George Bush

George Bush graduated from Yale University in 1948, after wartime naval service. He made a fortune in the Texan oil industry before entering politics to sit in the house of representatives (1966 - 1970). He was ambassador to the UN (1970 - 1974) and head of the US liaison office in China (1976 - 1977), before appointment to the Directorship of the CIA.

Bush unsuccessfully contested the Republican presidential nomination with Ronald Reagan in 1980, and became vice president. He acted behind the scenes as one of Reagan's closest advisers, undertaking many international missions on his behalf.

Elected president of the United States in 1988, Bush did not possess his predecessors strong public image, but once in office he acted decisively.

On his orders, troops were sent into Panama in 1989 to arrest President Noriega and bring him to trial in the US on drugs charges, and he led the international action against the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, committing large numbers of US troops to the UN-backed Allied force that fought the Gulf War in 1991. Bush failed to win a second term in 1992.