# why are they Bush41? Bush43? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 24, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862 "2003-03-24T20:12:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![deb2world](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@deb2world](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deb2world)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/1 "2003-03-24T20:12:39Z")
I have heard Presidents Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. called Bush41 and Bush43. I have a few questions regarding this. 1. Who is 41 and who is 43? 2. Where did these nicknames for the fmr pres and the current pres come from? 3. Why are they called that? 4. How widespread are these nicknames? thanks deb ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/2 "2003-03-24T20:16:17Z")
1. George HW Bush was the 41st president. George W Bush is the 43rd president. 2. They are so called so as to ensure that when someone says “President Bush did so-and-so,” you don’t have to ask “Which President Bush?” I don’t know who originated the nicknames. 3. See the first answer. 4. Don’t know, but I’ve heard them here and there. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Gumbercules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gumbercules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gumbercules)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/3 "2003-03-24T20:17:17Z")
Aren’t they the 41st and 43rd Presidents of the United States? ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/4 "2003-03-24T20:17:32Z")
1)Bush Sr. is “41”, Dubya is “43” 2)The sequential number of their presidencies 3)To differentiate them from one another 4)Well, they have hats with their numbers on 'em… ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/5 "2003-03-24T20:18:41Z")
Both Presidents have the same first and last name (George Bush) with only the middle inital being diffrent and while most people know GW Bush as the younger, not many know what the senior Bush’s middle initial is (do you?) 41 and 43 denotes which presidential number. George Bush (senior) is the 41st president. GW Bush is the 43rd president Bill Clinton (unrelated) is the 42nd president. The father and son presidents started the trend themselves. ---
**Author:** ![rjciii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecae2f/32.png) [@rjciii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjciii)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/6 "2003-03-24T20:46:23Z")
He does not have a single middle name. He has two. Herbert Walker ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/7 "2003-03-24T23:18:40Z")
Actually it’s George Herbert Walker Bush (41), and George Walker Bush (43.) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/8 "2003-03-24T23:53:33Z")
Their home in Kennebunkport, ME is on [Walker Point](http://www.portimages.com/images/bd01-14f.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/9 "2003-03-25T00:27:56Z")
So how come we don’t refer to John Adams and John Q. Adams as Adams2 and Adams6? ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/10 "2003-03-25T00:44:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DreadCthulhu \* > \*\*So how come we don’t refer to John Adams and John Q. Adams as Adams2 and Adams6? \*\* Excuse this WAG from a foreigner, but isn’t it because you spent 172 years calling them John Adams and John Q. Adams and didn’t need a new-fangled way of distinguishing between them just because a father and son happened along? You could start calling them Adams2 and Adams6 yourself if you like, but don’t be surprised if you get some strange looks. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/11 "2003-03-25T01:01:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by deb2world \* > 2) Where did these nicknames for the fmr pres and the current pres come from? Fwiw, I first came across the usage in the late summer after 43 became president. It was pretty well established (by then) amongst Condie Rice’s old close friends at Stamford but not, to the best of my knowledge, in the wider world (yet). I guess that makes it about a year and a half ago. I don’t _think_ it was in use on the board at that point … maybe I introduced it, can’t recall …. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/12 "2003-03-25T01:04:17Z")
Stanford, even. ---
**Author:** ![censored](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/35a633/32.png) [@censored](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/censored)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/13 "2003-03-25T02:49:36Z")
In regards to the Adams thing, significantly more time had passed between their presidencies, and Adams2 was probably not hanging around the White House and the political scene, thus requiring a way of differentiating between the two. just a wag. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/14 "2003-03-25T02:58:39Z")
Since John Adams was 89 years old when his son was inaugurated and had been out of public office for 24 years, it’s likely that Adams the Elder was a big part of the political scene. John Adams’ party no longer existed when his son was inaugurated. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/15 "2003-03-25T05:17:11Z")
Funny. Bush41 calls Bush43 “Quincy”. ---
**Author:** ![HoldenCaulfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/22d042/32.png) [@HoldenCaulfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldenCaulfield)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/16 "2003-03-25T07:08:07Z")
A very liberal friend of mine refers to George H. W. Bush as “Bush the Elected”. I always got a kick out of that. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/17 "2003-03-25T09:09:05Z")
I remember another person who said that when the two are together, he refers to them as “Bush 84”, i.e. 41 plus 43. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/18 "2003-03-25T13:44:28Z")
I would also add that the differentiation will eventually fade away and they will be known as George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/19 "2003-03-25T14:24:41Z")
I seem to remember hearing something about the nicknames coming from the presidents themselves; they jokingly refer to one another as “41” and “43.” ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-bush41-bush43/163862/20 "2003-03-25T14:25:53Z")
Whoops…as **X~Slayer(ALE)** already pointed out.