George W, the eldest son of George H W Bush and Barbara Bush, moved to Texas with his family when he was two years old. He graduated from Yale with a BA in history in 1968.
In college, he was a member of the Skull and Bones society. Members of this secret society are given nicknames, such as Magog (usually given to the one with the most experience with the opposite sex) or Gog (the one with the least).
George W's nickname is believed to have been 'Temporary.'
At the height of the Vietnam War, in May 1968, Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard. After training, he flew Convair F-102s fighter jets -- the world's first supersonic all-weather interceptor jets -- from Ellington Air Force Base, Houston. He took a transfer to the Alabama Air National Guard in 1972.
In 1974 he was allowed to terminate his obligatory six-year service six months early to attend Harvard Business School. By his own admission, he was a heavy drinker then. He was caught for drunken driving with Australian tennis star John Newcombe.
After Harvard, Bush joined the oil industry. In 1978, he met schoolteacher Laura Welch, who he married after three months of courtship.
Did you know? Bush shares his birth year with business tycoon Donald Trump, actress Diane Keaton, Bill Clinton, pop star Cher, actor Sylvester Stallone, and the bikini.
Bushism: 'It is clear our nation is reliant upon big foreign oil. More and more of our imports come from overseas.' -- Quoted as having said in Beaverton, Oregon, on September 25, 2000.
Also read: Part II of the George Bush interview: 'We are not a mediator in Kashmir'
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