Former US President George Herbert Walker Bush dies at 94

Former US President George Herbert Walker Bush dies at 94.

George Herbert Walker Bush served as the 41st President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Prior to assuming the presidency, Bush served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the Republican Party, he had previously been a Congressman, Ambassador and Director of Central Intelligence.

Bush's career in politics began in 1963 when he was elected chairman of the Harris County, Texas Republican Party

During his career in public service, he was known simply as George Bush; since 2001, he has often been referred to as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush 41", or "George Bush Senior" in order to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States.

The former president, who served as a U.S. naval aviator during World War Two, had attended his wife's funeral in Houston in a wheelchair and wore a pair of colourful socks festooned with books, in honour of his late wife's commitment to literacy.

Bush is the longest-lived American president in history, followed closely by Jimmy Carter, who was born a few months later.