George W. Bush

=== Business career ===
{{Main|Professional life of George W. Bush}}
[[File:Gerald Ford greets George W. Bush.jpg|thumb|Bush and former President [[Gerald Ford]] in August 1984]]
In 1977, Bush established [[Arbusto Energy]], a small oil exploration company, although it did not begin operations until the following year.<ref name="Lardner">{{cite news |last1=Lardner |first1=George Jr. |last2=Romano |first2=Lois |title=Bush Name Helps Fuel Oil Dealings |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=November 24, 2016 |date=July 30, 1999 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/bush073099.htm |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629035020/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/bush073099.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Stone |first=Peter H. |title=Big oil's White House pipelines |journal=National Journal |date=July 4, 2001 |issue=33 |page=1042 |issn=0360-4217}}</ref> He later changed the name to Bush Exploration. In 1984, his company merged with the larger [[Spectrum 7]], and Bush became chairman. The company was hurt by decreased oil prices, and it folded into [[Harken Energy Corporation]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Carlisle, John K |title=George Soros's Plan to Defeat George Bush |work=Human Events |date=January 3, 2004}}</ref> with Bush becoming a member of Harken's board of directors. Questions of [[George W. Bush insider trading allegations|possible insider trading]] involving Harken arose, but a [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] investigation concluded that the information Bush had at the time of his stock sale was not sufficient to constitute insider trading.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0721-02.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918073117/http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0721-02.htm |archive-date=September 18, 2008 |title=Files: Bush Knew Firm's Plight Before Stock Sale |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=July 21, 2002 |access-date=September 1, 2008}}</ref>

In April 1989, Bush arranged for a group of investors to purchase a controlling interest in the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers baseball franchise]] for $89{{nbs}}million and invested $500,000 himself to start. He then was managing general partner for five years.<ref name="TexRngrs">{{cite web |url=http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/bush/timeline.html |title=A series of beneficial moves |publisher=ESPN |last=Farrey |first=Tom |date=November 1, 1999 |access-date=March 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724161725/http://static.espn.go.com/mlb/bush/timeline.html |archive-date=July 24, 2008 }}</ref> He actively led the team's projects and regularly attended its games, often choosing to sit in the open stands with fans.<ref>{{cite web |access-date=September 1, 2008 |url=http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/governors/modern/bush-p04.html |title=George W. Bush in Little League uniform |publisher=Texas State Library and Archives Commission |archive-date=November 27, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011127100625/http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/governors/modern/bush-p04.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Bush's sale of his shares in the Rangers in 1998 brought him over $15{{nbs}}million from his initial $800,000 investment.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.makethemaccountable.com/tax/BushTaxes1998.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040405133503/http://makethemaccountable.com/tax/BushTaxes1998.pdf |archive-date=April 5, 2004 |title=1998 Tax return |access-date=September 1, 2008 }}</ref>

Prior to his eventual gubernatorial campaign, Bush briefly considered a candidacy to become the [[Commissioner of Baseball]] in the early to mid-1990s.<ref>{{cite news|title=Does baseball need a commissioner with a background in the game?|author=Tracy Ringolsby|work=[[Rocky Mountain News]]|date=August 17, 1995|page=9B}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=MLB – Vincent book: Bush wanted commissioner's job – ESPN|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/2002/0918/1433403.html|publisher=ESPN|date=September 18, 2002|access-date=November 3, 2021|language=en|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104132429/https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/2002/0918/1433403.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2019/07/19/in-new-book-bud-selig-details-just-how-close-president-george-w-bush-came-to-replacing-him-as-mlb-commissioner/|title=In new book, Bud Selig details just how close President George W. Bush came to replacing him as MLB commissioner|last=Sherrington|first=Kevin|date=July 18, 2019|access-date=November 3, 2021|language=en|archive-date=February 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225200321/https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/rangers/2019/07/19/in-new-book-bud-selig-details-just-how-close-president-george-w-bush-came-to-replacing-him-as-mlb-commissioner/|url-status=live}}</ref>