Barbara Bush

This article is about former First Lady of the United States. For her granddaughter, see Barbara Bush (born 1981). For other people with the same name, see Barbara Bush (disambiguation).

Barbara Bush
Official portrait, 1992
First Lady of the United States
In role January 20, 1989 – January 20, 1993
President	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Nancy Reagan
Succeeded by	Hillary Clinton
Second Lady of the United States
In role January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
Vice President	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Joan Mondale
Succeeded by	Marilyn Quayle
Personal details
Born	Barbara Pierce (1925-06-08)June 8, 1925 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	April 17, 2018(2018-04-17) (aged 92) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum
Political party	Republican
Spouse	George H. W. Bush ​ (m. 1945)​
Children	George Robin Jeb Neil Marvin Dorothy
Parents	Marvin Pierce Pauline Robinson
Education	Smith College
Signature

Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was the first lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush. She was previously the second lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989, and she was the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Among her six children are George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, and Jeb Bush, the 43rd governor of Florida. She and Abigail Adams are the only two women to be the wife of one U.S. president and the mother of another. At the time she became first lady, she was the second oldest woman to hold the position, behind only Anna Harrison, who never lived in the capital. Bush was generally popular as first lady, recognized for her apolitical grandmotherly image, and periodic Siena College Research Institute surveys of historians have consistently ranked her in the upper-half of American first ladies.

Barbara Pierce was born in New York City and grew up in Rye, New York. She met George Herbert Walker Bush at the age of sixteen, and the two married in 1945. They moved to Texas in 1948, where George was successful in the oil industry and later began his political career. Bush had six children between 1946 and 1959, and she had to endure the loss of her four-year-old daughter Robin to leukemia in 1953. She lived in Washington, D.C., New York, and China while accompanying her husband in his various political roles in the 1960s and 1970s. She became an active campaigner for her husband whenever he stood for election. Bush became second lady after her husband became vice president in 1981. She took on the role of a hostess in this role, holding frequent social events at the vice president's residence, and she traveled to many countries with her husband on his diplomatic missions.

Bush became first lady in 1989 after her husband was inaugurated as president. She enjoyed the role and living in the White House, though it was complicated by her protectiveness over her family and her diagnosis of Graves' disease. She frequently carried out charity work, including her projects to promote literacy and her support for AIDS victims. Among the most prominent of her actions as first lady was the commencement speech she gave at Wellesley College; it which saw considerable publicity and her selection was controversial, but it was widely regarded as a success. She remained active in political campaigning after leaving the White House, as two of her sons both ran for office in gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.

Early life

Childhood

Barbara Pierce was born in New York City on June 8, 1925, the third of four children born to Pauline Pierce (née Robinson) and Marvin Pierce. Her father was a businessman who worked at the McCall Corporation, descended from the Pierce family that included U.S. president Franklin Pierce. She had a close relationship with her father, and she considered him a mentor in many aspects of her life. Pierce's mother, the daughter of a Supreme Court of Ohio justice, was a housewife who was involved in the gardening community. She felt neglected by her mother compared to her other siblings. She took her mother's worldview and financial habits as examples to avoid, instead believing that she had to choose to be happy with what she had. Pierce regretted the resentment she held toward her mother as she grew older, understanding the burdens that her mother faced.

Pierce grew up in Rye, New York, where she lived in relative comfort with servants assisting the family. She later described herself as a "very happy fat child". In her youth, Pierce was athletic and enjoyed swimming, tennis, and bike riding. Her interest in reading began early in life; she recalled gathering and reading with her family during the evenings. For the first years of her schooling, Pierce was a public school student, attending Milton School. Insecure with her appearance as a child, she adopted a self-deprecating sense of humor and harshly judged the other children. She also took on more traditionally masculine interests, such as playing football. In her teenage years, she became more popular and was often sought after as a partner in her dance classes. Pierce attended the Rye Country Day School from seventh to tenth grade. She then attended Ashley Hall, a boarding school in Charleston, South Carolina, for eleventh and twelfth grade. She graduated from Ashley Hall in 1943.

Courtship and marriage

George and Barbara Bush at their wedding in 1945

When Pierce was 16 and on Christmas vacation, she met George H. W. Bush. They met while attending a dance at a country club in Greenwich, Connecticut. After a dance together, they instead sat and talked because Bush did not know how to waltz. They were immediately infatuated with one another, and they met again, first at a dance the following night, and then when Bush agreed to play a basketball game with her brother—a game that was attended by the entire Pierce family, who all wished to see the object of her affections. They kept a correspondence after returning to their respective schools, and they began a courtship in 1942, after Bush asked her to accompany him to his senior prom. They were secretly engaged in 1943, while Pierce was visiting Bush's family prior to his departure after enlisting in the military, though it was soon known by their families.

Pierce briefly attended Smith College while Bush was fighting in Pacific theater of World War II, but she dropped out at the beginning of her second year in anticipation of their wedding. While in college, she focused on the social and athletic aspects rather than her studies, as she already had the promise of a stable life after her wedding. They were married at the Rye First Presbyterian Church on January 6, 1945, when she was 19 years old. The reception was held at The Apawamis Club, where they had gone on their first date. They had their honeymoon in Sea Island, Georgia. For the first eight months of their marriage, George and Barbara Bush moved around the Eastern United States, to places including Michigan, Maryland, and Virginia, where George Bush's Navy squadron training required his presence. After George was discharged, they moved to New Haven, Connecticut, and they lived in shared housing while George was attending Yale University. Barbara decided not to return to college, instead working a part-time job on the Yale campus before focusing on having and raising children. Their first child, George W. Bush, was born on July 6, 1946.

Early married years

The Bush family in the mid-1960s

The Bushes moved to Texas in 1948 when George graduated from Yale. They had spent some time considering where they would go and what life they would live. They had considered farming, but deciding that it would be too expensive, George accepted a job in the oil industry from a family friend. The Bushes first lived in Odessa, Texas, where they hoped to build a life away from their families and their childhood communities. Bush credited this sudden lifestyle shift for prompting her to become more mature and self-sufficient, as she had previously seen all of her needs tended to by her family. By the following year, they moved to California for George's work, where they lived in several different towns over the course of a year. While in California, Bush learned that her mother had died in a traffic collision. To her later regret, she decided not to attend the funeral or visit her injured father in the hospital, fearing the toll that cross-country travel would take on her pregnancy. Two months later, she gave birth to her second child, Pauline Robinson "Robin" Bush. The Bushes then returned to Texas so George could start his own oil business, and they established a home in Midland, Texas. Bush was often left alone with the children while George was away for work, sometimes for days at a time. She had her third child, Jeb Bush, in 1953.

The family life established by the Bushes was interrupted in 1953 when their daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Against the advice of their physician, they took her to New York to get treatment, but she died later that year. Bush fell into a deep depression, in which she struggled to raise her two surviving children and her hair began to whiten before the age of 30. Her relationship with her husband and her oldest son helped her recover, as she felt she had to maintain herself for them. While addressing her grief, Bush decided that she would continue having children until she gave birth to another daughter. She had three more children over the following years: Neil Bush in 1955, Marvin Bush in 1956, and Dorothy Bush in 1959. The Bushes drove across the country in 1957, and they found themselves interrupted or barred entry wherever they went, as they were accompanied by their Black housekeeper and their Black babysitter. These incidents instilled in Bush an interest in the civil rights movement. The family moved to Houston in 1959, where Barbara, still pregnant with Dorothy, oversaw the construction of their new home. When her son Neil was diagnosed with dyslexia, she developed a life-long interest in literacy.

Entering political life

Late 1960s

The Bushes celebrate George's election to Congress in 1966

Bush learned to campaign when her husband chose to run for the chairmanship of the Harris County Republican Party. She had initially believed that he had been appointed to the position, only later realizing that he would need to seek election. She accompanied her husband as he traveled to each precinct in the county. She grew to like campaigning, as it provided her a change of pace and gave her an opportunity to spend more time with her husband, though she found the downtime boring and took up needlepoint to occupy herself. She campaigned with her husband again when he ran to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate in 1964. This campaign demonstrated to Barbara a less pleasant aspect of political life, as false information was spread during her husband's primary election, alleging that her father was a communist. While campaigning, she would sometimes hide her last name to solicit more honest feedback about her husband. She was personally hurt when he lost the election to incumbent Ralph Yarborough.

Bush campaigned for her husband again when he ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1966, and the family moved to Washington, D.C. after his victory. In Washington, her primary focus was to raise her younger children and manage her household, but she also involved herself in the activities of the capital. She attended political briefings and social events, including regular events at the White House that endeared her to first lady Lady Bird Johnson. She also started a newspaper column, "Washington Scene", that was published in Houston. Bush was active in the neighborhood where she lived, befriending prominent neighbors such as Shirley Neil Pettis, Potter Stewart, and Franklin D Roosevelt Jr., and the Bushes became known for the barbecues that they hosted each Sunday.

1970s

The Bush family campaigning in 1970

The Bush family Christmas photo, 1979

George ran for the U.S. Senate again in 1970, and he was again unsuccessful. As with the previous failed senate race, Barbara took an emotional toll from her husband's electoral defeat. After George lost election to the Senate, President Richard Nixon appointed him the United States ambassador to the United Nations, which enabled Barbara to begin forming relationships in New York City with prominent diplomats. A large apartment was provided as a residence for the UN ambassador, providing them a home in New York. She particularly enjoyed sharing this period of her husband's career, as it provided the couple with extensive social opportunities. While in New York, she volunteered each week at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where her daughter had been treated for leukemia years before. Bush was against the idea of her husband becoming the chair of the Republican National Committee in 1973, but he accepted the position against her wishes. Instead of the opportunities of the ambassadorship, she spent her days away from her husband as he managed the fallout of the Watergate scandal. While in Washington, she reconnected with her friends from the city and attended World Affairs Council meetings. When Gerald Ford became president in 1974 and asked George where he wanted to go, George asked to be appointed United States Ambassador to China. He was given the position, and they moved to China. Barbara enjoyed the time that she spent in the country and often rode bicycles with her husband to explore cities and regions that few Americans had visited. As she had while she was a Congressman's wife in Washington, she wrote a newspaper column so the people in Texas could follow her activities. She considered the experience to be a transformative one, allowing her to evaluate her life and sort her priorities.

The Bushes returned to the United States in 1975 when George accepted a job as the U.S. Director of Central Intelligence. Given the job's highly secretive nature, Barbara was completely excluded from her husband's work. With this, and the fact that her children were all grown and had moved away, she was overcome by a feeling of isolation. She suffered from depression, which became severe enough that George insisted that she seek out a mental health professional. She did not take his advice, though she later wished that she had. Her doubts were amplified by the women's liberation movement, which made her question whether her life as a housewife was the one she wanted. To distract herself, she began regular work at a hospice facility. She eventually reacquainted herself with Washington social life, and she worked to build connections for her husband's political career while she practiced her slideshow demonstrations, giving talks about China. The Bushes returned to Houston after George left the CIA in 1977.

The Bushes never had a direct conversation about George running in the 1980 presidential election, but the decision was obvious to both of them, and George announced his candidacy. When Barbara was asked what cause she would champion if she became first lady, she decided on literacy, believing that it would be a non-controversial choice and that it affected all of the other major issues. She was a strong advocate for her husband during the campaign, though she caused a stir with the party's conservative wing when she said that she supported ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and was pro-choice on abortion. For two years, she traveled the country with her aide Becky Brady to campaign for her husband. He did not win the Republican nomination for the presidency, but the eventual winner, Ronald Reagan, chose him as vice president. Barbara accordingly became the second lady. Upon the selection of her husband as Reagan's vice presidential nominee, she promised Reagan that they were "going to work our tails off for you".

Second Lady of the United States (1981–1989)

The Bushes with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Denis Thatcher at Chequers, 1984

Upon becoming vice president and second lady, the Bushes moved into the vice presidential residence. Living there for the full eight years of George's tenure as vice president, it was to that point the home that they had lived in longer than any other. They renovated the house, and Barbara hosted over a thousand social events there in her time as second lady. She often ignored order of precedence so that individuals would not be regularly seated among the same group, and she would sometimes have important guests sit next to her husband instead of by her. She was less active in social events at the White House. Nancy Reagan, in her authority over social events as first lady, reduced the social role of the vice president and the second lady.

Bush promoted the cause of literacy while in Washington. She joined several associations and programs to promote literacy, though she rejected more public positions so as not to overshadow Nancy Reagan. Though she was not as widely recognized as other people associated with the president, Bush and her literacy initiatives saw approval from the public. She received many letters from the public, of which her white hair become such a common subject that she began using a stock reply: "Please forget about my hair. Think about my wonderful mind." She also traveled extensively in the United States and abroad, both with her husband and alone while representing him. By the end of her eight years as second lady, Barbara counted 65 different nations that she had visited.

Bush campaigned for her husband's reelection as vice president in the 1984 presidential campaign. By the mid-1980s, Bush was comfortable speaking in front of groups, and she routinely spoke to promote issues in which she believed. She became famous for expressing a sense of humor and self-deprecating wit. During the campaign, she made headlines when she declined to give her thoughts on vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, but that "it rhymes with rich". She later apologized and clarified that she meant "witch". Barbara otherwise avoided drawing attention to herself, and this was the only significant criticism of her during her tenure as second lady.

Bush became a full time campaigner once again when her husband entered the 1988 presidential election to succeed Reagan. As the wife of a presidential nominee, she was more visible than she had previously been. She was directly involved in campaign strategy, sitting in on meetings and giving him feedback on his debate answers when they were alone. The campaign at times focused on the large Bush family, and contrasted her with the incumbent first lady, Nancy Reagan, by highlighting her interest in domestic staples such as church, gardening, and time spent with family while placing less emphasis on style sense and fashion; she drew attention to both her famous white hair and disinterest in wearing designer clothes. When speaking to the campaign's media advisor, she said that she would do anything for the campaign except "dye my hair, change my wardrobe, or lose weight". She spoke at the national party convention, becoming the third candidate's spouse to do so (after Eleanor Roosevelt in 1940 and Pat Nixon in 1972).

First Lady of the United States (1989–1993)

White House life and ceremonial activity

Bush with her husband and her dog Millie in 1989

Bush with Princess Diana reading a copy of Millie's Book in 1990

Bush with Raisa Gorbacheva at Wellesley College in 1990

The Bushes moved into the White House on January 20, 1989, and Barbara become the first lady of the United States. She was the oldest first lady to live in the White House at the time, taking the position at age 63. The only first lady older than her to that point, Anna Harrison, did not live in Washington during her husband's term. Bush declined to change herself or develop new skills as most first ladies did when entering the White House, explicitly rejecting suggestions that she dye her hair or lose weight. She did begin purchasing designer gowns, but this went unnoticed by the press. Bush described the position of first lady as "the best job in America" and "the most spoiled woman in the world". Shortly after becoming first lady, she was diagnosed with Graves' disease, which gave her double vision and caused her to lose weight.

Bush loved the White House, admiring the historical significance of each room. She also liked that her husband worked in the same building that they lived, given the problems of previous years when he was often away for long periods of time. She was active in the White House Historical Association and worked to revitalize the White House Preservation Fund, which she renamed the White House Endowment Trust. The trust raises funds for the building's ongoing refurbishment and restoration. She met her goal of raising $25 million towards the endowment. The White House residence staff generally found Barbara Bush to be the friendliest and most easygoing of the first ladies with whom they had dealt.

Barbara's day-to-day activities often included charity work, meetings, or interviews until 6pm, at which point the Bushes would host company and Barbara would give tours of the White House. She also exercised in the White House pool, swimming 72 laps to complete a mile each day. She sought to engage in normal activities while living in the White House, patronizing local businesses and walking her dog along Pennsylvania Avenue. She believed it was important for her to leave the White House grounds during the day to avoid feeling trapped or isolated. She theorized that if she went in public enough, people in the area would grow used to her presence.

Bush was generally skeptical of reporters and the press, feeling that she was entitled to have a private life separately from her public life. Though she did not hold regular press conferences, she worked to develop relationships with several individual reporters. When dealing with the press, she imposed her policy of "if I said it, I said it", in which her staff was not allowed to explain or justify her statements to the press. Bush's press secretary, Anna Perez, was the first Black woman to hold a significant position in the East Wing of the White House.

On June 1, 1990, Bush gave a commencement speech to the graduating class of Wellesley College. Her selection as speaker was controversial among students, many of whom felt that Bush was not representative of a successful woman and was only selected because of her husband's accomplishments. The controversy became a national debate. Bush countered that the protest was "much ado about nothing" by twenty-year-olds, and she chose to invite the first lady of the Soviet Union, Raisa Gorbachev, to join her at the commencement. Upon giving the speech, Bush was well received by the students and the public, who responded positively to her message of prioritizing personal fulfillment and relationships.

Advocacy and political involvement

Bush and Missouri Governor John Ashcroft attending a "Parents as Teachers" parent-child group, 1991

Bush speaking at the 1992 Republican National Convention

Bush was a frequent advisor to her husband, and her suggestions played a role in multiple cabinet appointments, the administration's support for AIDS patients, and the passage of the National Literacy Act of 1991. She was an advocate for preventing discrimination against AIDS patients, and she had herself photographed hugging children with AIDS to challenge misconceptions about its contagiousness. She was occasionally tasked with a more formal responsibility, such as a diplomatic mission in 1990 when she led the envoy to attend the inauguration of Costa Rican president Rafael Calderón.

Bush continued her work in promoting literacy while she was first lady. In March 1989, she established the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy to promote further literacy programs. In 1990, Bush hosted the Mrs. Bush's Storytime radio program for ABC, in which she read to children. Bush was known for her affection for her pet English Springer Spaniel, Millie, and she wrote the children's book Millie's Book about Millie's new litter of puppies in 1990. The book was a best-seller, producing earnings of nearly $800,000. This was more than any first lady had ever made while serving in the role, but Bush did not keep the profit, instead donating it to her literacy foundation.

During the Gulf War, Bush tasked herself with making the president's job easier. She curated guest lists to avoid those who would "hammer him about his conduct of the war", and she limited the messages that she passed on to him so as not to disturb him. Due to an injury from a sledding accident, she was limited to the White House residence for the first week of the war, and she walked with a cane for months after.

Bush's attention shifted to her husband's reelection campaign during the 1992 presidential election, and she was invited to give a speech at the Republican National Convention. With her high approval rating relative to her husband, Bush took a major role in campaigning, more actively endorsing her husband's policy accomplishments than she previously had. The campaign efforts were complicated by the early 1990s recession and the president's subsequent drop in approval ratings. Due to her strong approval ratings compared to her husband, Barbara was made a more prominent face of the campaign. This also allowed the campaign to contrast her with Hillary Clinton, the wife of opposing candidate Bill Clinton. Bush had conflicting feelings about leaving the White House after her husband lost reelection. She was sorry to see her husband lose, but she was also relieved to go home to Houston and to be away from the regular criticism of her family.

Post–White House years

Retirement

Bush speaking at the opening of the George Bush Center for Intelligence in 1999

Bush described January 20, 1993, the day of Bill Clinton's inauguration, a "tough day" for her and her husband. The Bushes felt that George had earned a second term as president, and Barbara blamed Bill Clinton for her husband's loss. She also blamed the press, believing that they showed preference for Clinton due to his relative youth. The Bushes moved back to Houston, where they lived in a rental home for nine months as they had a new house constructed. This new house featured a six-foot-tall brick wall to ensure the family's privacy.

After spending eight years as second lady and then another four as first lady, Bush had gone some time without cooking or driving a car, two skills that she was forced to reacquire after leaving the White House. Though she was able to find more opportunities for relaxation after leaving the White House, she remained busy with her various charitable causes, public appearances, and family commitments. Between speaking fees and a book deal, Bush made a considerable amount of money after leaving the White House. Her book, Barbara Bush: A Memoir, stayed at the top of the The New York Times Best Seller list for four weeks.

In 1994, two of Bush's sons sought political office: George W. ran to be the governor of Texas, and Jeb ran to be the governor of Florida. Though she helped them campaign, she found that political attacks against her sons were even more stressful than those against her husband, and she was unable to watch their respective gubernatorial debates. Though Jeb lost his election, George W. was elected governor of Texas. Both sons ran for the same offices again in 1998, and both won.

When George W. announced his candidacy in the 2000 presidential election, Barbara and her husband did not take a prominent role in the campaign to avoid overshadowing him or making the election about the Bush political dynasty. Barbara's primary role was traveling with other women associated with the campaign in the "W Stands for Women" tour in an attempt to increase his share of the women's vote. After a long legal battle over the results, her son's opponent Al Gore conceded the election, and Barbara became the second woman after Abigail Adams to be both the wife and the mother of a U.S. president.

President's mother

Bush with her son in the Oval Office, 2003

President George W. Bush and his mother Barbara board Air Force One, 2005.

George and Barbara Bush attend the christening ceremony for the eponymous aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush, 2006.

Barbara and George were on a flight when the September 11 attacks occurred, so they were grounded and taken by the Secret Service to a motel. Three days later, they participated at a prayer service with other former presidents and first ladies. She later expressed the pride that she felt for her son's handling of the crisis.

In 2002 she became an alumna initiate of the Texas Eta chapter of Pi Beta Phi at Texas A&M University. Bush chose this university due to it being the location of her husband's Presidential Library. She was also a member of the Junior League of Houston. In 2003, Bush published another memoir, Reflections: Life after the White House.

Tensions between Iraq and the United States grew during her son's presidency, and by 2003 it seemed likely that her son would launch an invasion of Iraq. She expressed worry that the decision may be a mistake. Two days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, she spoke dismissively of television news reports about the impending conflict. Her supporters argued that she was rejecting conjecture and speculation by reporters, while her critics argued that she was being insensitive about the situation's severity.

Bush returned to campaigning during the 2004 presidential election, giving speeches on her son's behalf when he sought a second term as president. He went on to win reelection. She was involved in some of his policy goals in his second term, including a 2005 tour of Florida to promote his Social Security reform plan. She generated a controversy during her work supporting victims of Hurricane Katrina when she made a comment to a radio station about the situation:

Almost everyone I've talked to says, "We're gonna move to Houston." What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas... Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality, and so many of the people in the arenas here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this (as she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them.

The comment was deemed insensitive and created the impression that the Bushes were out of touch. Her involvement in the hurricane relief efforts were further criticized in 2006, when it was revealed that she donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush–Clinton Katrina Fund on the condition that the charity do business with an educational software company owned by her son Neil.

On October 3, 2008, Bush and her husband opened the "George and Barbara Bush Center" on the University of New England waterfront Biddeford Campus. The George and Barbara Bush Center lays the foundation for the heritage of Barbara Bush in New England and houses "The Bush Legacy Collection", material securing the Bush legacy in Maine, including memorabilia on loan from the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University. Particular attention is given to the family's New England heritage and to Barbara's love for Maine.

Later life and death

Former First Lady Barbara Bush at the LBJ Presidential Library in November 2012

Bush was hospitalized for abdominal pains and underwent small intestine surgery in November 2008. In 2009, she underwent aortic valve replacement surgery. In 2010, Bush was the subject of controversy when George W. recounted an anecdote that following her miscarriage she had held the fetus in a jar, causing a misconception that she had kept or displayed the remains.

Bush was initially opposed to her son Jeb making a potential bid for the presidency, worrying that he would be weighed down by criticisms of the previous Bush presidencies and saying in 2013 that "we've had enough Bushes". She recanted this statement in 2015, after Jeb began preparing his presidential campaign. She campaigned for Jeb during the Republican Party primary elections, describing her son as an honest candidate while criticizing front-runner Donald Trump. Trump was eventually elected president, and Bush remained critical of him during his presidency.

On April 15, 2018, her family released a statement regarding her failing health stating that she had chosen to be at home with family, desiring "comfort care" rather than further medical treatment. According to family spokesman Jim McGrath, her decision came as a result of "a series of recent hospitalizations". Bush died in her Houston home at the age of 92 on April 17, 2018. President Donald Trump ordered flags to half-staff in her memory.

Her funeral was held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston on April 21, 2018, with burial at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas. Following her death, a cartoon by Marshall Ramsey, of The Clarion-Ledger, was widely circulated, showing Barbara being greeted by her daughter Robin upon her entry to heaven. Her husband died seven months later on November 30, 2018.

Political beliefs

Bush regularly spoke with her husband about political topics, including issues that he faced in the White House. Though it was generally understood that she disagreed with him on several major political issues, she refused to speak about policy to the press. Unlike her husband, she favored an assault weapons ban, though she was resistant to broader gun control because she believed that it would only restrict law-abiding citizens while criminals would subvert the law.

Bush described her positions on social policy, and those of the Republican Party, as liberal, defining liberalism in this context as "caring enormously about people". She supported causes that would support the poor and the sick, though she limited herself to aspects that were not politically charged. She emphasized literacy because of its apolitical nature and because of her belief that illiteracy caused other societal issues. She also supported the Equal Rights Amendment through the 1980s, though she stopped expressing public support for it while she was the first lady. She was opposed to the idea of political parties taking stances on issues such as abortion or homosexuality. She avoided questions on abortion, though she had said at one point that it should be limited to the first trimester. Only later in life did she openly state that she was pro-choice.

Bush was ambivalent about women in the military during the United States invasion of Panama, believing that women were emotionally capable of handling war but less so physically. She limited her stance on the issue to her relief that Manual Noriega had been captured. She more explicitly supported American action in the Gulf War, and she received little pushback when she suggested that Iraqi president Saddam Hussein should be charged with war crimes and hanged.

Bush was highly critical of Donald Trump as a person since her own time as first lady in 1990, and she opposed his presidential campaign and presidency. She described her reaction to his victory as "horror", and she was confused as to how any women could support him. After his election, she was gifted a digital clock that counted down the days until the end of his term, which she kept in her bedroom. By early 2018, shortly before her death, Bush determined that she was no longer part of the Republican Party.

Legacy

Barbara Bush (second-from-right) joins Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Rosalynn Carter at the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, April 2013.

Bush was generally popular as first lady. On average, she received about 100,000 letters each year during her tenure, far more than she expected. Her image of an easy going woman and a good mother was widely accepted by the American people, as was her determination to remain apolitical on policy issues. Where she did have critics, they argued that her image as a domestic housewife conflicted with advances made in women's rights. She did not meaningfully alter the role of first lady, and she did not exert significant influence over the White House's social events, instead continuing the practices established by Nancy Reagan.

Bush has been contrasted with her predecessor, Nancy Reagan, in the context of image and style. Reagan was known for her fashion sense and her small figure, while Bush was recognized for her white hair and her simpler fashion. Bush was especially known for her three-strand fake pearl necklace, which became popular among American women. She described the positive reception that she received from elderly women who saw themselves in her, and she described herself as a "role model for fat ladies". When contrasted with her successor, Hillary Clinton, they have often been differentiated by their lifestyles. Clinton was criticized for the level of independence she maintained from her husband throughout her life, while Bush was criticized for a lack of independence from hers. Bush was the last first lady to be raised prior to the onset of second-wave feminism, which allowed subsequent first ladies more freedom to seek an education and a career.

Awards and honors

Barbara Bush Elementary School in Parkway Villages, Houston

In 1995, Bush received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards. In 1997, she was the recipient of The Miss America Woman of Achievement Award for her work with literacy programs. The same year, she received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. In 2016, she received honorary membership in Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Houston chapter.

Multiple schools are named after Barbara Bush. Schools have been named Barbara Bush Elementary School in Houston; Grand Prairie, Texas; and Mesa, Arizona. Schools have been named Barbara Bush Middle School in San Antonio and Irving, Texas. The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, was also named in her honor.

Honorary degrees

Barbara Bush received honorary degrees from many institutions. These include:

Date	School	State	Degree
1972	Arcadia University	PA	Doctor of Laws (LLD)
1981	Mount Vernon Seminary and College	DC	Doctor of Public Service
May 1981	Cardinal Stritch College	WI	Doctor of Laws (LLD)
May 10, 1987	Howard University	DC	Doctor of Humanities (DH)
1988	Judson College	AL	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
May 14, 1989	Bennett College	NC	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
May 21, 1989	Boston University	MA	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
October 6, 1989	Morehouse School of Medicine	GA	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
September 6, 1989	Smith College	MA	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
1990	University of Pennsylvania	PA	Doctor of Laws (LLD)
May 1990	University of South Carolina	SC	Doctor of Education
May 19, 1990	Saint Louis University	MO	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
1991	South Carolina State College	SC	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
1991	University of Michigan	MI	Doctor of Laws (LLD)
June 15, 1991	Northeastern University	MA	Doctor of Public Service
May 17, 1992	Marquette University	WI	Doctor of Laws (LLD)
1992	Central State University	OH	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
1992	Louisiana State University	LA	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
1992	Pepperdine University	CA	Doctor of Laws (LLD)
1997	Hood College	MD	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
April 18, 1997	Hofstra University	NY	Doctor of Humane Letters
1998	Austin College	TX	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
1998	University of Miami	FL	Doctor of Humanities (DH)
1999	Washington College	MD	Doctor of Public Service
2000	Centenary College	LA	Doctor of Laws (LLD)
May 21, 2001	Wake Forest University	NC	Doctor of Humanities
March 11, 2002	Baylor University	TX	Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL)
June 7, 2003	University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine	ME	Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD)
December 16, 2005	Texas A&M University	TX	Doctor of Humane Letters
May 21, 2006	George Washington University	DC	Doctor of Public Service
May 15, 2010	Sewanee: The University of the South	TN	Doctor of Civil Law (DCL)

Historical assessments

Since 1982 Siena College Research Institute has conducted occasional surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies according to a cumulative score on the independent criteria of their background, value to the country, intelligence, courage, accomplishments, integrity, leadership, being their own women, public image, and value to the president. In terms of cumulative assessment, Bush has been ranked:

• 7th-best of 37 in 1993
• 15th-best of 38 in 2003
• 12th-best of 38 in 2008
• 11th-best of 39 in 2014

In the 2003 survey, Bush was the ranked 5th-highest in the criteria of public image. In the 2008 Siena Research Institute survey, Bush was ranked the 9th-best of the twenty 20th century and 21st century First Ladies. In the 2014 survey, Bush and her husband were ranked the 21st-highest out of 39 first couples in terms of being a "power couple". In the 2014 survey, historians ranked Bush 5th among 20th and 21st century American first ladies that they felt "could have done more".

Published works

• C. Fred's Story. Doubleday. 1984. ISBN 978-0385189712.
• Millie's Book. William Morrow & Co. 1990. ISBN 978-0688040338.
• Barbara Bush: A Memoir. New York: Scribner. 1994. ISBN 978-0-02-519635-3.
• Reflections: Life After the White House. Scribner. 2004. ISBN 978-0743255820.

References

• Anthony, Carl Sferrazza (1990). First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power, 1961–1990. William Morrow and Company. ISBN 0-688-10562-9.
• Beasley, Maurine H. (2005). First Ladies and the Press: The Unfinished Partnership of the Media Age. Northwestern University Press. pp. 185–200. ISBN 978-0-8101-2312-0.
• Brower, Kate Andersen (2015). The Residence: Inside the Private World of The White House. New York: Harper. ISBN 978-0-06-230519-0.
• Carlin, Diana B. (2016). "Barbara Pierce Bush: Choosing a Complete Life". In Sibley, Katherine A. S. (ed.). A Companion to First Ladies. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 604–634. ISBN 9781118732182.
• Caroli, Betty (2010). First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Michelle Obama. Oxford University Press. pp. 285–293. ISBN 978-0-19-539285-2.
• Feinberg, Barbara Silberdick (1998). America's First Ladies: Changing Expectations. Franklin Watts. ISBN 978-0-531-11379-0.
• Gutin, Myra G. (2008). Barbara Bush: Presidential Matriarch. University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1583-4.
• Kilian, Pamela (2002). Barbara Bush: Matriarch of a Dynasty. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0312319700.
• Longo, James McMurtry (2011). From Classroom to White House: The Presidents and First Ladies as Students and Teachers. McFarland. pp. 171–175. ISBN 978-0-7864-8846-9.
• Schneider, Dorothy; Schneider, Carl J. (2010). First Ladies: A Biographical Dictionary (3rd ed.). Facts on File. pp. 329–338. ISBN 978-1-4381-0815-5.

Further reading

• Bush, Barbara. "BARBARA BUSH: A MEMOIR/Life after White House is fun and different Archived December 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine". Los Angeles Times. Syndicate at the Houston Chronicle. Saturday October 1, 1994. Houston Section, p. 5.
• Emery, Christopher. White House Usher: Stories from the Inside. (2017), by a White House Usher (with a foreword by Barbara Bush). ISBN 978-1634926560
• Gould, Lewis L. "Modern first ladies in historical perspective." Presidential Studies Quarterly 15.3 (1985): 532–540. online
• Hummer, Jill Abraham. "First Ladies and the Cultural Everywoman Ideal: Gender Performance and Representation." White House Studies 9.4 (2009) pp. 403–422. Compares Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, and Barbara Bush.
• Page, Susan (2019). The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty. Twelve. ISBN 978-1538713648.
• Williams, Marjorie. "Barbara's Backlash". Vanity Fair. August 1992.

External links

• Official White House biography of Barbara Bush
• Bush, George H. W. and Barbara Bush with Jim McGrath. George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush Oral History, Houston Oral History Project, July 2009.
• Commencement Address at Wellesley
• Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
• Past Winners of Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Barbara Bush at C-SPAN's First Ladies: Influence & Image
• Barbara Bush at Find a Grave