Stock Markets, Federal Agencies to Close Wednesday for Day of Mourning
*By Chloe Aiello*
Stock markets and the federal government will close on Wednesday as the U.S. marks a national day of mourning for George H.W. Bush, the 41st president.
Bush died at his home in Houston Friday night. He was 94.
President Trump has also ordered that flags on public grounds fly at half-staff for 30 days as a show of respect for the late president, who will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol before a Wednesday funeral service at Washington National Cathedral. Later, Bush will be memorialized in Houston and buried at his presidential library in College Station, Texas.
Trump's relationship with the Bush family has been marked by animosity since his bitter campaign against Jeb Bush for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. As president, Trump has mocked the elder Bush for his famous "thousand points of light" philosophy that called for a national campaign of volunteerism.
Despite his strained relationship with the Bush family, the White House said Trump will attend the state funeral with his wife, Melania. Trump also celebrated Bush's legacy in statements after his death.
"President George H.W. Bush led a long, successful and beautiful life. Whenever I was with him I saw his absolute joy for life and true pride in his family. His accomplishments were great from beginning to end. He was a truly wonderful man and will be missed by all," [he wrote on Twitter.](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1068826073775964160)
Bush's influence on American politics far transcended his one term as president. The patriarch of a political dynasty, he fathered another president, his son George W. Bush, and a two-term governor and presidential candidate, Jeb Bush. His foreign policy legacy included presiding over the over the end of the 40-year Cold War and navigating the delicate political climate that followed, including the collapse of the Soviet Union. He also united a coalition of more than 30 countries to end the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein's Iraq during the first Gulf War. His decision not to remove Hussein from power laid the groundwork for the 2003 invasion of Iraq by George W. Bush.
George H.W. Bush's long career in public life began with his decorated service as a Navy pilot in WWII. That was followed by more than four decades in government, including as a congressman from Texas, ambassador to the United Nations, U.S. envoy to China, director of the C.I.A., and vice president to Ronald Reagan.
George W. Bush issued a statement late Friday confirming his father's death, just eight months after the death of his wife of more than 70 years, Barbara Bush.
"Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died. George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41's life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens," the 43rd president wrote.
In recent years, Bush suffered from numerous health problems, including Parkinson's disease that kept him wheelchair bound and a bout of severe pneumonia in 2013. Following his wife's April funeral, Bush was hospitalized with a severe blood infection. Still, the former president remained active late into his life ー famously celebrating his 90th birthday in 2014 with a tandem skydive.
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In our nation’s capital, Black history is being made right now.
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