George Bush Event Timeline

January 20, 1989

George H.W. Bush (41) Event Timeline 01/20/1989 – 01/20/1993
08/18/1988	Accepts nomination at Republican convention. “Read my lips: no new taxes.”
11/08/1988	Election Day. George Bush defeats Michael Dukakis winning 79% of the electoral vote and 53% of the popular vote.
1989
01/06/1989	Electoral votes counted in Joint Session of Congress.
01/17/1989	Cleveland Elementary School shooting (Stockton, CA), five children killed and 29 children and one teacher wounded by man with semi-automatic weapon.
01/20/1989	Inaugural Address. “I have spoken of a Thousand Points of Light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good. . .The old ideas are new again because they're not old, they are timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in.”
02/09/1989	Address to Joint Session of Congress on Administration Goals (State of the Union).
03/09/1989	Statement on the Failure of Senate to Approve the Nomination of John Tower as Secretary of Defense. This was the first rejection of a Presidential cabinet nominee in 30 years.
03/14/1989	Temporary ban on import of semi-automatic rifles announced by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms.
03/24/1989	The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.
04/10/1989	Signs the Whistle-blower Protection Act of 1989, supporting protection of whistle-blowers from reprisals.
04/17/1989	Offers Poland assistance during severe economic problems.
04/18/1989	Signs the Bipartisan Accord on Central America.
04/20/1989	Executive Order establishes the National Space Council.
05/12/1989	Gives speech on Soviet Union at TAMU Commencement.
06/04/1989	Chinese government begins bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators who had been gathered in Tiananmen Square starting mid-April.
06/05/1989	Remarks condemning Tiananmen Square Incident.
06/12/1989	Signs “The Prevention of Dangerous Military Activities” pledging that neither the U.S. or the Soviet Union will use force against the other in responding to any accidental military contact or incident.
07/03/1989	Remarks on Supreme Court Decision in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services holding that states have power to restrict abortion on demand.
07/07/1989	Administration bans import of 43 types of semi-automatic weapons (but does not affect domestic manufacturers).
08/09/1989	Remarks on signing Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIREA).
10/17/1989	Loma Prieta earthquake hits during the third game of the World Series, causing heavy damage in Oakland and the San Francisco peninsula.
11/09/1989	The Berlin Wall falls.
11/17/1989	Signs the Fair Labor Standards Amendments.
12/02/1989 - 12/03/1989	Meetings with Soviet President Gorbachev at Malta.
12/20/1989	Address to the Nation on United States invasion of Panama ("Operation Just Cause"); ousting of General Manuel Noriega.
1990
01/31/1990	U.S. Operation Just Cause ends.
02/08-09/1990	U.S. Secretary of State James Baker in Moscow has extended talks with Soviet Foreign Minister Shevardnadze and President Mikhail Gorbachev on the reunification of Germany and arms control. With Gorbachev, Baker suggests the possibility that a reunified Germany might not be a full member of NATO. There was some agreement on mutual troop reductions in central Europe. In a subsequently published record of the discussions with Gorbachev, Baker states that ". . . not an inch of NATO's present military jurisdiction will spread in an eastern direction."
02/10/1990	Statement on the Release of Nelson Mandela.
02/31/1990	State of the Union Address.
03/09/1990	Swears in Antonio Novello as Surgeon General, first Hispanic and first Puerto Rican to hold the post.
04/17/1990	Remarks to White House Conference on Science and Economics of Global Change.
06/01/1990	Signs agreements with Soviet President Gorbachev in Washington, DC, including chemical and nuclear weapons reductions.
06/26/1990	Statement on Federal budget negotiations reverses “no new taxes” campaign pledge.
07/15/1990	Around this date, the economy entered recession, closing the longest peacetime expansion up to that point.
07/26/1990	Signs the Americans with Disabilities Act.
08/02/1990	Iraq Invades Kuwait.
09/09/1990	Meets Gorbachev in Finland to issue joint declaration.
09/11/1990	Address to Joint Session of Congress on Persian Gulf Crisis and Budget Deficit. “I cannot predict just how long it will take to convince Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. Sanctions will take time to have their full intended effect. We will continue to review all options with our allies, but let it be clear: we will not let this aggression stand.”
10/02/1990	Address to the Nation on the Federal Budget Agreement. “This agreement will also raise revenue. I'm not, and I know you're not, a fan of tax increases.”
10/02/1990	Addresses German People on Reunification of Germany.
10/03/1990	Germany joins NATO.
10/22/1990	Vetoes Civil Rights Act of 1990. “Despite the use of the term "civil rights" in the title of S. 2104, the bill actually employs a maze of highly legalistic language to introduce the destructive force of quotas into our Nation's employment system.”
11/05/1990	Signs Omnibus Budget Act with increases in tax revenues.
11/08/1990	Increases U.S. Troops in Saudi Arabia.
11/15/1990	Signs the Clean Air Act of 1990.
11/19/1990	Signs Treaty limiting conventional armed forces in Europe.
11/29/1990	Signs the Immigration Act of 1990.
1991
01/13/1991	Condemns Soviet intervention in democratic uprisings in Lithuania and Latvia.
01/14/1991	Signs Resolution Authorizing the Use of Military Force Against Iraq.
01/16/1991	Address to the Nation on Persian Gulf military action (“Desert Storm”).
01/18/1991	News Conference on the Persian Gulf Conflict.
01/21/1991	By Executive Order 12744, designates as a “combat zone” the Persian Gulf and surrounding areas.
01/29/1991	State of the Union Address. Proposes joint cuts to military troops in Europe.
02/23/1991	Address to the Nation announcing ground troop operations in Operation Desert Storm.
02/27/1991	Address to the Nation on Suspension of Offensive Operations in Persian Gulf. Halting invasion of Iraq and allowing Saddam Hussein to stay in power.
03/06/1991	Address to Joint Session of Congress on Cessation of Persian Gulf Conflict.
03/15/1991	About this date, the economic recession ended, and a period of economic expansion began.
07/10/1991	US Sanctions on South Africa Removed.
07/31/1991	Signs START-I treaty in Moscow.
08/01/1991	Speech in Kiev during stay in Ukraine, Soviet Union. "In Moscow, I outlined our approach: We will support those in the center and the Republics who pursue freedom, democracy, and economic liberty. We will determine our support not on the basis of personalities but on the basis of principles."
08/15/1991	About this date, the World Wide Web was released for general public use.
08/21/1991	In a Press Conference, supports Gorbachev and condemns attempted coup in the Soviet Union. The attempted coup by hard-line Communists had the effect of propelling into power Boris Yeltsin and his reformist supporters.
09/04/1991	Secretary of State James Baker news conference about U.S. policy towards Soviet Union and his planned trip to Moscow. He articulates five basic principles to guide U.S. policy toward the emerging republics: self-determination consistent with democratic principles, recognition of existing borders, support for democracy and rule of law, preservation of human rights and rights of national minorities, and respect for international law and obligations. (Link to video of news conference.)
09/27/1991	Prime-time Address to the Nation from the Oval Office on reducing nuclear stockpiles. "The prospect of a Soviet invasion into Western Europe, launched with little or no warning is no longer a realistic threat."
10/10/1991 - 10/13/1991	Senate Judiciary Committee hears testimony of Anita Hill accusing Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment.
10/15/1991	Clarence Thomas is confirmed as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
11/21/1991	Signs the Civil Rights Act of 1991.
12/08/1991	Belavezha Accords signed by Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Belarus, and Ukraine.
12/21/1991	Founding of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
12/25/1991	Statement on USSR General Secretary Gorbachev resignation as President of the Soviet Union; the USSR officially ceases to exist.
1992
01/28/1992	State of the Union Address.
02/01/1992	Meets with Russian President Boris Yeltsin at Camp David.
02/18/1992	Wins New Hampshire Primary, challenged by conservative Patrick Buchanan.
04/01/1992	Announces aid to former Soviet Union.
04/29/1992	Rioting begins in Los Angeles following acquittal of Los Angeles Police Officers in videotaped beating of Rodney King.
04/30/1992	Remarks on Los Angeles riots, expressing concerns about excessive police violence and excessive public violence.
05/01/1992	Address to the Nation on the Civil Disturbances in Los Angeles. “The wanton destruction of life and property is not a legitimate expression of outrage with injustice. It is itself injustice. And no rationalization, no matter how heartfelt, no matter how eloquent, can make it otherwise.”
05/23/1992	Signs Nuclear Arms Reduction Agreement.
06/12/1992	Makes an Address to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
06/12/1992	Signs the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
06/16/1992	With Russian President Yeltsin, Announces U.S.-Russian Nuclear Agreement.
06/22/1992	Signs Supplemental Appropriations Act, includes assistance for urban areas, especially including Los Angeles.
07/03/1992	Signs the Unemployment Compensation Amendments of 1992.
08/20/1992	Accepts nomination by Republican Party for a second term.
09/23/1992	U.S. ends nuclear weapon testing.
10/02/1992	Signs Hartfield-Exon-Mitchell Amendment through Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act.
11/03/1992	Election Day. Loses to Democratic Candidate Bill Clinton, winning only 31% of the electoral vote and 37% of the popular vote (Independent H. Ross Perot wins 19% of the popular vote but no electoral votes).
12/04/1992	Address to the Nation on the situation in Somalia and US participation in United Nations humanitarian mission. U.S. troops deploy to Somalia on 12/08/1992.
12/15/1992	Remarks on Signing the North American Free Trade Agreement. “If democracy is to be consolidated, the gulfs that separate the few who are very rich from the many who are very poor, that divide civilian from military institutions, that split citizens of European heritage from indigenous peoples, these gulfs must be bridged, and economic reform must ensure upward mobility and new opportunities for a better life for all citizens of the Americas.”
1993
01/03/1993	In Moscow, George Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign START-II Treaty.
01/14/1993	Remarks at a Celebration of the Points of Light. “I'd like to remind you of what that strategy is: first, changing attitudes so that all Americans define a successful life as one that includes serving others; and second, identifying what is already working so that those efforts can be enlarged and multiplied; and third, encouraging leaders to help others become Points of Light. . .”

Last edited 07/17/2023

George Bush, George Bush Event Timeline Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/347875

George Bush

George Bush Event Timeline

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