HOUSTON – Former President George H.W. Bush died Friday at the age of 94.
George Herbert Walker Bush has said he was born into privilege. But he felt it was more of family values rather than money.
The youngest of five, Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, in 1924 and raised in Connecticut by his father, Senator Prescott Bush, and his mother, Dorothy.
MORE: Official website of George H.W. Bush
On his 18th birthday, Bush enlisted in the military and became the Navy's youngest pilot. He flew 58 combat missions in World War II before being shot down by Japanese antiaircraft fire while over the Pacific Ocean in 1944. The young pilot was rescued by a submarine and awarded the distinguished flying cross for bravery in action.
READ: President George H.W. Bush's official obituary
Back at home, Bush married his beloved Barbara and the couple had six children. In 1948, Bush graduated from Yale University with a degree in economics. While there, the left-handed first baseman played in the first College World Series.
Following graduation, Bush moved the family to West Texas for prosperity in the oil industry, but like his father, he was drawn to politics.
After an unsuccessful bid for the Texas Senate in 1964, Bush secured a House seat in 1966 and 1968, representing his new home of Houston. He was again denied a Senate seat in 1970, losing to Democrat Lloyd Bentsen.
"I think in defeat you grope for things that are happy and it's hard," Bush said at the time.
Bush moved on by accepting a series of presidential appointments in the early 1970s. First as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, then as Republican National Committee chairman during the difficult Watergate years.
With Richard Nixon out and Gerald Ford in, Bush was appointed envoy to China.
Then in 1976, as director of the CIA, he helped restore the agency's reputation.
In 1980, Bush made a run for the White House, but the Republican Party nominated Ronald Reagan, who selected Bush as his vice presidential running mate. The match proved to be a good one. The pair headed to Washington, D.C. and won in a landslide four years later.
As vice president, Bush traveled the world, pushed his anti-drug programs and even became the first VP to stand in as acting president while Reagan underwent colon surgery in 1985.
Bush spent most of the eight hours on the tennis court. Then after eight years of loyalty, Bush tried again for the oval office.
"Good luck and God bless you both," Reagan said at the time.
Bush chose Indiana Senator Dan Quayle as his running mate and at the Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Bush made a pledge that would later haunt him.
"Read my lips: no new taxes," Bush said.
In 1988, the Bush-Quayle ticket beat Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen.
As president, Bush focused on foreign affairs and oversaw the end of the Cold War. His approval rating soared with the invasion of Panama, and the launch of Operation Desert Storm.
"America will not be intimidated," Bush told Congress.
But with a budget crisis at home and the failing of saving and loans, Bush rescinded his "no new taxes" pledge.
When it came time for re-election, the incumbent found himself fighting to keep his position and was ousted by Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992.
Bush returned to private life, splitting his time between Kennebunkport, Maine, and his home in Tanglewood.
In fact, it was not uncommon to see Bush taking in an Astros game or grabbing a bite to eat. He was one of Houston's most high-profile neighbors.
His name now graces his presidential library, CIA headquarters and a Houston airport.
"I think it's about the nicest thing that's ever happened to me," Bush said of IAH.
While his son George W. sealed the Bush dynasty, the elder Bush marked his birthdays skydiving and joined forces with former president Clinton to raise millions for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, continuing his lifelong commitment to public service.
In 2011, Bush was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, the highest civilian honor. The JFK Profile in Courage award, accepted by his grandchildren, and the prestigious Robert Schuman Medal would follow.
In his later years, Bush was diagnosed with vascular parkinsonism, a form of Parkinsons.
Often seen in a motorized scooter, he turned heads with his colorful socks that became his trademark style.