Saturday, Oct. 21, the five living former presidents will attend a hurricane relief concert in Reed Arena. Here are the profiles over the past presidents:
Jimmy Carter
James Earl “Jimmy” Carter was elected in 1976 and served as the 39th President of the United States. Carter served one term as President and lost his re-election campaign to Ronald Reagan in 1980. Carter strived to make government “competent and compassionate,” to be responsive to the American people’s expectations during a time period of rising energy costs and inflations. By the end of his administration, there was an increase in approximately 8 million jobs and a decrease in the national budget deficit. Carter also had many accomplishments in domestic affairs. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, advancing democracy and human rights and encouraging economic and social development.
George H.W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush was elected in 1988 as the 41st President of the United States. Bush served as Vice President to Ronald Reagan from 1981-1989, he then served one term as president from 1988-1993. Bush worked in many domestic areas, such as federal deregulation and anti-drug programs. The Cold War was drawn to an end after 40 years, marking the fall of Communism and the Berlin Wall. Bush faced a changing world while in office. His popularity came from military and diplomatic triumph. Bush also withstood discontent at home from a troubled economy, inner city violence and high deficit spending. After his presidency, the Bush family returned to Houston where the former President volunteered with their church and sat on various boards. The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum was dedicated in 1997 at Texas A&M in College Station.
Bill Clinton
William “Bill” Jefferson Clinton was elected in 1992 as the 42nd President of the United States. President Clinton served two terms in presidential office with Al Gore as his Vice President. Both the White House and Congress were held by the Democratic Party for their first term, but Republicans won both houses of Congress in the second term. During his term, he bombed Iraq when Saddam Hussein stopped United Nations inspections for weapons of nuclear, chemical and biological capacities. Clinton was a global proponent for an expansion of NATO, promoted more international trade and had a worldwide campaign against drug trafficking. After he left the White House, Bill Clinton moved to Chappaqua, New York. He initially spent his time writing a memoir and overseeing the creation of his presidential library in Little Rock, Arkansas.
George W. Bush
George W. Bush was elected in 2000 as the 43rd President of the United States. President George W. Bush served two terms in presidential office with Dick Cheney as his Vice President. Bush’s administration focused on “compassionate conservatism” by embracing education, tax relief and volunteerism. He delivered significant tax cuts, one of his campaign pledges. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the stopped flight against the White House on September 11, 2001 caused this to be a wartime administration. Bush formed a new cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security and sent American forces into Afghanistan in response. George W. Bush returned to Midland, Texas after his second term and took residence at Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas. Additionally, George and Laura Bush bought a home in Dallas near Southern Methodist University, where his presidential library is located.
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was elected in 2008 as the 44th President of the United States. Obama served two terms in the presidential office with Joe Biden as his Vice President. Obama’s administration successfully passed healthcare reform, negotiated the Iran Nuclear Deal and ordered special forces to raid a compound and kill Osama bin Laden. He ended U.S. combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2014. Additionally, Obama signed the Paris Climate Accord to agree to do the nation’s part in lowering greenhouse gas emissions beginning in 2020. Obama and his family have relatively stayed out of the public’s eye since his presidency. The Obamas rent a house in the nation’s capital, so their youngest daughter, Sasha, can finish out her high school career. In Obama’s last press conference as president in January, he revealed that he wanted to do some writing.
Compiled by Savannah Mehrtens
Photos courtesy of presidential websites
All information on history until the end of presidency sourced from whitehouse.gov. Information on post-presidency sourced from millercenter.org.