Passed Presidents - # 41 – George H.W. Bush

George H.W. Bush Library and Museum, 

College Station, TX (21 February 2020)

With the nation and much of its public activities on hold during the Coronavirus pandemic, we suspend our visits to primary election state capitols and return to an old interest. My quest to photograph the grave sites of all our presidents began in 1998 and ended in 2008. The last presidential grave I posted was for # 17, Andrew Johnson, on July 31, 2014. I joked that the effort was done…until the next one kicked and it took ten years for that to happen.

George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan’s Vice President, the nation’s 41st Chief Executive and father of the 43rd, passed away in 2018. He is buried on the grounds of the museum, presidential library and government school that bear his name…all on the campus of Texas A&M University.

The President and the Bush School of Government

Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (21 February 2020)

Becky had a free companion air ticket that was about to expire so we called dear Dallas friends we hadn’t seen in years and booked a long weekend in Texas.

‘Poppy’ Bush has followed the lead of Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower and his son, George W. (when his time comes) to reside on the property that includes his presidential library and museum.

George H.W. Bush Library and Museum, 

College Station, TX (21 February 2020)

The inscription on the wall of the museum says

“Let future generations understand the burden 

and the blessings of freedom. Let them say we 

stood where duty required us to stand.”

Since Mr. Bush was the son of a Connecticut Senator and educated in all the finest eastern establishment schools, one wonders how the campus of Texas A&M University became his final resting place. Of course, we remember that Bush moved his family to Texas shortly after graduating from Yale as he began his career in the oil business. He was an established Texan by the time he won election to Congress from the Houston area. Once he became president, he was approached to consider where his legacy would reside. The offer from Texas A&M had a 90-acre site with plans for the Library, Museum, the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center, the new Bush School of Government and a pleasant remote site for the family graves.

Family Photos and a Torpedo Bomber

George H.W. Bush Library and Museum, 

College Station, TX (21 February 2020)

The museum was dedicated in 1997. Its floor plan directs visitors through the president’s life and times. The early years’ pictures looked like garden parties and groups of smiling, well-dressed white people. World War II changed that. That space has a scale model of Bush’s aircraft carrier (The San Jacinto at 14,000 tons, was hardly more than a pontoon with a deck on it) underneath a real TBM Avenger like the one that got shot out from under him in the Pacific. After that, the displays were all about Texas, business, family and public service.

And an admirable record of service it was. He came from wealth and privilege BUT at the first opportunity, he went to war as one of the youngest naval aviators in the service. The string of positions he held starting with Congressman in 1967 is impressive.

· House of Representatives, Texas 7th District: 1967-1971
· U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: 1971-1973
· Director of Central Intelligence: 1976-1977
· Vice President: 1981-1989
· President: 1989-1993

He also was one of our early ambassadors to China and chaired the Republican National Committee.

A Young Barbara Pierce

George H.W. Bush Museum, College Station, TX (21 February 2020)

The museum has many photos and mementos of the Bush family from the president’s earliest days. George met his future wife at a Christmas dance when he was seventeen years old. I do like to find images of our First Ladies from earlier times.

I’ve been to all the presidential museums and know how they can minimize or ignore the flaws and crimes of their hero. One aspect of George’s life that never needs embellishing is his love of family. There were many photos of great heaps of kids and grandkids clamoring around Camp David and Kennebunkport.

‘The Day the Wall Came Down’ (1996) by Veryl Goodnight

George H.W. Bush Library and Museum, 

College Station, TX (21 February 2020)

This statue stands on the grounds of the complex.

The five horses are arranged over 

actual remnants of the Berlin wall.

A fenced-in area at the far end of the site encloses the last resting place of the president, Mrs. Bush and their second-born child. ‘Robin’ was almost four years old when she died of leukemia in 1952. Her grave was relocated from Connecticut.

Graves of George, Barbara and Pauline Bush

George H.W. Bush Library and Museum, 

College Station, TX (21 February 2020)

George was no saint. He didn’t shy away from using Willie Horton to his full advantage…like all good Republicans have been doing since Nixon. But he seemed like a nice guy and I thoroughly enjoyed this museum and what it displayed…in terms of history, integrity and character. His legacy stands in stark contrast with our current president.

George Herbert Walker Bush

41st President; Served 1989-1993

Born: June 12, 1924, Milton, MA

Died: November 30, 2018, Houston, TX

Grave Location: George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum,

Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Date Visited: 2/21/20

State Capitols – Tallahassee, Florida

Florida Capitol in Tallahassee (1 March 2010)

Constructed: 1972-1977

Architect: Edward Durell Stone

State Admitted to Union: March 3, 1845 (27th)

State Population (2019): 21,477,737 (3rd)

The next primaries on the calendar, set for March 17, will be in three states with triple-digit delegate counts. We did the Illinois capitol in Springfield in 2013…outside and in. Ohio will have to wait. The big prize this week is Florida.

In keeping with our recent pandemic situation, there is another memory from this trip. The year was 2010. We hit the road for a late winter drive south. There were friends to visit in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and Becky would attend a watercolor workshop in Myrtle Beach while I drove on to the Tallahassee capitol. Good thing I drove away because the painting party was blown up by a norovirus outbreak. Not the best time.

Old Florida Capitol, Tallahassee (1 March 2010)

Florida is the 22nd largest state by land area but is the third-most populous after California and Texas. Besides Hawaii, Florida is the only tropical state, and because it is mostly a peninsula with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic on the other, it has the most coastline mileage of any state in the lower 48. Alaska has almost five times the miles of coastline. Here’s a distinction. Of the fifty states, the highest point in the state, Britton Hill, at 345 feet above sea level, is the lowest high point of any state.

Senate Chamber, Old Florida Capitol, Tallahassee (1 March 2010)

Florida was the first area of the continental U.S. to be explored and settled by Europeans. The Spaniard Juan Ponce de Leon arrived here in 1513, over a hundred years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Florida is Spanish for ‘Land of Flowers.’ Since the first settlers here didn’t speak English, we weren’t taught much about them in our northeastern WASP-y elementary school back in the day.

For a few years in the late 1500’s, the French briefly colonized parts of the area. Otherwise, Spain owned the territory, other than during a 20-year period of British control (1763-83), until relinquishing it to the United States in 1821 when it became the Florida Territory. Twenty-four years later, it became our 27th state.

Rotunda, Old Florida Capitol, Tallahassee (1 March 2010)

Since the two principle settlements at the time, Pensacola and St. Augustine, were so far apart, Tallahassee, a mid-way location, was selected as the territorial capital in 1824. The Old Capitol was completed in 1845…just in time to serve as the new statehouse…but way before the real population centers like Miami, Tampa and Orlando blossomed to the south.

Over the years, the old capitol was expanded and enlarged to accommodate the growing state’s government. By the 1970’s, the legislature decided to build a larger, modern complex that includes Senate and House chambers and a 22-story executive office building. The tower design of the New Capitol is similar to the Louisiana, Nebraska and North Dakota Statehouses.

Florida Capitol, Tallahassee (1 March 2010)

The tower lobby has an eight-foot diameter state seal surrounded

by three-foot seals of the five nations that ruled Florida over its 

history – Spain, France, England, the Confederacy and the U.S. of A.

When the tower was completed in 1977, they considered demolishing the Old Capitol, but preservationist public pressure prevailed. The relic was restored to its 1902 appearance and opened as a museum in 1982. The photo at the top of this post shows the new office tower through columns of the Old Capitol.

The Capitol Complex includes four-story buildings that flank the tower on each side. They house the Senate and House chambers, meeting rooms and offices.

Florida Senate (1 March 2010)

The Senate has 40 members. Ringing the chamber below the gallery are portraits of former Presidents of the Senate. Senators are limited to eight years of service but can be elected again after a two-year absence. As with the House, Senate terms begin immediately, upon election.

Florida House of Representatives (1 March 2010)

The House of Representatives has 120 members who are also term-limited to eight years of service. The legislative session lasts 60 days and begins in March. It used to begin in April and the law addressing when the session began said the date would be “the first Tuesday after the first Monday” of the month. The complex language was inserted to avoid meeting on April Fool’s Day. The clowns did have the foresight to avoid that embarrassment. The language remains even though the session now begins in March.

The visit was a pleasant mix of old and new. Given my travel schedule, I did not spend enough time there to appreciate all there was to see. Florida is a unique and interesting place.

State Capitols – Jeferson City, Missouri - Inside

Super Tuesday is behind us but primaries will continue until June. We’ll delay presenting the interior of the Texas capitol to acknowledge the next set of elections, set for March 10. Six states will run primaries on that day and two of the capitols have already been posted. The Mississippi state house in Jackson was presented in 2012 and the Michigan capitol in Lansing went up in two parts in 2016.

Missouri is among the remaining states to vote Tuesday. I introduced this fine capitol in 2018 when then-Governor Eric Greitens was in the headlines for the usual nonsense that powerful pols get into. If it isn’t the wrong kind of money, it’s sex with the wrong person. This led to felony charges of campaign finance violations, blackmail and possible impeachment before he abandoned ship and resigned…juicy. Let’s go inside and finish the story.

Rotunda, Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City (10 June 2008)

Hanging from the interior dome is a 9000 lb. bronze chandelier. The bright lights on the fixture ruined this photographer’s chance to add another circular design to the collection. However, this magnificent building has many other fascinating views and angles to capture its beautiful features.

Interior, Missouri State Capitol (10 June 2008)

The interior of the Missouri capitol is especially ornate and decorated. When the construction was budgeted at $3.5 million, the special tax to fund it raised an additional million dollars. The Attorney General decided to apply the funds to embellish the edifice. As a result, notable artists of the day were hired to produce paintings, sculptures and other fine art features. English artist Frank Brangwyn painted many of the murals from the top of the dome to the eight panels on this lower rotunda. Interestingly, all the work was done in London and the canvases were shipped to Missouri and permanently affixed to the building.

Senate Chamber, Missouri State Capitol,

Jefferson City (10 June 2008)

Unfortunately, the Senate chamber was closed to the public on this day and the only shots I could get were through the small window in the locked door that led to the upper gallery. I will note that near the Senate rostrum the following is carved onto the wall – “Nothing is Politically Right That is Morally Wrong.” I’m glad that is carved into stone since I believe we have strayed from that truth since the chisels were warm. At least there is a permanent reminder of intent.

House of Representatives, 

Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City (10 June 2008)

The House is home to 163 representatives. Despite being the 18th most populous state, Missouri boasts the fourth largest number of representatives in American state legislatures. Since 1992, the members have been limited to eight years in office.

Stairwell Accents, Missouri Capitol, Jefferson City (10 June 2008)

It’s details like this that I always appreciate. A simple space between

the railings above and the floor below is accentuated with decorations 

and identifiers of the seat of the state’s government.

Thomas Hart Benton was born to a noted Missouri political family but became one of America’s great 20th century painters. In 1935, he contracted with Missouri legislators to paint a mural in the House of Representatives lounge. The subject of the mural was to be A Social History of The State of Missouri. Two years later, the finished work covered three walls in the room. It is the most popular attraction in the capitol and alone worth the visit.

Detail of ‘A Social History of the State of Missouri’

By Thomas Hart Benton, Missouri State Capitol (10 June 2008)

On three walls of the House Lounge, Benton filled the space with scenes from the pioneer days through the 20th century industrialization of St. Louis and Kansas City. On the other hand, depictions of slavery, lynching, abusing Mormons and a bare baby butt offended the ‘show-them-only-the-good-parts-of-Missouri-history’ crowd.

My tour group was told that the legislators took Benton to court but the judge ruled that there was nothing in the mural that was NOT part of ‘The Social History of Missouri.’ According to our guide, when the offended legislators lost in court and had to pay Benton his commission ($16,000…more than the governor’s annual salary), they decided to close off the room to the public and keep the windows open for a long enough time so that the weather, pigeons, etc. would ruin the work. However, Benton had remarkably anticipated such behavior and had covered the mural with a thin layer of protective beeswax. When the legislature was again challenged and lost, the room was restored and the dirty beeswax removed to again reveal the masterpiece we see today.

Bust of Emmett Kelly, Missouri Capitol,

Jefferson City (10 June 2008)

This may be a cheap shot but one can’t resist the obvious. On the third floor of this fine capitol is the Hall of Famous Missourians where, at last count, you can find 46 busts of Missouri citizens who have achieved some renown in their lives. From Walt Disney to Omar Bradley. From Mark Twain to Ginger Rogers to Harry Truman, the privately-funded representations offer a more human touch to the stuffy history and classic allegories that most folks don’t recognize anymore. Emmett Kelly and his ‘Weary Willie’ character was one of the most famous clowns during the heyday of circuses. I suspect some might draw different conclusions when they see a clown so close to the legislature.

Between the artwork and architecture, the spectacular spaces inside this statehouse make it a favorite of mine.