George H.W. Bush Was Hospitalized For An Infection Just A Day After Barbara's Funeral

Just a day after his wife's funeral, former President George H.W. Bush has been hospitalized. A spokesman for the former president said in a statement that he was admitted to the Houston Methodist Hospital for an infection that spread to his blood. According to the spokesman, he has been there since Sunday morning.

"He is responding to treatments and appears to be recovering," said spokesman Jim McGrath. "We will issue additional updates as events warrant." Bush is 93 years old.

His wife, former First Lady Barbara Bush, died last week at their home in Houston. She was 92. The day before George H.W. Bush's hospitalization, over 1,000 people gathered to commemorate Barbara Bush's life and legacy. Among those in attendance were their son former President George W. Bush and his wife, former First Lady Laura Bush, as well as the Obamas, the Clintons, and current First Lady Melania Trump. (President Donald Trump did not attend.)

George H.W. Bush has received breathing-related medical care several times in the last five years. In August 2017, he was treated for pneumonia and chronic bronchitis. Eight months prior, he was also hospitalized for a separate bout of pneumonia. Additionally, he also suffers from vascular parkinsonism, a rare disease that appears to be similar to Parkinson's disease.

When Bush is expected to be released is not known at the moment. The Associated Press reports that he is currently in intensive care.

Bush served in the federal government for a cumulative 12 years. First, he was vice president under Ronald Reagan, between 1981 and 1989, then as president between 1989 and 1993. He only served one term as president, however, eventually losing his reelection bid to now-former President Bill Clinton in 1992. He is currently the longest living president, having beat out Gerald Ford as of last November, according to The Washington Post.

However, the Bush presidential legacy was not yet over. In 2001, his son George W. Bush won a presidential race against opponent Al Gore, becoming the 43rd president of the United States. He would stay in office for eight years.

George H.W Bush was married to Barbara Bush for 73 years, making them the longest-married presidential couple on record. (Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter trail behind, currently sitting at 71 years.) The Bushes met as teenagers in Massachusetts, and married when they were 20 and 19 years old, respectively.

The couple's love story is long-revered, and parts of it were recounted at Barbara Bush's funeral, where their son Jeb Bush spoke of the letters they shared while his father served in World War II.

According to the Post, Jeb Bush spoke about a letter that George H.W. Bush wrote to his wife on their anniversary in 1994.

"Will you marry me?" Bush reportedly wrote. "Oops, I forgot, we did that 49 years ago. I was very happy on that day in 1945, but I’m even happier today. You have given me joy that few men know. … I have climbed perhaps the highest mountain in the world, but even that cannot hold a candle to being Barbara’s husband."

As was expected, Bush was reportedly "broken-hearted" when his wife died last week, having spent the entire day of her death holding her hand, according to Bush's chief of staff. He was reportedly present when she eventually passed away.

Though the Bush family is known for living in Texas, Bush actually hails from New England, and was born in Milton, Massachusetts. He attended boarding school at Phillips Academy Andover, served in the Navy during WWII, studied economics at Yale, and eventually attended Harvard Business School.

Over the course of his life, the former president has participated in a political dynasty, and developed a legacy as both a business man and a family man. Minute details of his blood infection are currently unknown.