It may seem a bit like “six degrees of separation” on a day when the nation mourns the loss of a historic president, but in our reflections on what he accomplished, we cannot help but note and be proud that for one brief moment, the paths of George Herbert Walker Bush and people involved with WPC crossed.

Before Washington Policy Center existed, an organization called Washington Institute for Policy Studies (WIPS) was created to fight for the free-market cause in Washington state.  Some of WPC’s eventual founders were a part of WIPS.  In these early days, Ambassador and one of WIPS founders Della Newman arranged for John Carlson to meet with then-Vice President George Herbert Walker Bush in his office in the Old Executive Office Building.  Carlson talked to the future president about WIPS and Mr. Bush’s coming presidential campaign.  Mr. Bush ended up signing a letter dated May 23, 1989 endorsing the work of WIPS and congratulating Bill Buckley on receiving WIPS’ Columbia Award.

Both organizations were founded by a group of concerned citizens seeking to promote free markets and liberty.  Washington Institute for Policy Studies helped create the motivation and intellectual case for the creation of WPC. With his encouragement of the development of practical policies from conservative ideas in Washington state, the path of former President George H.W. Bush and that of WPC intersected for one brief moment.   

A special thanks to KVI’s John Carlson for being our institutional memory.