Condolences and remembrances about former President George H.W. Bush poured in from political figures Saturday, a day after the 41st president died at the age of 94.
Many of the statements, including those from former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, highlighted Bush’s commitment to public service.
“His administration was marked by grace, civility, and social conscience. Through his Points of Light initiative and other projects, he espoused a uniquely American volunteer spirit, fostering bipartisan support for citizen service and inspiring millions to embrace community volunteerism as a cherished responsibility,” said Carter in a statement.
Clinton, who had a post-presidency friendship with his predecessor, said few Americans could match Bush’s record of service to the country. “He never stopped serving,” he wrote.
Part of Bush’s service included becoming a naval aviator while still a teenager. His World War II service saw him shot down over the Pacific in 1944, and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism under fire.
“Naval Aviation mourns the passing of our 41st President, George H.W. Bush, a Naval Aviator, statesman, and humble public servant. His legacy lives on in those who don the cloth of our great nation and in the mighty warship which bears his name, @CVN77_GHWB,” said U.S. Naval Air Forces in a tweet.
Naval Aviation mourns the passing of our 41st President, George H.W. Bush, a Naval Aviator, statesman, and humble public servant. His legacy lives on in those who don the cloth of our great nation and in the mighty warship which bears his name, @CVN77_GHWB. May he Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/0COuk6veDV
— flynavy (@flynavy) December 1, 2018
President Richard Nixon’s daughters, Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower, issued a statement as well, saying their father believed in Bush.
“Richard Nixon kicked off George Bush’s campaign for Congress in 1966, encouraged him to run for Senate in 1970, entrusted him as his U.N. Ambassador and head of the RNC, and supported him tirelessly when he served as President for four years,” the statement reads. “George H.W. Bush lived a life that was purposeful, and extraordinarily rewarding — for our nation, and for our world.”
During his time as president, Bush saw the fall of the Berlin Wall, a marker of communism and the Soviet Union’s reach in Eastern Europe, and the end of the Cold War.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev praised Bush’s leadership. “We had a chance to work together during the years of tremendous changes. It was a dramatic time that demanded great responsibility from everyone. The result was an end to the Cold War and the nuclear arms race,” Gorbachev reportedly told Russian news agency Interfax. “I pay tribute to the contribution of George H. W. Bush to this historic achievement. He was a real partner,” he said.
Bush’s former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, who was vice president under George W. Bush, reportedly said the elder Bush “had no illusions about politics or life, but there wasn’t a trace of cynicism in him. His sense of duty and code of honor were uncompromising, yet he carried himself with gentle ease and without pretense or self-regard.”
Having the opportunity to learn from Bush framed the remembrances of Condolezza Rice, who served in the 41st president’s administration before becoming national security adviser and later secretary of state under President George W. Bush.
“President George Herbert Walker Bush was the epitome of a public servant. He loved America with all of his heart and served her as fully and completely as anyone ever has,” she said in a statement posted to Facebook. “I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to work for him, to learn from him and to experience his deep and abiding commitment to his fellow citizens. He was a mentor to me and a dear friend.”
