What do you think of when you think of George H.W. Bush? Of course, he was America’s 41st President, the Vice-President under Reagan, and the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency. But what about his life before public life? Famously, Bush owned and operated a gigantic oil company, the Bush-Overbey Oil Development Company, in Texas. It was here he amassed his fortune and first gained notoriety. Texas would also be where he first began his career in government, being elected as a representative in 1966 for Texas’ 7th Congressional District, the densely-populated greater Houston area. Texas would even be where Bush’s son, George W. Bush (eventually our 43rd President) would be raised. 

To many, Texas and the Bush family are synonymous. Thus, it may come as a surprise Bush was born in the cozy suburban burough of Milton, directly outside of the famously liberal Boston. In fact, one wouldn’t be at fault for not knowing this—Bush seemed to downplay where he was born, so as not to seem like a traitor to his adopted home turf of the Lone Star State. 

In fairness, Bush spent only a year of his life in Milton, with the family moving to Connecticut in 1925, while the future president was but an infant. But this wouldn’t deter Milton residents from being proud of their resident-turned-President. In 1997, a stone and plaque were unveiled outside of his birthplace home to signify the site’s historic significance. Bush, who was in attendance, beamed proudly, proud, and comfortable with his status as a child of the Commonwealth, even if only for a day.

After the Bush family left Massachusetts in 1925, the house Bush was born in would switch hands dozens of times, remaining a private residence to this day. While the property is not accessible to the public, the marker does serve as an interesting historical footnote in the legacy of the Bush dynasty. While many Presidential homes have become sacred heritage sites that attract visitors from across the globe, Bush’s modest marker serves as a quaint and respectful way to commemorate the Miltonite’s legacy.