66 Facts About Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush previously was the second lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989 when her husband was vice president.

Barbara Bush met George Herbert Walker Bush at the age of sixteen, and the two married in Rye, New York in 1945, while he was on leave during his deployment as a Naval officer in World War II.

Barbara Bush Pierce was born on June 8,1925, at Booth Memorial Hospital, which at that time was located at 314 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, to Pauline Pierce and Marvin Pierce.

Barbara Bush was raised in the suburban town of Rye, New York.

Barbara Bush had two elder siblings, Martha and James, and a younger brother, Scott.

Barbara Bush was a fourth cousin, four times removed, of Franklin Pierce and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Barbara Bush attended Milton Public School from 1931 to 1937, Rye Country Day School until 1940 and later the boarding school Ashley Hall in Charleston, South Carolina, from 1940 to 1943.

Barbara Bush at a dance at the Round Hill Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut; he was a student at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.

Barbara Bush named three of his planes after her: Barbara, Barbara II, and Barbara III.

In September 1949, Barbara Bush's mother was killed in a car accident in New York.

Mrs Barbara Bush was pregnant at the time with her second child, and was advised not to travel to attend the funeral.

Over time, Barbara Bush built a business in the oil industry and joined with colleagues to start up the successful Zapata Corporation.

Barbara Bush raised her children while her husband was usually away on business.

In 1963, George Barbara Bush was elected Harris County Republican Party chairman, in the first of what would become many elections.

In 1966, George Barbara Bush was elected as a US representative in Congress from Texas.

Barbara Bush raised her children while her husband campaigned and occasionally joined him on the trail.

Barbara Bush enjoyed the time that she spent in China and often rode bicycles with her husband to explore cities and regions that few Americans had visited.

One year later, Barbara Bush was recalled to the US to serve as Director of Central Intelligence, so having the CIA under his supervision, during a crucial time of legal uncertainty for the agency.

Barbara Bush defended her husband's experience and personal qualities when he announced his candidacy for President of the United States in 1980.

Barbara Bush caused a stir when she said that she supported ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and was pro-choice on abortion, placing her at odds with the conservative wing of the Republican party, led by California governor Ronald Reagan.

Barbara Bush traveled around the country and the world, either with the vice president on official trips or by herself.

Barbara Bush donated all of the book's proceeds to literacy charities.

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

In 1988, Vice President Barbara Bush announced his candidacy for president to succeed the term-limited President Reagan.

Barbara Bush promised voters that she would be a traditional first lady and campaigned actively for her husband.

Barbara Bush generally avoided discussion of political issues during the campaign, particularly those on which she and her husband differed, and those closely involved with the campaign have reported that she was actively involved in campaign strategy.

Barbara Bush was elected in November 1988 and sworn in on January 20,1989.

Barbara Bush became involved with many literacy organizations, served on literacy committees and chaired many reading organizations.

Barbara Bush continued to be dedicated to eliminating the generational cycle of illiteracy in America by supporting programs where parents and their young children are able to learn together.

Mrs Barbara Bush appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the situation and spoke regularly on Mrs Barbara Bush's Story Time, a national radio program that stressed the importance of reading aloud to children.

Mrs Barbara Bush spoke about her support for abortion access, LGBT rights, civil rights, and AIDS awareness.

Barbara Bush 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.

Barbara Bush 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 Bush became the first US first lady to become a recipient of the Henry G Freeman Jr.

Barbara Bush was known for her affection for her pet English Springer Spaniel Millie and wrote a children's book about Millie's new litter of puppies.

Barbara Bush even included Millie in her official White House portrait, painted by Candace Whittemore Lovely.

Barbara Bush was struck every day by "how much things had changed" for her and her husband since they became president and first lady.

In place of a limousine, Barbara Bush tried to use a smaller car and travel by train and commercial aircraft for out-of-town trips.

Barbara Bush still wanted to use public transportation despite the opposition of the Secret Service.

Barbara Bush was put-off by the fact that her flights would be delayed while agents checked out the planes and luggage.

The plane on which Barbara Bush traveled was nicknamed "Bright Star", in honor of the leukemia foundation her husband and Hugh Liedtke founded after her daughter Robin died.

Barbara Bush chose this university due to it being the location of her husband's Presidential Library.

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

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

Barbara Bush had difficulty driving a car on her own, and she did not drive far from home for a long time; her husband warned people to get out of the way if they saw her car.

Barbara Bush read about the incident after Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which she called a "tragedy for both" the Reagans.

Barbara Bush was convinced that he could not defeat Ann Richards, but he went on to win the election.

Mrs Barbara Bush described the letter as having "moved" both her and her husband.

Barbara Bush refused to watch any of the debates, in contrast to her husband, who was willing to listen and watch every debate.

Barbara Bush was visiting a Houston relief center for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina when she told the radio program Marketplace,.

Jeb Barbara Bush joked that a town hall meeting attended by his mother featured a larger gathering than town halls prior to her involvement.

Barbara Bush weighed in on Donald Trump, who was Jeb's rival for the nomination.

Barbara Bush indicated that she had tired of Trump over the course of the campaign and due to her gender, she was "not crazy about what he says about women".

Barbara Bush was a heavy smoker for 25 years, quitting in 1968 when a nurse condemned her smoking in her hospital room after surgery.

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

Barbara Bush underwent aortic valve replacement surgery in March 2009.

Barbara Bush was hospitalized with pneumonia on New Year's Eve 2013 and was released from the hospital a few days later.

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

Barbara Bush will be long remembered for her strong devotion to country and family.

Barbara Bush's 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.

Barbara Bush's husband was hospitalized the day after with an infection that led to sepsis.

Barbara Bush's husband survived her by seven months, dying on November 30,2018.

Barbara Bush became a member in 1985 and continued her membership until her death.

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

In 1997, Barbara Bush received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.