Bush, Barbara Pierce (1925-2018), was the wife of George H. W. Bush, who served as president of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She also was the mother of George W. Bush, who was U.S. president from 2001 to 2009. When Barbara Bush was first lady, she worked to promote literacy in the United States. Her witty, friendly manner made her a highly popular first lady.
Mrs. Bush, whose maiden name was Barbara Pierce, was born on June 8, 1925. Her family lived in Rye, New York, at the time of her birth, but she was born in a hospital in nearby New York City. Her father became the publisher of McCall’s and Redbook magazines. Barbara’s mother was the daughter of an Ohio Supreme Court justice. Franklin Pierce, who served as president of the United States from 1853 to 1857, was a great-great-great uncle of Barbara Pierce.
The Pierce family was well-to-do. Barbara spent her last three years of high school at Ashley Hall, a finishing school in Charleston, South Carolina.
Barbara Pierce and George H. W. Bush met at a Christmas dance in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1941. They became engaged in August 1943. They married on Jan. 6, 1945, while Bush was on leave from naval duty in World War II. Barbara Bush had enrolled in Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1943. She dropped out early in the 1944 school year to plan her marriage.
Barbara and George H. W. Bush had six children. The children were, in order of birth, George, Pauline (called Robin), John (called Jeb), Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. Tragedy struck the family in 1953, when Robin died of leukemia at the age of 3. Their son George (known as George W. Bush) was elected governor of Texas in 1994 and reelected in 1998. He was elected president of the United States in 2000 and reelected in 2004. Jeb Bush was elected governor of Florida in 1998 and reelected in 2002.
The Bush family moved often as the elder George Bush’s career took them to different locations. After serving as vice president of the United States under President Ronald Reagan, Bush became president in 1989.
As first lady, Barbara Bush sought to turn the public’s attention to the problem of illiteracy. She called on people to become volunteers to help solve social problems, including illiteracy, AIDS, and homelessness. In 1989, she helped found the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
The Bushes favored informality in White House social functions. Barbara Bush liked to host informal parties and barbecues. The Bushes also entertained at their summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Barbara Bush’s springer spaniel, Millie, became a nationally famous pet. The first lady wrote a book about her dog. Called Millie’s Book (1990), it became a best seller.
After George H. W. Bush’s term as president ended in 1993, Barbara and George moved to Houston, one of their former homes. Barbara Bush continued to work on social causes. She also wrote two autobiographical books, Barbara Bush: A Memoir (1995) and Reflections: Life After the White House (2003). She died on April 17, 2018.
See also Bush, George Herbert Walker ; Bush, Jeb .
