President George H.W. Bush: A life of public service

Former President George H.W. Bush and son, former President George W. Bush, watch with family as the coffin of former first lady Barbara Bush is placed in a hearse outside St. Martin’s Episcopal Church following her funeral service April 21, 2018, in Houston.

Former President George H.W. Bush exits the funeral for his wife, Barbara, followed by his daughter-in-law, former first lady Laura Bush, and his son, former President George W. Bush, at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston on April 21, 2018.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, from left, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton attend a hurricane relief concert in College Station, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2017.

Former President George H.W. Bush greets President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as they arrive April 9, 2014, in Houston.

Former President George H.W. Bush waves as he arrives at NRG Stadium before the NCAA Final Four semifinal game between Villanova and Oklahoma in Houston on April 2, 2016.

Former President George H.W. Bush is interviewed for “The Presidents’ Gatekeepers” project about White House chiefs of staff at the Bush Library on Oct. 24, 2011, in College Station, Texas.

Former first lady Barbara Bush and former President George H.W. Bush attend the second day of the Ryder Cup on Sept. 29, 2012, at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill.  (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush wave to the crowd Oct. 31, 2010, before the Texas Rangers host the San Francisco Giants in Game 4 of the World Series in Arlington, Texas.  (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)

Former President George H. W. Bush talks to the media during an impromptu visit to the Brady Press Briefing room at the White House on Jan. 22, 2005, in Washington.

Former President George H.W. Bush, from left, President-elect Barack Obama, President George W. Bush and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office on Jan. 7, 2009. This marked the fifth time that five U.S. presidents have appeared together.

Former President George H.W. Bush addresses a crowd of Penn State University students Oct. 29, 2004, in State College, Pa.

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush talk with children Feb. 21, 2005, as they visit displaced residents from the December tsunami in Weligama, Sri Lanka.  (Gerald Herbert / AP)

Former President George H.W. Bush, from left, first lady Laura Bush, President George W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush wave to reporters outside St. John’s church Dec. 7, 2003, in Washington.

President George H.W. Bush prays with Marines on Jan. 1, 1993, before having lunch at the Baledogle air base in Somalia, where he visited with troops involved in Operation Restore Hope.  (David Ake, AFP/Getty Images)

President George H.W. Bush salutes as he leaves the Pentagon on Dec. 14, 1992. Bush was briefed by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell on U.S. relief efforts in Somalia.  (Robert Giroux, AFP/Getty Images)

President George H.W. Bush kisses his wife, Barbara, as entertainer Bob Hope, back right, applauds during a pre-election rally at the Astro Arena in Houston on Nov. 2, 1992.

President George H.W. Bush waves to supporters during a campaign stop Nov. 2, 1992, at the Dodge Memorial Building in Madison, N.J. Bush was trailing Democratic candidate Bill Clinton in the polls at the time.

President George H.W. Bush and former President Ronald Reagan shake hands with supporters at Yorba Regional Park during a September 1992 campaign stop for Bush.   (David Ake, AFP/Getty Images)

President George H.W. Bush, right, and Vice President Dan Quayle with their wives, Marilyn Quayle and first lady Barbara Bush, at the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston.

President George H.W. Bush tosses presidential tie clips to Marines at a desert encampment in eastern Saudi Arabia on May 23, 1990.   (J. Scott Applewhite/For the Chicago Tribune)

President George H.W. Bush announces his Supreme Court nomination of New Hampshire appellate Judge David Souter in July 1990.  (Jerome Delay, AFP/Getty Images)

President-elect George H.W. Bush fishes in the back of the home of businessman William Farish in Florida in November 1988.

Republican presidential candidate George H.W. Bush wears a T-shirt referencing his son George W. Bush as he walks with his wife, Barbara, and dog Fred in November 1978 in New Hampshire.   (Dirck Halstead / Getty Images)

George H.W. Bush is sworn in as director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Jan. 30, 1976, by Minister of Justice Baxter Stewart. Barbara Bush, CIA Vice Director Vernon Walters, third from left, and President Gerald Ford serve as witnesses.

George H.W. Bush, director of the CIA, attends a Cabinet meeting in 1976 in Washington, D.C.

George H.W. Bush with his wife, Barbara, in Beijing in 1974.  (AFP/Getty Images)