George P. Bush | |
|---|---|
 Bush in 2019 | |
| 28thLand Commissioner of Texas | |
| In office January 2, 2015 – January 10, 2023 | |
| Governor | Rick Perry Greg Abbott |
| Preceded by | Jerry E. Patterson |
| Succeeded by | Dawn Buckingham |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Prescott Bush (1976-04-24)April 24, 1976 (age 48) Houston,Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Jeb Bush (father) Columba Bush (mother) |
| Relatives | Bush family |
| Education | Rice University (BA) University of Texas at Austin (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 2007–2017 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | United States Navy Reserve |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Joint Service Commendation Medal |
George Prescott Bush (born April 24, 1976)[1] is an American politician and attorney who served as the commissioner of theTexas General Land Office from 2015 to 2023. A member of theRepublican Party, Bush unsuccessfully campaigned for the party's nomination in the2022 Texas Attorney General election.
A fourth-generation elected official of theBush family, he is the eldest child of formergovernor of FloridaJeb Bush; nephew of the43rdpresident,George W. Bush; grandson of the 41st president,George H. W. Bush; and great-grandson of formerU.S. senator fromConnecticutPrescott Bush.
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Bush was born inHouston, Texas, toJeb andColumba Bush (née Garnica Gallo). Bush has two siblings: younger sister Noelle Lucila Bush and younger brother John Ellis Bush Jr.[2][3] Bush attendedGulliver Preparatory School in the Miami area.[citation needed]
In December 1994, Bush was involved in an incident at his former girlfriend's home after attempting to break in and later driving his car through the front yard. His girlfriend's father declined to press charges.[4] He graduated fromRice University with aBachelor of Arts in history in 1998. He then attended theUniversity of Texas School of Law from 2000 until 2003, graduating with aJuris Doctor degree.[5][6][3]
From August 1998 until June 1999, Bush taughtsocial studies at a public high school inHomestead,Florida.[5][6][3][7] Bush was theTarrant County chairman[citation needed][when?] for Uplift Education, acharter school district inDallas.[8][9]
Bush clerked forU.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas,Sidney A. Fitzwater, from September 2003 until 2004.[10][11] From 2004 to 2007 he practicedcorporate and securities law withAkin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP inDallas.[12] In 2005, Bush was selected as one ofTexas Monthly's "Rising Stars" for his work with Akin Gump.[13]
From 2007 to 2012, Bush was a partner at Pennybacker Capital, LLC, areal estateprivate equity firm inAustin, Texas. The firm was originally named N3 Capital and headquartered inFort Worth.[14][15] In 2012, he founded St. Augustine Partners, an energy and technology-focused investment firm in Fort Worth.[16][17] After Bush's defeat in the March 2022 attorney general primary toKen Paxton, he went to work for a Wisconsin-based law firm calledMichael Best & Friedrich LLP, based out of Austin.[18][19] In 2024 he was named the Managing Partner of the Austin office.[20]
Bush toldPolitico that attending the October 2006 launch of theUSS George H.W. Bush inspired him to join theUnited States Navy. He also called the death ofPat Tillman, theNational Football League player andArmy Ranger who was killed by friendly fire inAfghanistan in 2004, "a wake-up call".[21][22]
In March 2007, theUnited States Navy Reserve selected Bush for training as anintelligence officer through thedirect commission officer program, a Navy initiative whereby applicants in specialized civilian fields forgo the typical prerequisites of a commission, such as theNaval Academy,NROTC orOCS, and—instead—attend the Direct Commissioned Officer Indoctrination Course (DCOIC),[23] a three-week course on subjects such as naval history, customs and courtesies, followed by online classes. He was commissioned as a Navy Reserve Officer in May 2007.[24][25] Bush served inAfghanistan for eight months from June 2010 to February 2011.[24] During thedeployment, he was given a different name for security purposes.[26] Bush left the U.S. Navy Reserve in May 2017 as alieutenant.[24][27]
In September 2012, Bush announced his intention to run for office, saying that he was considering one of several state offices. Two months later he filed papers required to run for state office in Texas.[28] The same month, his father,Jeb Bush, emailed donors requesting that they support him in his 2014 bid forTexas Land Commissioner.[29][30]
In January 2013, Bush filed a campaign finance report stating he had received about $1.3 million in campaign contributions.[31] In March 2013, Bush filed to run for Texas Land Commissioner.[31][32] The main role of the Land Office is negotiating and enforcing leases for mineral rights on millions of acres of land owned by the State of Texas.[33]
By June 2013, Bush had raised $3.3 million even though noDemocratic candidate had emerged for land commissioner.[34] On November 19, 2013, he officially filed the papers to run for Texas Land Commissioner.[35]
In the 2014 Republican primary, outgoing Land CommissionerJerry E. Patterson ran unsuccessfully forlieutenant governor[36][37] while Bush defeated David Watts ofGilmer inUpshur County for the Republican nomination for land commissioner; Bush received 74 percent of the vote, totalling 937,987 votes to Watts' 27 percent with 346,949 votes.[36]
In the November 4 general election, Bush faced DemocratJohn Cook, a former mayor ofEl Paso.[38] Bush won 61 percent of the vote against token opposition, carrying "virtually every demographic" and riding a nationwide Republican wave in themidterms.[39][40] He became the only Bush to win his first election.[41]
As of January 2017[update], Bush had about $3.1 million in campaign cash for his re-election campaign.[42] He won the March 6, 2018, Republican primary with nearly 58 percent of the vote, defeating three other candidates includingJerry E. Patterson, the previous land commissioner.[43] In the general election, Bush received 53.68 percent of the vote to Democratic candidate Miguel Suazo's 43.19 percent andLibertarian Matt Pina's 3.1 percent.[44][45][46]
Bush assumed office on January 2, 2015.[47]
As state land commissioner, Bush oversaw theTexas General Land Office (GLO), which manages about 13 million acres of state land and is in charge of auctions for leases to extract oil and natural gas on those lands.[42]
In 2015, the GLO under Bush took control of theAlamo, a historic site inSan Antonio, ending the state's partnership with theDaughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT), which had managed the site for decades.[48] In firing DRT as managers of the Alamo, Bush alleged that the group had violated its contract.[49] Bush locked the DRT out of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, and the GLO claimed ownership over the library's collections and artifacts. DRT sued, and the suit was settled in 2016, with Bush and the GLO relinquishing their claims and agreeing to pay the DRT $200,000 in legal fees.[50] Bush oversaw a $450-million remodel of the Alamo and the plaza around it.[42] In 2015, Bush spoke at a fundraising event for the Alamo Endowment, which took over management of the site in conjunction with the GLO.[48]English singerPhil Collins donated various Alamo-related artifacts to the State of Texas, with the stipulation that the State of Texas build a facility to hold the artifacts within a seven-year period.[48][49] The Texas state legislature made a one-time infusion of $25 million to Bush's GLO to redevelop the Alamo site, and the city of San Antonio agreed to provide $1 million for the redevelopment.[49]
Bush dismissed some one hundred land commission employees hired under the preceding CommissionerJerry E. Patterson. According to theSan Antonio Express-News, Bush paid almost $1 million in taxpayer funds to encourage the dismissed personnel not to file suit against either him or the agency. He kept at least forty persons on the payroll for up to five months after terminating their employment; they agreed in writing not to sue.[51]
In 2016, the office began a multi-year study on the flood effects of theHouston area and Texas coast.[52]
In June 2020, amid reports thatGeorge W. Bush andJeb Bush would not support Trump's re-election,[53] George P. Bush announced his full support for Trump, saying "Trump is the only thing standing between America andsocialism."[53][54]
In 2021, Bush supported the ouster ofLiz Cheney from her position as chair of theHouse Republican Conference in Congress.[55]
In 2020 and 2021, Bush said he was considering running forTexas attorney general in2022 against incumbentKen Paxton, a Republican accused of scandal.[56][57] On June 2, 2021, Bush officially announced his candidacy.[58]
In June 2021, Bush entered the race for Texas Attorney General with a campaign video that praisesDonald Trump and does not mention his father, grandfather, or great-grandfather.[59][60] Trump then endorsed Bush's opponent,Ken Paxton.[61]
During the campaign, Bush criticized the ways in which Paxton sought to overturn the 2020 election results, but said that he did not disagree with Paxton's "intent."[62] His campaign talking points were "massive voter fraud", "critical race theory" in schools, finishing the "Trump wall", and district attorneys in big cities "who are not on the side of law enforcement." He also said he would "go after human traffickers and drug cartels".[63]
Bush was defeated by Ken Paxton who received 68% of the vote and Bush obtained 32% of the vote in the primary election runoff.[64]The Texas Tribune wrote Bush's "defeat could mark the end of a four-generation political dynasty."[65]
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At the age of 12, Bush spoke before the1988 Republican National Convention, which nominated hisgrandfather. He also spoke at the1992 convention on the occasion of his renomination. He campaigned for his uncle,George W. Bush, during his successful2000 and2004 presidential campaigns, often performing outreach toLatino voters.[66][34] He worked on the 2000 presidential campaign from 1999 to 2000.[5][6][3][7] Bush has called himself a "George W. Bush Republican" on immigration reform, and has expressed support for portions of theDREAM Act in the past.[67]
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...'"[68]
Hisfathercampaigned in the2016 Republican presidential race, but later dropped out. After his father's exit, Bush campaigned forDonald Trump while most of the remainder of theBush family did not support him.[42][60] By 2021,ABC News described Bush as an "avowed Trump backer" and Trump, who had shown animosity toward the Bush family in the past,favorably coined Bush as "My Bush."[69][70]
As of 2012, he was the deputy finance chairman of theRepublican Party of Texas.[71]
Bush was the national co-chair of Maverick PAC, a nationalpolitical action committee dedicated to engaging the next generation of Republican voters.[72] Bush served as a member of several diplomacy missions, including one to Nicaragua for the secondpeaceful transfer of power in that country, and one to Brazil for thePan American Games in 2007. He also joined two US Congressional delegations, one to Saudi Arabia during theArab Spring of 2011 and one to Turkey in 2012 at the time of thecivil war in neighboring Syria.[73]
Bush is a co-founder and serves on the board of directors of Hispanic Republicans ofTexas, apolitical action committee whose goal is to electRepublican political candidates to office in the state.[74]
In August 2004, during a trip toMexico sponsored by the groupRepublicans Abroad, he calledVenezuelan PresidentHugo Chávez adictator[75] and criticized theU.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 localINS guy who's trying to be tough, act macho", although it is an agency policy.[76]
In 2009, Bush criticizedFlorida GovernorCharlie Crist for accepting money from the2009 stimulus package, calling for a return to fiscal conservatism.[77] In January 2010, he endorsedMarco Rubio, Crist'sopponent for theUnited States Senate.[78]
Bush said thatclimate change is a serious threat to Texas but he does not accept thescientific consensus which attributes climate change to human activity.[79]
In February 2021, Texas experienced a humanitarian crisis after widespread power outages were caused by the infrastructure not being weatherized. Although 90 percent of the power plants that failed were fueled by fossil and nuclear fuels, Bush attacked wind and solar energy: "If the last few days have proven anything, it’s that we need oil & gas. Relying solely on renewable energy would be catastrophic."[80][81][82]
He was featured inPeople's 100 most eligible bachelors in 2000.[76][83]
Bush marriedlaw school classmate, Amanda L. Williams, on August 7, 2004, inKennebunkport,Maine, at St. Ann's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church[84][85] Williams is a media law attorney at the firm Jackson Walker LLP inFort Worth,Texas.[29][86][87] The couple has two sons.[88]
In 2016, theLeague of United Latin American Citizens Council No. 12 inLaredo gave Bush andMexican officialJosé Antonio Meade Kuribreña the titles ofSeñor Internacional, an honor given to distinguished figures in the border region.[89]
| Texas Attorney General Republican primary runoff election, 2022[90] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Ken Paxton | 633,223 | 67.96 |
| Republican | George P. Bush | 298,577 | 32.04 |
| Texas Attorney General Republican Primary Election, 2022[90] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Ken Paxton | 820,602 | 42.71 | |
| Republican | George P. Bush | 437,784 | 22.78 | |
| Republican | Eva Guzman | 336,814 | 17.53 | |
| Republican | Louie Gohmert | 326,186 | 16.98 | |
| Texas Land Commissioner Election, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | George P. Bush | 4,414,779 | 53.7 |
| Democratic | Miguel Suazo | 3,542,587 | 43.1 |
| Libertarian | Matt Piña | 257,532 | 3.1 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | George P. Bush (Incumbent) | 859,209 | 58.2 | |
| Republican | Jerry E. Patterson | 438,346 | 29.7 | |
| Republican | Davey Edwards | 101,074 | 6.8 | |
| Republican | Rick Range | 77,936 | 5.3 | |
| Texas Land Commissioner Republican Primary Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | George P. Bush | 937,987 | 73.00 |
| Republican | David Watts | 346,949 | 27.00 |
| Texas Land Commissioner Election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | George P. Bush | 2,827,584 | 60.68 |
| Democratic | John Cook | 1,645,828 | 35.32 |
| Libertarian | Justin Knight | 126,422 | 2.71 |
| Green | Valerie Alessi | 60,116 | 1.29 |
But he returned 20 minutes later to drive his Ford Explorer across the home's front lawn, leaving wide swaths of burned grass in his wake. Young Bush avoided arrest when the victims declined to press charges.
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| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forLand Commissioner of Texas 2014, 2018 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Land Commissioner of Texas 2015–2023 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
