gulf War against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. It was the policies of Bush that helped in the dissolution of the USSR that left the US as the world's only superpower. However, he was defeated by Bill Clinton in the 1992 election despite achieving popularity ratings of 90 per cent.