Dec. 24--George H.W. Bush, the nation's oldest former president, was hospitalized Tuesday night in Texas after experiencing shortness of breath, his spokesman said.
Bush, 90, was taken to Houston Methodist Hospital by ambulance as a precaution and will be held for observation overnight, according to a brief statement from his office.
President Obama, who is in Hawaii, was informed of the situation. "President Obama and the first lady send their good wishes to the former president and the entire Bush family during this holiday season," spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters.
This isn't the first time Bush has been hospitalized during a holiday season. In November 2012, he went to Houston Methodist with a persistent cough. He developed a fever and stayed nearly two months.
Last year, his wife, former First Lady Barbara Bush, was admitted to the same hospital on New Year's Eve with signs of pneumonia. She was released after six days of treatment.
Bush -- the father of former President George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is weighing a run for the presidency -- made headlines in June, when he celebrated his 90th birthday by going skydiving. He'd marked his 75th, 80th and 85th birthdays the same way.
UPDATES
8:31 p.m.: This post has been updated to add background information.
8:16 p.m.: This post has been updated to add a comment from President Obama's spokesman.
7:40 p.m.: This post has been updated to add information about former First Lady Barbara Bush.
The first version of this post was published at 7:33 p.m.
