George Walker Bush was born on July 6, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut to George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States and Barbara Pierce Bush. At the age of two, the Bush family moved to Odessa, Texas and then to various other places around the country before finally settling in Houston, Texas in 1959. In 1961, Bush went off to Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, the same boarding school that both his father and grandfather attended. He enrolled at Yale in 1964, graduating in 1968 with a Bachelor's Degree in History. After college, Bush enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard, attaining the rank of Second Lieutenant and gaining certification to fly the F-102… jet fighter. He remained in the Air National Guard until 1973. In the early 70's, Bush worked on various United States Senate campaigns for Republican candidates in Florida and Alabama. He also worked for a firm that specialized in large scale agricultural operations and as part of a student mentor program for children in inner city Houston. In 1973, after leaving the Air National Guard, Bush was admitted to Harvard Business School, earning his M. B. A. in 1975. He followed in his father's footsteps and held a job in the oil industry before announcing in 1977, that he would run for a seat in the House of Representatives. He became a Republican congressional candidate but lost the general election in 1978. Bush then started an independent oil-exploration company called Arbusto (meaning bush in spanish) Energy Incorporated, which eventually joined Spectrum 7, where Bush became Chairman. In 1986, Spectrum 7 was folded into Harken Energy Corp., and Bush served as a consultant and a member of the Board of Directors. In 1987, Bush served as the campaign advisor for his father's run at the presidency, at Bush senior's national campaign headquarters. He also held the position of liaison to the media, as well as conservative and Christian leaders. In 1989, he purchased a small interest in the Texas Rangers baseball team, eventually becoming a managing general partner and serving as the public spokesperson for the ownership group. In the 90's, Bush plotted a run for the position of Govenor of Texas, campaigning against Democrat Ann Richards in 1994. He won 53.5% of the vote. In June of 1999, Bush announced his bid for the Presidency of the United States, defeating McCain for the Republican bid itself. Prior to the Republican National Convention, Bush had named Dick Cheney as his running mate for the Vice Presidency. He campaigned against the then Vice President, Al Gore, in a hard fought election. Amid national contention of the ballot count in Florida, that reached as high as the Supreme Court and caused many to still wonder today who did indeed win the electoral vote from Florida, Bush attained the position of President and was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States on January 20, 2001