Bush family
The Bush family is an American family that is prominent in the fields of politics, news, sports, entertainment, and business, founded by Obadiah Bush and Harriet Smith.
Best known for its involvement in politics, the family has held various national and state offices spanning across four generations, including a U.S. Senator, Prescott Bush, a Governor, Jeb Bush, and two U.S. Presidents—one having also served as Vice President, George H. W. Bush, while the other was also a Governor, George W. Bush. Other family members include a National Football League executive, Joe Ellis, and two nationally known TV personalities, Billy Bush and Jenna Bush Hager.
Peter Schweizer, author of a biography of the family, has described the Bushes as "the most successful political dynasty in American history". According to some online sources, the Bush family is of primarily English and German descent. The Bush family traces its European origin to the 17th century, with Samuel Bush being their first American-born ancestor, in 1647.
Relations
- James Smith Bush, father of Samuel P. Bush
- *Samuel Prescott Bush, father of Prescott Bush and son of James Smith Bush
- * Flora Sheldon Bush, wife of Samuel P. Bush and mother to Prescott Bush
- **Prescott Sheldon Bush, Samuel P. Bush's son, served as a U.S. Senator from Connecticut; former chairman of the USGA.
- ** Dorothy Wear Walker Bush, wife of Prescott, was a daughter of George Herbert Walker of the well-connected Walker family of bankers and businessmen, served as informal First Mother from 1989, her son's inauguration during the beginning of his presidency until her death in 1992, in her son's final year of the presidency. Her brothers are George Herbert Walker Jr. and John M. Walker
- *** Prescott Sheldon "Pressy" Bush Jr., Prescott Bush's eldest son, who served as chairman of the United States-China Chamber of Commerce; married to Elizabeth "Beth" Kauffman on December 30, 1944
- **** Prescott Sheldon Bush III, son of Prescott Bush Jr.; married to Francesca Emerson Farr on June 28, 1970
- **** Kelsey Bush-Nadeau, daughter of Prescott Bush Jr.; married to Philip Gerald Nadeau on May 25, 1974
- ***** Elizabeth Nadeau, daughter of Kelsey Bush-Nadeau
- ***** Katherine Nadeau, daughter of Kelsey Bush-Nadeau
- ***** William F. Nadeau, son of Kelsey Bush-Nadeau, USMC Captain
- ***** Prescott Nadeau, son of Kelsey Bush-Nadeau
- **** James Laurence "Jamie" Bush, son of Prescott Bush Jr.; married to Susan C. "Sue" Bush
- ***** Sarah Bush Richey, daughter of James L. Bush; married to William "Drake" Richey
- ****** Draper Dennis Richey
- ****** George Laurence Richey
- ***** Samuel P. Bush, son of James L. Bush
- *** George Herbert Walker Bush, Prescott Bush Sr.'s second son; 41st President of the United States, 43rd Vice President of the United States under Ronald Reagan, a Representative from Texas, and Central Intelligence Agency director, among other political and diplomatic posts
- *** Barbara Pierce Bush, wife of George H. W.; daughter of publisher Marvin Pierce, distant cousin of 14th U.S. President Franklin Pierce, Second Lady and later First Lady of the U.S.
- **** George Walker Bush, George H. W. Bush's eldest son, 43rd President of the United States and 46th Governor of Texas
- **** Laura Lane Welch Bush, wife of George W. and First Lady; earlier a librarian
- ***** Barbara Pierce Bush Coyne, daughter of George and Laura Bush and twin sister of Jenna, health care activist and chair of Global Health Corps.; married to Craig Louis Coyne
- ***** Jenna Welch Bush Hager, daughter of George and Laura and twin sister of Barbara, NBC News correspondent; married to Henry Chase Hager, son of former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia John H. Hager
- ****** Margaret Laura "Mila" Hager, daughter of Jenna Bush Hager
- ****** Poppy Louise Hager, daughter of Jenna Bush Hager
- ****** Henry Harold "Hal" Hager, son of Jenna Bush Hager
- **** Pauline Robinson "Robin" Bush, George H. W. Bush's second child and first daughter; died of leukemia near school-age
- **** John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, George H. W. Bush's second son, 43rd Governor of Florida; married to Columba Garnica Gallo
- ***** George Prescott Bush, son of Jeb Bush, 28th commissioner of the Texas General Land Office since 2015; married to Amanda Williams
- ****** Prescott Walker Bush, son of George P. Bush
- ****** John William Bush, son of George P. Bush
- ***** Noelle Lucila Bush, daughter of Jeb Bush
- ***** John Ellis "Jebby" Bush Jr., son of Jeb Bush; married to Sandra Mary Algudady
- ****** Georgia Helena Walker Bush, daughter of Jebby Bush
- ****** Vivian Alexandra Columba Bush, daughter of Jebby Bush
- **** Neil Mallon Bush, third son of George H. W. Bush; businessman; married Sharon Smith, & divorced in April 2003; married to Maria Andrews as of 2004
- ***** Lauren Pierce Bush, daughter of Neil Bush and Sharon Smith; model for Tommy Hilfiger; married to David Lauren
- ****** James Richard Lauren, son of Lauren Bush Lauren
- ****** Max Walker Lauren, son of Lauren Bush Lauren
- ***** Pierce Mallon Bush, son of Neil Bush and Sharon Smith; married to Sarah Beth Melton
- ***** Ashley Walker Bush, daughter of Neil Bush and Sharon Smith
- **** Marvin Pierce Bush, fourth son of George H. W. Bush; venture capitalist; married to Margaret Conway ; adopted two children
- *****Marshall Lloyd Bush, adopted daughter of Marvin Pierce Bush
- *****Charles Walker Bush, adopted son of Marvin Pierce Bush
- **** Dorothy Walker Bush Koch, second daughter of George H. W. Bush; married to, and in 1990 divorced from, William LeBlond; married to Bobby Koch, wine lobbyist
- ***** Samuel Bush LeBlond, son of Dorothy Bush Koch and William LeBlond; married to Lee Bobbitt
- ***** Nancy Ellis "Ellie" LeBlond, daughter of Dorothy Bush Koch and William LeBlond; married to Nick Sosa
- ***** Robert David Koch, son of Dorothy Bush Koch and Bobby Koch
- ***** Georgia Grace "Gigi" Koch, daughter of Dorothy Bush Koch and Bobby Koch
- *** Nancy Walker Bush Ellis, Prescott Bush Sr.'s third child and only daughter, widow of Alexander Ellis II, an insurance executive
- **** Nancy Walker Ellis Black, daughter of Nancy Bush Ellis and Alexander Ellis II
- **** Alexander Ellis III, son of Nancy Bush Ellis and Alexander Ellis II
- **** John Prescott Ellis, son of Nancy Bush Ellis and Alexander Ellis II; media consultant
- **** Josiah "Joe" Ellis, son of Nancy Bush Ellis and Alexander Ellis II; President, Chairman and CEO of the Denver Broncos, two-time Super Bowl champion as a member of the Broncos' front office
- *** Jonathan James Bush, Prescott Bush Sr.'s fourth child; banker; married to Josephine Bush
- **** Jonathan S. Bush, son of Jonathan Bush, CEO of athenahealth
- **** William Hall "Billy" Bush, son of Jonathan Bush; a former Access Hollywood host; forced out of NBC-news job October 2016 in allegations about Donald Trump
- *** William Henry Trotter "Bucky" Bush, Prescott Bush Sr.'s fifth child; married to Patricia Bush ; banker and executive
- **** William Prescott "Scott" Bush, son of Bucky Bush
- **** Louisa Bush McCall, daughter of Bucky Bush
Ancestors
Patrilineal line
- John Bush Sr
- * John Bush Jr
- **Reynold Bush
- *** John Bush III, born in Messing, Essex, England and the last English ancestor
- **** Samuel Bush
- ***** Richard Bush
- ****** Timothy Bush may have been the son of Richard Bush.
- ******* Timothy Bush Jr. was the son of Timothy Bush.
- ******** Obadiah Newcomb Bush was the son of blacksmith Timothy Bush Jr. and was an American prospector and businessman.
- *********James Smith Bush, an attorney and Episcopal priest in New Jersey, California, and New York, was the son of Obadiah Bush and the father of Samuel Prescott Bush.
- ******* John Bush
- ******** George Bush was a biblical scholar and Swedenborgian minister who wrote the book Life of Mohammed.
Other notable relatives
- Col. Robert Bolling Sr. of Kippax Plantation was an Early American settler in the colony of Virginia whose son, Robert Bolling Jr., was a Bush family ancestor. Bolling Sr. later had children with Jane Rolfe, the granddaughter of Pocahontas.
- Edith Wilson, second wife of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was also descended from Col. Robert Bolling Sr. so therefore was distantly related to the Bush family.
- Wild Bill Hickok was a second cousin three times removed of Prescott Bush.
- John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley, Mayflower passengers, through their daughter Hope.
- Gov. Thomas Hinckley was a Plymouth Colony governor, and a seventh generation great-grandfather of Prescott Sheldon Bush, so therefore a direct ancestor of all of his descendants including his son George H. W. Bush and grandson George W. Bush.
- Mary Parker was executed by hanging in 1692 for witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials.
- Through John May and his wife Prudence Bridge, the family is related to U.S. Attorney General Charles Bonaparte, U.S. Vice President Charles Gates Dawes, actress Blanche Oelrichs , and author Louisa May Alcott.
- Douglas MacArthur, American five star general and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army who was the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers in the Pacific theater during World War II was distantly related to the Bush family.
- Asahel Bush was an early Oregon pioneer. He started the first Oregon printing shop, and founded and published the Oregon Statesman. He later sold the newspaper and founded the Ladd & Bush Bank. He also was a convention delegate and chairman for the Democratic Party. Asahel Bush II is the namesake for Bush's Pasture Park in Salem, Oregon. Asahel Bush was descended from Samuel Bush.
- Joseph HW Bush was a member of the Democratic Party and well-known janitor at the George HW Bush Presidential Library and Museum.
Connections to other prominent families
Flora Sheldon, wife of Samuel P. Bush, was a distant descendant of the Livingston, Schuyler, and Beekman families, prominent New Netherland merchant and political patrician families.
Family tree
- Timothy Bush Jr., m. Lydia Newcomb
- * Obadiah Newcomb Bush, m. Harriet Smith
- ** James Smith Bush, m. Harriet Fay
- *** Samuel Prescott Bush, m. Flora Sheldon
- **** Prescott Sheldon Bush, m. Dorothy Wear Walker
- ***** Prescott Sheldon Bush Jr., m. Elizabeth Kauffman
- ****** Prescott Sheldon Bush III, m. Francesca Emerson Farr
- ****** Kelsey Bush-Nadeau, m. Philip Gerald Nadeau
- ******* Elizabeth Nadeau
- ******* Katherine Nadeau
- ******* William F. Nadeau, m. Lydia Jean Strickland
- ****** James Laurence "Jamie" Bush, m. Susan C. "Sue" Bush
- ******* Sarah Bush Richey, m. William "Drake" Richey
- ******** Draper Dennis Richey
- ******** George Laurence Richey
- ******* Samuel P. Bush
- ***** George H. W. Bush, m. Barbara Pierce
- ****** George W. Bush, m. Laura Lane Welch
- ******* Barbara Pierce Bush, Marvin Bush, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics.
- ******* Jenna Welch Bush, m. Henry Chase Hager
- ******** Margaret Laura "Mila" Hager
- ******** Poppy Louise Hager
- ******** Henry Harold "Hal" Hager
- ****** Pauline Robinson "Robin" Bush
- ****** John Ellis "Jeb" Bush, m. Columba Garnica Gallo
- ******* George Prescott Bush, m. Amanda Williams
- ******** Prescott Bush
- ******** John Bush
- ******* John Ellis "Jebby" Bush Jr.
- ******** Georgia H.W. Bush
- ******** Vivian Alexandra Columba Bush
- ******* Noelle Lucila Bush
- ****** Neil Mallon Bush, Sharon Smith ; Maria Andrews
- ******* Lauren Bush, m. David Lauren
- ******** James Richard Lauren
- ******** Max Walker Lauren
- ******* Pierce Mallon Bush, m. Sarah Beth Melton
- ******* Ashley Walker Bush
- ****** Marvin Pierce Bush, m. Margaret Molster
- ******* Marshall Lloyd Bush
- ******* Charles Walker Bush
- ****** Dorothy Walker Bush, William LeBlond ; Robert P. Koch
- ******* Samuel "Sam" LeBlond
- ******* Nancy Ellis "Ellie" LeBlond , m. Nick Sosa
- ******* Robert David Koch
- ******* Georgia "Gigi" Koch
- ***** Nancy Walker Bush, m. Alexander B. Ellis II
- ****** Nancy Walker Ellis
- ****** Alexander Ellis III
- ****** John Prescott Ellis
- ****** Joe Ellis
- ***** Jonathan James Bush, m. Josephine Bradley
- ****** Billy Bush, m. Sydney Davis
- ******* Josie Bush
- ******* Mary Bradley Bush
- ******* Lillie Bush
- ****** Jonathan J. Bush
Former. Sarah Selden Bush
- ******* Nicola Bush
- ******* Isabelle Bush
- ******* Lucas Bush
- ******* Anna Bush
- ******* Oscar Bush
- ******* Willa Bush
- ***** William Henry Trotter Bush
- ****** William Prescott Bush
- ****** Louisa Bush
- **** Robert Sheldon Bush
- **** Mary Eleanor Bush
- **** Margaret Livingston Bush
- **** James Smith Bush
Awards and honors
Sports
- Two-time Super Bowl champion – Joe Ellis
- 1986 Theodore Roosevelt Award – George H.W. Bush
- 2007 National Football Foundation Gold Medal – George H. W. Bush
- World Golf Hall of Fame – George H. W. Bush
Politics/public service
- Three-time Time Person of the Year
- *George H. W. Bush
- *George W. Bush
- Two-time Silver Buffalo Award winners
- *George H. W. Bush
- *George W. Bush
- Seven statues
- *George H.W. Bush – three
- *George W. Bush – three
- *George H.W./George W. Bush – one
- 1989: Jersey Street in College Station, TX renamed George Bush Drive in honor of George H.W. Bush
- 1997: George Bush International Airport named in honor of George H. W. Bush
- 2007: Ronald Reagan Freedom Award – George H. W. Bush
- 2010: Presidential Medal of Freedom – George H. W. Bush
- 2013: Portion of U.S. Highway 75 in Dallas, TX renamed George W. Bush Expressway
Military
- Presidential Unit Citation – George H. W. Bush
- Distinguished Flying Cross – George H. W. Bush
- Three-time Air Medal recipient – George H. W. Bush
- Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath – George H. W. Bush
- Commander of the Order of St John – William H. T. Bush
- USS George H.W. Bush commissioned in 2009 – George H.W. Bush
- National Defense Service Medal – George W. Bush, George P. Bush
- Joint Service Commendation Medal – George P. Bush
Political offices held
President
- George H. W. Bush – 1989–1993
- George W. Bush – 2001–2009
Vice President
- George H. W. Bush – 1981–1989
U.S. Congress
- Prescott Bush – 1952–1963
- George H. W. Bush – 1967–1971
Governor
- George W. Bush – 1995–2000
- Jeb Bush – 1999–2007
Other
- George H. W. Bush
- *UN Ambassador
- *RNC Chairman
- *Ambassador to China
- *CIA Director
- Jeb Bush
- *Florida Secretary of Commerce
- George P. Bush
- *Texas Land Commissioner