We first honed in on former President George H.W. Bush’s fancy for flashy footwear last April when he wore hot pink socks to the dedication of his son’s presidential library, the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.
It seems like 41 only becomes more dapper with age. Between sky-diving on his 75th and 85th birthdays, and singing with hospital staff during a hospitalization for bronchitis, he’s quickly turning into everybody’s favorite great-grandpa. And whether he’s attending a commencement ceremony or meeting a gaggle of cheerleaders, his ankles are always dressed for the occasion. And it pays off, literally, as the Republican National Committee recently raised $1 million by giving supporters who made donations of $35 or more a pair of socks with the former president’s signature over orange, yellow, blue and green stripes.
So in honor of his 90th birthday today, here’s a glimpse at some of Bush 41’s sporty ankle-wear, an update to last year’s list that is sure to knock your socks off.
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Here, former President Bill Clinton (left) is “envious” of Bush’s “#sockswag”, the cactus-themed socks, at Bush’s home in Kennebunkport, Maine. On Oct. 26, 2013, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland in Maine auctioned off the pair with a letter of authenticity signed by Bush that jokes, “I absolutely love a crazy pair of socks … Barbara, on the other hand, has had enough.”
These deserve a close-up:
He received an honorary degree at the Harvard University’s Commencement on May 29, 2014, while wearing technicolor triangle socks. The footwear was loud, but not loud enough to outshine fellow honorary degree recipient the Queen of Soul, who sang the national anthem at the opening of the ceremony
He wore red-striped socks during a July 15, 2013, event in the East Room of the White House to honor the 5,000th Daily Point of Light Award winner. In his 1989 inaugural address, Bush 41 described U.S. community organizations that serve others as “a Thousand Points of Light.”
Seen here at the April 25, 2013 dedication of the George W. Bush presidential library on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, George H.W. Bush was resplendent in pink socks with small blue designs. (The calves of first lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama can be seen at left.) Granddaughter Jenna Bush Hager was a fan:
H.W. endorsed Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney following this meeting in Bush’s office in Houston, on March 29, 2012. But ignore the politicking and body language for a second and note the lavender — dare we say… purple? — socks. A subtle message of bipartisanship, perhaps?
