Prescott Bush | |
---|---|
![]() Bush in 1948 | |
United States Senator from Connecticut | |
In office November 4, 1952 – January 3, 1963 | |
Preceded by | William A. Purtell |
Succeeded by | Abraham Ribicoff |
Personal details | |
Born | Prescott Sheldon Bush May 15, 1895 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
Died | October 8, 1972 New York City, New York, U.S. | (aged 77)
Political party | Republican |
Spouse |
Dorothy Walker (m. 1921) |
Children | |
Parent(s) | Samuel P. Bush Flora Sheldon |
Relatives | Bush family |
Education | Yale University (BA) |
Signature | ![]() |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1917–1919 |
Rank | ![]() |
Unit | 158th Field Artillery Brigade |
Battles/wars | World 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 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.