Bush made Parkersburg history in 1987

Former President George Herbert Walker Bush, who passed away on November 30 at the age of 94, became the first sitting Vice President in recent recorded history to visit Parkersburg when he stopped by and spoke to a crowd of nearly 600 at the high school in November of 1987.

According to a front page story in the Eclipse News-Review, Bush “enjoyed the Iowa Chop dinner” and “walked through the crowd shaking hands and having his picture taken” in the midst of his campaign to succeed his old partner on the ticket, Ronald Reagan, and secure the GOP nomination in the race to become the 41st President of the United States. The Secret Service provided security along with local law enforcement officials, and there were no incidents reported.

Despite finishing a disappointing third in the 1988 Iowa Caucus behind Kansas Senator and eventual 1996 Republican nominee Bob Dole and televangelist Pat Robertson, Bush rebounded to win 42 of the 50 states with nearly 68 percent of the GOP primary votes cast and defeat Democrat Michael Dukakis in the general election. In 1992, he lost his re-election bid to Bill Clinton.

For the full story, see this week’s Eclipse News-Review. Subscribe by calling 319-346-1461 or by clicking here.

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