Former President George Herbert Walker Bush and Barbara Pierce Bush are celebrating a major event in their lives.
The couple met when Barbara was just 16 years old and home for the holidays in Rye, New York, while she was on a school break.
The pair had a long-distance relationship and got engaged right before George left the United States to serve as a naval pilot in World War II.
In 1945, George H.W. Bush wed Barbara Pierce. They tied the knot at the First Presbyterian Church in Rye.
George and Barbara have now been married for 73 years, making them the longest-married couple in U.S. presidential history. A feat that is most certainly one to celebrate.
Over the years the couple has overcome much adversity. While serving in the war in 1944, George was rescued in the Pacific Ocean by a U.S. submarine after his aircraft was shot down by the Japanese. Two other crewmen didn’t survive the incident.
George was honorably discharged in September 1945 and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Following his stint in the Navy, he attended Yale University in New Haven, Conn., and earned a degree in economics. He and Barbara then relocated to Texas with their first-born child, George W.
George started a career in the oil business but also followed in the political footsteps of his father, Prescott Bush, who was a Connecticut senator. George represented Texas as a congressman for two terms.
George also became an ambassador to the United Nations and served as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chief of the U. S. Liaison Office in the People’s Republic of China, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
George was vice president in the early ’80s alongside President Ronald Reagan before winning the Republican nomination and becoming the country’s 41st president in 1989. Barbara focused on universal literacy during her stint as First Lady.
He and Barbara have four sons: George W, John Ellis, Marvin, and Neil. George W. became the 43rd President of the United States in 2001. John Ellis, known as “Jeb,” served as the governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. They also had two daughters, Doro and Robin, the latter who passed away from leukemia at the age of 3.
The couple has 17 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
In November 2017 at the age of 93, George became the oldest living president in U.S. history. After so many years together, this couple has consistently demonstrated a devotion to their family, country and continue to celebrate momentous milestones such as their marriage. We wish them all the best for years to come.