Prescott Bush

Prescott Bush
Bush in 1948
United States Senator
from Connecticut
In office
November 4, 1952 – January 3, 1963
Preceded byWilliam A. Purtell
Succeeded byAbraham Ribicoff
Personal details
Born
Prescott Sheldon Bush

(1895-05-15)May 15, 1895
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
DiedOctober 8, 1972(1972-10-08) (aged 77)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Dorothy Walker
(m. 1921)
Children
Parent(s)Samuel P. Bush
Flora Sheldon
RelativesBush family
EducationYale University (BA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1917–1919
Rank Captain
Unit158th Field Artillery Brigade
Battles/warsWorld War I

Prescott Sheldon Bush Sr. (May 15, 1895 – October 8, 1972) was an American banker and Republican Party politician.[1] After working as a Wall Street executive investment banker, he represented Connecticut in the United States Senate from 1952 to 1963. A member of the Bush family, he was the father of President George H. W. Bush, and the paternal grandfather of President George W. Bush and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.[2]

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Bush graduated from Yale College and served as an artillery officer during World War I. After the war, he worked for several companies, becoming a minor partner of the A. Harriman & Co. investment bank in 1931. He served in several high-ranking United States Golf Association offices, including president of that organization. Bush settled in Connecticut in 1925.

Bush won election to the Senate in a 1952 special election, narrowly defeating Democratic nominee Abraham Ribicoff. In the Senate, Bush staunchly supported President Dwight D. Eisenhower and helped enact legislation to create the Interstate Highway System. Bush won re-election in 1956 but declined to seek re-election in 1962, retiring from the Senate the following year.

  1. ^ "Prescott Bush dies; former U.S. Senator". The Day. (New London, Connecticut). Associated Press. October 9, 1972. p. 27.
  2. ^ George W. Bush: The American Presidents Series: The 43rd President, 2001-2009 The American Presidents. Times Books. 2015. p. 5. ISBN 9781627792301.