Clan Rising

Bush

American political dynasty, four generations of senators, governors and presidents.

Origin
East of England, England
Famous bearer
Prescott Bush (1895-1972), US Senator for Connecticut
Register
English family
#13

Ranked of all time

The 15 Most Powerful English Houses of All Time

See the leaderboard →
Territory of Bush

The seat of Bush

Seat vacant

Chief

No one leads the Bush community yet. When the movement opens, you can stand for its leadership, or help elect whoever does.

Current mission

No shared goal set yet. Once Bush has leadership, it sets the public focus: a restoration, a gathering, a real-world project that helps its own.

The Bush clan is being rebuilt. Join the waiting list for the movement today, and you help decide who leads it and what it does.

Help rebuild the Bush clan →

What does the Bush name mean?

From the Old English 'busc', a thicket or shrubbery, originally a topographic surname for someone who lived by a prominent bush or thicket. The American political family descends from English Protestant colonial settlers in 17th-century New England; family tradition places the immigrant ancestor in Essex before the migration. The Bush family produced two US Presidents (the 41st and 43rd) across four generations of senators, governors, ambassadors and federal officeholders.

The history of Bush

The Bush family in America descends from English Protestant settlers who arrived in colonial New England in the 17th century. The political dynasty proper begins with Samuel Prescott Bush (1863-1948), an industrialist who served as Director of the Facilities Division of the War Industries Board in the First World War. His son Prescott Sheldon Bush (1895-1972) was a Wall Street investment banker (partner of Brown Brothers Harriman) and US Senator for Connecticut from 1952 to 1963, the political founder of the modern family.

Prescott's son George Herbert Walker Bush (1924-2018) carried the family to the presidency. He was a decorated naval aviator in the Pacific War, US Representative for Texas, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Chief of the US Liaison Office in Beijing, Director of Central Intelligence, US Vice President under Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), and 41st President of the United States (1989-1993). His presidency oversaw the end of the Cold War, the reunification of Germany under NATO, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the 1991 Gulf War coalition that liberated Kuwait.

His son George Walker Bush (b.1946) served as Governor of Texas before being elected 43rd President of the United States (2001-2009), winning re-election in 2004. His younger brother John Ellis ('Jeb') Bush served as Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007 and was a 2016 presidential candidate. George W. Bush's son George P. Bush served as Land Commissioner of Texas from 2015 to 2023.

The Bush family represents the longest sustained presence of any single American family at the apex of US politics across the second half of the American century: four generations of senators, governors, ambassadors, presidents, and federal cabinet officials in unbroken succession from 1952 to the present. The family seats are at Walker's Point in Kennebunkport, Maine, and at Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas.

Notable bearers of the Bush name

  • Prescott Bush (1895-1972), US Senator for Connecticut
  • George H. W. Bush (1924-2018), 41st President of the United States
  • George W. Bush (b.1946), 43rd President of the United States
  • Jeb Bush (b.1953), Governor of Florida 1999-2007

Frequently asked

What does the surname Bush mean?

From the Old English 'busc', a thicket or shrubbery, originally a topographic surname for someone who lived by a prominent bush or thicket. The American political family descends from English Protestant colonial settlers in 17th-century New England; family tradition places the immigrant ancestor in Essex before the migration. The Bush family produced two US Presidents (the 41st and 43rd) across four generations of senators, governors, ambassadors and federal officeholders. The Bush family in America descends from English Protestant settlers who arrived in colonial New England in the 17th century.

Where does the Bush family come from?

The Bush family is rooted in East of England, in England. Within that, the name was particularly concentrated in Essex. The atlas page for the name records the historical territory it has held over the centuries.

Is Bush a England surname?

Yes, Bush is a England surname. Its editorial home in this atlas is England, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated.

How old is the Bush surname?

The Bush family in America descends from English Protestant settlers who arrived in colonial New England in the 17th century. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Bush name took its modern form within that long settlement.

What is the Bush family known for?

American political dynasty, four generations of senators, governors and presidents. The Bush family in America descends from English Protestant settlers who arrived in colonial New England in the 17th century.

Who is the most famous Bush?

The best-known bearer of the Bush name is Prescott Bush (1895-1972), US Senator for Connecticut. Other prominent figures of the family include George H. W. Bush (1924-2018), 41st President of the United States, George W. Bush (b.1946), 43rd President of the United States and Jeb Bush (b.1953), Governor of Florida 1999-2007.

Who are some famous Bushs?

Notable bearers of the Bush name include Prescott Bush (1895-1972), US Senator for Connecticut, George H. W. Bush (1924-2018), 41st President of the United States, George W. Bush (b.1946), 43rd President of the United States and Jeb Bush (b.1953), Governor of Florida 1999-2007. Each is profiled on the family page, with cross-links to the geography, stories, and historical events tied to their life.

Where is the Bush surname found today?

England is the primary historical home of the Bush surname. In the modern era, the name is also borne across the wider diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where families carry the line of descent from the same England origin recorded on this page.

What does the Clan Rising page for the Bush family cover?

The Clan Rising page for the Bush family covers the meaning of the surname, the historical geography of the name, famous bearers of the name and the seat of the head of the family. Each section is linked to the underlying atlas of England so the name can be read in the geography that shaped it.

Who is the head of the Bush family today?

The seat for the head of the Bush family is currently vacant on this register. Clan Rising is rebuilding the chief and family structure for the modern era, and the family page allows readers to claim the seat or pledge to the name.

Neighbouring clans