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George W. Bush, born 1946
Forty-third president, 2001–2009
Like John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, Texasborn Republican George W. Bush was the eldest son of a president. Also like Adams, Bush was elected in a close and controversial election against a Democratic vice president. Bush's victory over Al Gore was ultimately decided by a Supreme Court ruling with regard to recounting votes in Florida. Expecting that his presidency would center largely on domestic issues, he instead found his two terms dominated by a series of cataclysmic events. Above all, there were the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which required the development of a policy to fight al-Qaeda and worldwide terrorism. Abroad, Bush mounted major military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. At home, he faced the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and a major financial crisis. Despite Bush's efforts to safeguard the country's security and welfare, criticism that his administration had been ineffectual caused him to leave office with his reputation at a low ebb. Bush selected Robert Anderson, a Connecticut portraitist and a Yale classmate of his, to create this painting for the National Portrait Gallery. He requested an informal image and posed at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.
Robert Anderson, 2008 |