Former U.S. President George H. W. Bush has been hospitalized for complications related to bronchitis. A spokesman at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, near his home in the southern U.S. state of Texas, said the 88-year-old former president is in stable condition and was expected to be released within 72 hours.

Mr. Bush, a Republican, was the 41st president. He took office in 1989 and served one term in the White House. He is the father of former President George W. Bush. The elder Bush also served as a congressman, U.N. ambassador, envoy to China, CIA director and was vice president for two terms under Ronald Reagan.

Mr. Bush suffers a form of Parkinson's disease that has forced him to use a wheelchair or motorized scooter to get around.