Over the course of five generations, the Bush and Walker clans have amassed fortunes and political power beyond belief. The family is worth a reported $400 million and has seated two members in the Oval Office.
With the death of the former first lady Barbara Bush at age 92, we're looking back at how his family came to earn such influence.
This retrospective includes insights from Jacob Weisberg's exhaustive biography, "The Bush Tragedy" and more, as well as vintage photos.
Here's how the Bush family became an American dynasty:
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Samuel Prescott Bush, son of a minister, lay the foundation for the family’s fortune. Known as the grand patriarch of the Bush clan, he was an Ohio steel and railroad executive.
He worked his way up from an apprenticeship to become president of Buckeye Steel Castings Co., the country's third largest producer of steel couplers at the turn of the century. Samuel rubbed elbows with the Rockefellers and cofounded the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Sources: Columbus Business First, The New York Times
Samuel had a son who wanted nothing to do with his father’s manufacturing ventures. He would carve his own success story.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider