Samuel served on the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and helped found the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. During WWI, he served as Chief of the Ordnance, Small Arms and Ammunition division on the War Industries Board, where wartime business ventures coupled with his connections to the Rockefeller family laid the foundation for the family's fortune.
Source: A Hoover Vignette
This was the first of Walker's forays into finance. The firm, located on 1 Wall Street, employed various members of the Bush family until it became a part of Merrill Lynch in 1978.
Source: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush
The company's owner, Averell Harriman, is seen pictured with President Lyndon B. Johnson. At the firm, Walker used his network of international banking contacts to develop profitable investment opportunities, especially in Germany and Russia.
Source: Britannica
The estate has been called Point Vesuvius and Walker's Point.
George "Herbert" Walker Jr. was an original owner of the New York Mets and a successful Wall Street businessman. He tapped his connections and own deep pockets to help finance the Bush-Overby Oil Development Company.
Source: ESPN
After serving as Vice-President at W.A. Harriman & Co, a position he secured from his father-in-law, Prescott was able to amass the Bush fortune at Union Banking Corp. The investment bank was a massive beneficiary of WWII, facilitating the transfer of gold, oil, steel, and coal all over the globe. The bank's assets were frozen during WWII as a result of its ties to Nazi Germany, though Prescott was never found guilty of any crime.
Source: Fox News
While at Harriman, Prescott sat on the board of Dresser Industries, an oil equipment company which boomed during WWII and eventually merged with Halliburton in the late 1990s. George H.W. Bush, Prescott's son, got his start at Dresser.
Source: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush
They had 6 kids — Pauline, Neil, Marvin, Dorothy, John Ellis "Jeb", and George Walker.
Bush and Overby expanded their operations to form Zapata Petroleum in 1953, which became Pennzoil after a merger ten years later. Pennzoil would go on to earn almost $3 billion in revenues in 1999.
Source: The New York Times
Arbusto Energy, Dubya's first business venture, was a struggling venture saved twice through mergers. Arbusto offered investors substantial tax write-offs, but little in the way of returns. W only returned 45 cents on the dollar to his investors.
The initial investors include several Bush notables and some family friends.
Source: CNN
Jonathan owned J. Bush & Co., which provided banking services for diplomats, and later became CEO of Riggs Investment. He recruited the majority of Arbusto Energy's investors.
Source: Los Angeles Times
George W. Bush's grandmother, Dorothy Bush, was part of the group of investors that helped him launch his first oil exploration company. She chipped in $25,000.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Bath, who was discharged from the Texas Air National Guard along with Dubya, poured $50,000 into Arbusto Energy on behalf of Salem bin Laden, an older half-brother of Osama bin Laden. He is shown breaking ground at an Arbusto Energy site (right).
Sources: Houston Chronicle, New York Times
Arbusto became Spectrum 7 and Harken Energy following mergers which saved the failing firm. The investment in the Bush name paid off, as Harken unexpectedly acquired an offshore drilling contract from the Bahraini government through Dubya's business connections while H.W. served as President. This move both revealed and enhanced the Bush family's connections with the Saudi elite.
Sources: CNN , Los Angeles Times
In 1989, shortly before Harken reported significant losses, George W. Bush sold slightly under $1 million in company stock to pay for his stake in the Texas Rangers. Bush's share of the team appreciated in value to over $15 million.
Source: CNN
During his father's presidency, George W. Bush served on the Board of Directors for the Carlyle Group. After his presidency ended, George H.W. Bush joined the global private equity investment firm as an advisor.
Source: New York Times
This brother of George W. Bush settled out of court with the FDIC for allegedly breaching his fiduciary duties in the wake of the collapse of Silverado Savings and Loan, where he served on the Board of Directors. Neil is pictured (front left) as a child in this Bush family photo.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Herbert III started his career at G.H. Walker & Co, later becoming Chairman of G.H. Walker Laird and then President, CEO, and Chairman of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company. He also served as a U.S. ambassador to Hungary.
Source: U.S. Embassy.Gov
Herbert IV has a storied career in financial services. He was formerly a Goldman Sachs partner who became global head of Investment Management at Lehman Brothers shortly before its collapse. Currently, he is Chairman and CEO of Neuberger Berman Group, an investment management firm for high net worth individuals and institutional investors.
Sources: Business Insider, Huffington Post
"Bucky" Bush, CEO of financial services holding company Bush, O'Donnell & Co, made a substantial profit from the sale of about $2 million in Engineered Support Systems stock in 2005. The defense contractor worked on behalf of the Pentagon in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Source: Los Angeles Times
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