152 Facts About Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush Pierce was born in New York City and grew up in Rye, New York.

Barbara Bush had six children between 1946 and 1959, and she had to endure the loss of her three-year-old daughter Robin to leukemia in 1953.

Barbara Bush lived in Washington, DC, New York, and China while accompanying her husband in his various political roles in the 1960s and 1970s.

Barbara Bush became an active campaigner for her husband whenever he stood for election.

Barbara Bush became Second Lady after her husband became vice president in 1981.

Barbara Bush took on the role of a social hostess as Second Lady, holding frequent events at the vice president's residence, and she traveled to many countries with her husband on his diplomatic missions.

Barbara Bush became First Lady in 1989 after her husband was inaugurated as president.

Barbara Bush enjoyed the role and life in the White House, though her experience as First Lady was complicated by her protectiveness over her family and her diagnosis of Graves' disease in 1989.

Barbara Bush frequently carried out charity work, including her projects to promote literacy and her support for people with AIDS.

Barbara Bush remained active in political campaigning after leaving the White House, as two of her sons ran for office in both gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.

Barbara Bush Pierce was born at Booth Memorial Hospital in Flushing, Queens in New York City on June 8,1925, to Pauline Pierce and Marvin Pierce.

Barbara Bush's father was a businessman who worked at the McCall Corporation; he descended from the Pierce family that included US president Franklin Pierce.

Barbara Bush had a close relationship with her father, and she considered him a mentor in many aspects of her life.

Barbara Bush was the third of her parents' four children, and she often felt overshadowed as a middle child: her older sister Martha was well liked and modeled for Vogue, her older brother Jimmy was a delinquent, and her younger brother Scott had a bone cyst that led to several surgeries throughout his childhood.

Barbara Bush felt especially neglected by her mother, with whom she often argued.

Barbara Bush later came to understand the ordeals faced by her mother, particularly after Barbara had a sick child of her own.

Barbara Bush later described herself as a "very happy fat child".

Barbara Bush took on more traditionally masculine interests, such as playing football.

Barbara Bush then attended Ashley Hall, a boarding school in Charleston, South Carolina, for eleventh and twelfth grade.

Barbara Bush then asked Pierce to accompany him to his senior prom.

Barbara Bush enlisted in the US Navy in 1942 after he graduated, and they saw each other on visits until the following year, when they were secretly engaged.

Barbara Bush took quickly to the family, and they gave her the nickname Bar, which was derived from teasingly calling her the name of the family horse, Barsil, rather than from her own name.

Barbara Bush decided not to return to college, instead working a part-time job on the Yale campus before focusing on having and raising children.

Barbara Bush did not consult Barbara before deciding on the move, and she did not raise any protest.

The Bushes first lived in Odessa, Texas, where Barbara sought to set up a life in which she was not subjected to her mother's criticisms or compared to her siblings.

Barbara Bush credited this sudden lifestyle shift for prompting her to become more mature, as the distance from their families forced Barbara and George to become self-sufficient.

Barbara Bush was often left alone with the children while George was away for work, sometimes for days at a time.

Barbara Bush was so insulted by the suggestion that members of one denomination are superior to another that she left without joining, and she thereafter attended the church without anyone noticing that she was not a member.

Barbara Bush forced herself to maintain her composure throughout the ordeal, and she made a point to never cry in front of her daughter.

Barbara Bush fell into a deep depression, in which she struggled to raise her two surviving children.

Barbara Bush began to process her grief after overhearing George W decline to play with the neighbors because his mother needed him.

Barbara Bush decided that she would continue having children until giving birth to another daughter.

Barbara Bush had three more children over the following years: Neil in 1955, Marvin in 1956, and Dorothy in 1959.

In 1962, Barbara Bush learned to campaign when her husband ran for the chairmanship of the Harris County Republican Party.

Barbara Bush initially believed that he had been appointed to the position, only later realizing that he would need to seek election.

Barbara Bush accompanied her husband as he traveled to each precinct in the county.

Barbara Bush grew to like campaigning, as it provided her a change of pace and gave her an opportunity to spend more time with him, though found the downtime boring and took up needlepoint to occupy herself.

Barbara Bush campaigned with her husband again when he ran to represent Texas in the US Senate in 1964.

Barbara Bush won the primary, but he lost the general election to incumbent Ralph Yarborough.

Barbara Bush returned to the campaign trail for her husband in 1966 when he ran for a seat in the US House of Representatives, and the family moved to Washington, DC after his victory.

Barbara Bush attended political briefings and social events, and her attendance at regular events at the White House endeared her to First Lady Lady Bird Johnson.

Barbara Bush started a newspaper column, "Washington Scene", that was published in Houston.

Barbara Bush was active in the neighborhood where she lived, befriending prominent neighbors such as Shirley Neil Pettis, Potter Stewart, and Franklin D Roosevelt Jr.

Andrew Card, a member of the Bush administration, cited Barbara's hosting during this time as a significant factor in George's good relations with members of Congress during his presidency.

Barbara Bush decided to stop dyeing her hair after her dye ran during a campaign trip, instead maintaining the white hair that would become a recognizable part of her public image.

Barbara Bush particularly enjoyed sharing this period of her husband's career, as it provided the couple with extensive social opportunities.

Barbara Bush was against the idea of her husband becoming the chair of the Republican National Committee in 1973, but he accepted the position.

Barbara Bush was given the position, and Barbara moved with him to China.

Barbara Bush 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.

Barbara Bush considered the experience to be a transformative one, allowing her to evaluate her life and sort her priorities.

Barbara Bush suffered from depression, which became severe enough that George suggested she seek out a mental health professional.

Barbara Bush did not take his advice, though she later regretted this.

Barbara Bush later cited menopause as a factor that amplified her depression, and some who knew her speculated that George's close relationship with his assistant, Jennifer Fitzgerald, was another cause.

Barbara Bush's doubts were amplified by the women's liberation movement, which made her question whether her life as a housewife was the one she wanted.

Barbara Bush eventually reacquainted herself with Washington social life, and built connections for her husband's political career while she gave slideshow demonstrations to practice public speaking, giving talks about China.

Early in the campaign, there were worries that Barbara Bush would be a liability, in part because she looked significantly older than George in a primary election where age was an issue.

When Barbara Bush 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 other major issues.

Barbara Bush 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 supported legalized abortion.

Barbara Bush did not win the Republican nomination for the presidency, but the eventual winner, Ronald Reagan, chose him as vice president.

Barbara Bush 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.

Barbara Bush joined several associations and programs to promote literacy, her preferred social cause, though she rejected more public positions so as not to overshadow Nancy Reagan.

Barbara Bush campaigned for her husband's reelection as vice president in the 1984 presidential campaign.

Barbara Bush became famous for a self-deprecating sense of humor.

Barbara Bush later apologized and clarified that she meant "witch".

Barbara Bush otherwise avoided drawing attention to herself, and this was the only significant criticism of her during her tenure as Second Lady.

Barbara Bush became a full time campaigner when her husband entered the 1988 presidential election to succeed Reagan.

Barbara Bush sat in on campaign meetings, and she gave George feedback on his debate answers when they were alone.

Barbara Bush 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.

The Bushes moved into the White House on January 20,1989, and Barbara became the first lady of the United States.

Barbara Bush was the oldest First Lady to live in the White House to that date, taking the position at age 63.

Barbara Bush did begin purchasing designer gowns, but this went unnoticed by the press.

Barbara Bush described the position of First Lady as "the best job in America" and "the most spoiled woman in the world".

Barbara Bush was the last Second Lady to become First Lady until Jill Biden in 2021.

Shortly after becoming First Lady, Barbara Bush was diagnosed with Graves' disease, which gave her double vision and caused her to lose weight.

Barbara Bush's husband was diagnosed with the same autoimmune disease in 1991.

Barbara Bush loved the White House, admiring the historical significance of each room.

Barbara Bush liked that her husband worked in the same building that they lived in, given the problems of previous years when he was often away for long periods of time.

Barbara Bush exercised in the White House pool, swimming 72 laps to complete a mile each day.

Barbara Bush sought to engage in normal activities while living in the White House, patronizing local businesses and walking her dog along Pennsylvania Avenue.

Barbara Bush believed it was important for her to leave the White House grounds during the day to avoid feeling trapped or isolated.

Barbara Bush theorized that if she went in public enough, people in the area would grow used to her presence.

Barbara Bush was generally skeptical of reporters and the press, feeling that she was entitled to have a private life separately from her public life.

On June 1,1990, Barbara Bush gave a commencement speech to the graduating class of Wellesley College.

Barbara Bush chose to invite First Lady of the Soviet Union Raisa Gorbacheva, who had a visit scheduled to the United States with her husband, to join her at the commencement.

Barbara Bush was known for the affection she had 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.

Barbara Bush emphasized the issue of adult illiteracy in particular, including work to increase literacy among the homeless and the incarcerated.

Barbara Bush was an advocate for AIDS patients while First Lady.

Barbara Bush compared the discrimination faced by AIDS patients to the discomfort that people expressed when her daughter Robin had leukemia.

Barbara Bush was a frequent advisor to her husband, and her suggestions played a role in several of the administration's decisions, including multiple cabinet appointments.

Barbara Bush was occasionally assigned more formal responsibilities, such as a diplomatic mission in 1990 when she represented the United States at the inauguration of Costa Rican president Rafael Calderon.

Barbara Bush had several relationships with global figures that were beneficial to her husband's administration, as she regularly made efforts to develop these social connections with visiting world leaders.

Barbara Bush curated guest lists to avoid those who she felt 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.

Barbara 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.

Barbara Bush was reluctant to engage in another campaign, dreading the political attacks against her husband and her children.

Barbara Bush had conflicting feelings about leaving the White House after her husband lost reelection.

Barbara Bush was sorry to see her husband lose but relieved to return to Houston and be free from the frequent criticism of her family.

Barbara Bush invited Hillary Clinton to tour the White House two weeks after the election, wishing to avoid repeating the example set by Nancy Reagan, who had delayed the tour.

Barbara Bush described January 20,1993, the day of Bill Clinton's inauguration, as a "tough day" for her and her husband.

Barbara Bush believed that they showed preference for Clinton due to his relative youth.

The day after returning to Houston, the Bushes learned that Nancy Reagan had called into ABC News to criticize them, saying that Barbara had lied about not receiving a tour of the White House in 1988 and falsely stating that the Bushes never invited the Reagans to a state dinner.

Later on, between speaking fees and a book deal, Barbara Bush made a considerable amount of money.

Barbara Bush later expressed that she felt great pride in her son's handling of the crisis.

Barbara Bush chose this university as it was the location of her husband's Presidential Library.

Barbara Bush was a member of the Junior League of Houston.

In 2003, Barbara Bush published another memoir, Reflections: Life after the White House.

Barbara Bush's 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.

Barbara Bush returned to campaigning during the 2004 presidential election, giving speeches on her son's behalf when he sought a second term as president.

Barbara Bush was involved in promoting some of his policy goals in his second term, including a 2005 tour of Florida to promote his Social Security reform plan.

Barbara Bush generated a controversy during her work supporting victims of Hurricane Katrina when she made a comment to a radio station about the situation that was deemed insensitive, saying that those affected could stay in Texas because they "were underprivileged anyway".

Barbara Bush was hospitalized for abdominal pains and underwent small intestine surgery in November 2008.

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.

Barbara Bush recanted this statement in 2015, after Jeb began preparing his presidential campaign in the 2016 presidential election.

Barbara Bush campaigned for Jeb during the Republican Party primary elections, describing her son as an honest candidate while criticizing front-runner Donald Trump.

Barbara Bush was hospitalized in June 2016 after an incident involving her heart, later blaming the incident on the stress that the Trump campaign caused her.

Trump was elected president, and Barbara Bush remained critical of him during his presidency.

Barbara Bush was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure.

Barbara Bush died in her Houston home at the age of 92 on April 17,2018.

Barbara Bush's casket was visited by thousands of admirers, and large crowds greeted the hearse as it passed.

Barbara Bush's funeral was held at St Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston on April 21,2018.

Barbara Bush is buried at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, beside the grave of her daughter Robin.

Barbara Bush's husband died seven months later on November 30,2018.

Barbara Bush regularly spoke with her husband about political topics, including issues that he faced in the White House.

Barbara 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".

Barbara Bush increasingly disagreed with the Republican Party as its social positions became more conservative.

Barbara Bush supported causes that would support the poor and the sick, though she limited herself to those that were not politically charged.

Barbara Bush emphasized literacy because of its apolitical nature and because of her belief that illiteracy caused other societal issues.

Barbara Bush was opposed to the idea of political parties taking stances on issues such as abortion or homosexuality.

Barbara Bush's opinion on abortion was a problem for George during his political career.

Barbara Bush privately reconciled her beliefs surrounding abortion during the 1980 presidential campaign, when she wrote several pages of notes referencing philosophical questions and her own personal experience with the death of a child.

Barbara Bush concluded with the belief that the soul enters the body at birth, and that this made abortion morally permissible.

Barbara Bush further believed that abortion should be federally funded so it was accessible to the poor and that government action to prevent unwanted births should take the form of education.

Barbara Bush was skeptical of the Obama administration's publicized hiring of a transgender person in 2015 until her mind was changed following a conversation with historian Timothy Naftali.

Barbara Bush was skeptical of the feminist movement, in part because of the criticism that she received about her lifestyle as a housewife.

Barbara Bush supported the Equal Rights Amendment through the 1980s, though she stopped expressing public support for it while the first lady.

Barbara 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.

Barbara Bush decided that the issue was unimportant so long as Manual Noriega was captured.

Barbara Bush opposed the rightward shift of the Republican Party following her husband's presidency.

Barbara Bush was highly critical of Donald Trump, dating back to 1990 before his political career.

Barbara Bush opposed his 2016 presidential campaign and his subsequent presidency.

Barbara Bush described her reaction to his victory as "horror", and she was confused as to how any woman could support him.

Where Barbara Bush did have critics, they argued that her image as a domestic housewife conflicted with advances made in women's rights.

Barbara Bush 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.

Barbara Bush rejected the idea of a Bush dynasty, believing that it encouraged a sense of entitlement.

Barbara 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 Barbara Bush was recognized for her white hair and her simpler fashion.

Barbara Bush was especially known for her three-strand fake pearl necklace, which became popular among American women.

Barbara Bush 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, Barbara Bush has been differentiated by her lifestyle.

Clinton was criticized for the level of independence she maintained from her husband throughout her life, while Barbara Bush was criticized for a lack of independence from hers.

When comparing herself to previous first ladies, Barbara Bush likened herself to Eleanor Roosevelt and Bess Truman.

Barbara 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.

In 1995, Barbara Bush received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an award given out annually by the Jefferson Awards Foundation.