George Herbert Walker Bush, former US President and the father of the 43rd president George W. Bush, has died at age 94, making him the longest-lived US President in American history.

Born in Milton, Massachusetts, Bush was the patriarch of the Bush family, a political dynasty in Texas and the U.S. His work in life began after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when he stopped his studies to join the US Navy promptly at age 18, making him one of the youngest aviators to serve in the US Navy. While he was serving, he married a woman named Barbara Pierce with whom he would have six children. After the war, he attended Yale University where he received his undergraduate degree in economics. When he graduated, he decided to move his family out to West Texas where he became interested in the oil drilling business, which eventually would make him a millionaire at the age of 40.

Bush’s political career began in 1963 when he became the chairman of Harris County, Texas as a Republican. In 1966, Bush was elected into the U.S. House of Representatives. He was then appointed to Ambassador of the United Nations under President Nixon in 1970, and became chairman of the National Republican Committee. In 1976, Bush replaced William Colby as CIA Director under President Gerald Ford. Finally, in 1980, Bush ran for President, but after a loss, he decided to campaign for Vice President to Ronald Reagan and stayed in that position for two terms until 1989. Proving his determination to become President, Bush ran against Michael Dukakis in the 1988 election and won.

While in office, he focused on his “no new taxes” mantra, abortion laws, gun rights, and foreign policies. He also faced important international events during his time in office such as the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and the inception of the Persian Gulf War, which was deemed successful for the United States. Bush decided to try and run for a second term but lost to Bill Clinton.

“George H. W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for,” George W. Bush wrote. “The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.”

The George Bush Presidential Library is located at the Texas A&M University Campus in his honor.