George P. Bush

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George Prescott Bush (born April 24, 1976 in Texas)^[1] is an attorney and real estate developer, who is the eldest of three children of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and his wife Columba. He is the nephew of the forty-third President of the United States, George W. Bush, and the grandson of the forty-first President of the United States, George H. W. Bush.

He practiced law in Dallas until 2005 before joining N3 Capital, a real estate investment company in Fort Worth, Texas. N3 Capital has since moved its headquarters to Austin, Texas and changed its name to Pennybacker Capital.^[2]

[edit] Early life

His mother, Columba Garnica Gallo, was born in Mexico, and his heritage has made him a popular figure with Hispanic voters^{[citation needed]}.

Bush went to high school with popular musical artist Enrique Iglesias at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami.

Like his grandfather and uncle (at Yale), Bush was a freshman walk-on to the Rice University baseball team but abandoned the game by his sophomore year.^[3] Bush played quarterback for the Jones College intramural football team. Bush earned an undergraduate degree from Rice in 1998, and earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2003.

On December 31, 1994, Bush showed up at 4:00 AM at the Miami home of a former girlfriend. According to the statement, he allegedly entered into the house through the woman's bedroom window and, after entering the home, argued with his ex's father. The report indicates that Bush left the scene, returning in his SUV, which was driven across the home's front lawn. The police took a statement and wrote a report, but no arrest was made and no charges were ever filed. ^[4]

He was featured in People Magazine's top 100 Bachelors in 2000.^[5]

[edit] Political activity

At the age of 12, Bush spoke before the 1988 Republican National Convention, which nominated his grandfather. He campaigned for his uncle, George W. Bush, during the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. In his speeches he stated support for his uncle's position in favor of comprehensive immigration reform.

He has been outspoken on certain issues. In August 2004, during a trip to Mexico sponsored by the group Republicans Abroad, he called Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez a dictator^[6] and criticized the U.S. Border Patrol's use of guns which fire plastic pellets packed with chili powder. Bush was quoted as telling Mexican media, "If there has been American approval for this policy, that is reprehensible. It's kind of barbarous." He attributed the gun usage to "some local INS guy who's trying to be tough, act macho", although it is an agency policy.^[5] When asked in 2003 about whether he planned to run for office himself, Bush replied that his grandmother, Barbara Bush, had advised that anyone thinking about entering politics should distinguish himself in some other field first: "Make a name for yourself, have a family, marry someone great, have some kids, buy a house, pay taxes, and do the things everyone also does instead of just running out and saying, 'Hey, I'm the nephew of or the son of or the grandson of...'."^[7] Speaking specifically of his father's White House ambitions, he cites "Bush fatigue" as a discouraging factor.^[8]

Bush has criticized Florida Governor Charlie Crist for accepting money from the stimulus package, calling for a return to fiscal conservatism.^[9]

[edit] Military service

On March 21, 2007 the United States Navy Reserve announced the selection of Bush for training as an intelligence officer. Once commissioned as an Ensign for eight years of reserve service, he will attend direct commission officer training, and then undergo a year of intelligence training, initially assigned to duty near his home.^[10][11]

Bush told The Politico that attending the October 2006 launch of the aircraft carrier named for his grandfather—the USS George H.W. Bush -- inspired him to join the service. He also called the death of Pat Tillman, the NFL player and Army Ranger who was killed in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in 2004, "a wake-up call." When asked to comment, Bush's senior assistant, Kyle Hoskinson, said "The Pat Tillman case is one of the saddest in U.S. Army history."^[10]

[edit] Personal life

Bush married a law school classmate, Amanda "Mandi" Williams, on August 7, 2004 in Kennebunkport, Maine.^[12][13] Williams is a media law attorney at the Jackson Walker LLP in Fort Worth.^[14][15] They currently live in Austin, Texas.

[edit] References