Brother, uncle of Bush presidents, dies at 79

Miami — William Henry Trotter Bush, a wealthy investor and the brother and uncle of presidents, has died. He was 79.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush confirmed Thursday in an email to The Associated Press that his uncle had died. He did not describe the cause.

Jim McGrath, a spokesman for former president George H.W. Bush, said the president’s younger brother died Tuesday.

Known as “Bucky” Bush, the brother of President George H.W. Bush, uncle of President George W. Bush and youngest son of Sen. Prescott Sheldon Bush of Connecticut was also active in Republican politics. He chaired his nephew’s presidential re-election campaign in Missouri. At the time, he recounted that he used to babysit the future 43rd President of the United States.

Bush also was co-founder and chairman of Bush O’Donnell Investment Advisers in St. Louis, Mo. Before that, he was president of Boatmen’s National Bank of St. Louis. He also served on the boards of numerous corporations and foundations, including WellPoint Inc., now Anthem, the parent company of multiple Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurers.

At one WellPoint board meeting in 2010, Bush collapsed, bringing an abrupt end to a consumer campaign against insurance premium hikes.

Bush also was put in the spotlight in 2007, when he and other directors of a defense contractor reaped a total of $6 million from what federal regulators called an illegal scheme by two executives to manipulate the timing of stock option grants.