George Herbert Walker Bush (1924-2018) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. His long career in public service began after serving as a naval aviator in World War II. He held several key positions, including member of the House of Representatives, Ambassador to the United Nations, Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in China, and Director of the CIA, before serving as Vice President for two terms under Ronald Reagan. His presidency was dominated by foreign policy: he managed the end of the Cold War, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and led an international coalition in the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait. Domestically, he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. After his presidency, he dedicated himself to humanitarian work and, in 2011, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor.