Jeb Bush

John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11 1953), a Republican, is the forty-third and current Governor of Florida. He is a prominent member of the Bush family, the younger brother of President George W. Bush and the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Pierce.

Early years

Jeb Bush was born in Midland, Texas, where his father was running an oil drilling company. He has been known by his initials "JEB" since childhood.

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When Bush was six years old, the family moved to Houston, Texas. He was a childhood athlete, enjoying baseball and tennis. He went to a public elementary school, but later transferred to a private school. When he was in eighth grade, his father won a seat in Congress and moved to Washington, DC. Bush stayed in Houston with another family to finish the school year, and spent most summers and holidays at the family estate, known as the Bush Compound.

Related Topics:
Houston - Texas - Baseball - Tennis - Washington, DC - Bush Compound

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He then enrolled at Phillips Andover, a private boarding school in Massachusetts already attended by his brother George. Bush made the honor roll in his first semester. He has described himself in his time there as "a cynical little turd in a cynical little school". He has also admitted to smoking marijuana while a student. Friends recall him as disciplined and focused, neither drinking nor gambling during a trip to Las Vegas. He did, however, enjoy an Elvis Presley concert.http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/4124298.htm

Related Topics:
Phillips Andover - Boarding school - Massachusetts - Marijuana

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When Bush was seventeen, he went to León, Mexico, as part of his school's student exchange program. He spent his time there teaching English. While attending a motorcycle race, he met a local girl named Columba Garnica Gallo, whom he eventually married.

Related Topics:
León - Mexico - English - Columba Garnica Gallo

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Bush attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor's degree in Latin American Studies in 1973, taking only two and a half years to complete his work, and obtaining generally excellent grades. He registered for the draft, but the Vietnam War ended before his number came up.

Related Topics:
University of Texas at Austin - Phi Beta Kappa - Bachelor's degree - Latin America - 1973 - Draft - Vietnam War

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After his early graduation, Bush married the first and only woman he had ever dated, Columba Garnica Gallo, on February 23, 1974. Their three children, now grown, are George P. (recently married), John E. "Jeb" Bush Jr. and Noelle.

Related Topics:
February 23 - 1974 - George P. - John E. "Jeb" Bush Jr. - Noelle

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