Video: 'George H.W. Bush: Biography of the 41st American President'

(Thursday, June 12, 1924) — George H. W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States (1989-1993) and the 43rd vice president of the United States under President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), was born George Herbert Walker Bush today into a wealthy, established family at 173 Adams Street in Milton, Massachusetts.

Foreign policy drove Bush’s presidency as he navigated the final years of the Cold War and played a key role in the reunification of Germany.

He presided over the invasion of Panama and the Gulf War, ending the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in the latter conflict.

Though the agreement was not ratified until after he left office, Bush negotiated and signed the North American Free Trade Agreement, which created a trade bloc consisting of the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Video: 'George H.W. Bush - U.S. President | Mini Bio | BIO'

Domestically, Bush reneged on a 1988 campaign promise by enacting legislation to raise taxes to justify reducing the budget deficit.

He championed and signed three pieces of bipartisan legislation in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Immigration Act and the Clean Air Act Amendments.

He also appointed David Souter and Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.

Bush lost the 1992 presidential election to Democrat Bill Clinton following an economic recession, his turnaround on his tax promise, and the increased emphasis of foreign policy in a post–Cold War political climate.