Barbara Bush

 

Barbara Bush, a beloved American first lady, passed away in 2018. She was the wife of George H.W. Bush and the mother of George W. Bush, both former presidents. Known for her philanthropic work, Barbara was admired for her dedication to helping others.

Barbara grew up in a privileged household, with a father who was a magazine publisher and a mother with a family history in public service. She attended prestigious schools in New York and South Carolina, where she excelled academically.

Barbara's life was filled with opportunities and advantages, but she chose to use her position to make a difference in the world. Her legacy lives on through her family and the countless lives she touched through her charitable work.

Barbara Bush and George Herbert Walker (“Poppy”) Bush met during Christmas vacation in 1941. Their love story began despite the distance between their schools, leading to their engagement in 1943. George left to serve as a naval bomber pilot in World War II shortly after, but they tied the knot on January 6, 1945. Barbara was just a teenager at the time, making her one of the youngest first ladies to marry.

After George resumed his education at Yale, Barbara took a job at a campus store. They started a family, but tragedy struck when their daughter, Robin, passed away from leukemia in 1953. Barbara credited her family for helping her through the tough times. Despite the challenges, she spent the next two decades dedicated to parenting and supporting her husband's career.

Political life

In 1962, George Bush triumphed in his first foray into politics, seizing the role of chairman of the Harris County Republican Party. His wife, Barbara Bush, honed her skills as a politician's partner, including mastering the art of public speaking. Her roles as ambassador to the United Nations and envoy to China provided her with valuable experience that would serve her well in the future. By the time George Bush embarked on his bid for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination, Barbara was a seasoned campaigner and a captivating speaker.

During her husband's vice presidency, Barbara focused on promoting literacy, inspired by her son's struggles with dyslexia. She founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and donated the proceeds from her books to literacy charities. Despite facing health challenges, Barbara remained dedicated to her duties as first lady, earning admiration for her humor and humility. Though her popularity soared, it wasn't enough to secure her husband a second term in office. Disheartened by their defeat in 1992, the former first couple retired.

Retirement

In her retirement, Bush occasionally popped up to promote literacy, but her main focus was always her family. She played a key role in her sons' successful campaigns for governorships and even helped out with George W. Bush's presidential run in 2000.

Her second autobiography, Reflections: Life After the White House, hit shelves in 2004. And in 2006, she quietly made a generous donation to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, earmarking some of the funds for her son Neil's educational software company.

Even in her later years, Bush continued to support her loved ones and give back to those in need, showing that family and philanthropy were always at the core of her being. Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts from Phoenix University in Business Management, then a degree. Mass Communication and Cyber Analysis from Phoenix University, then on to Walden University for her master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft, and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, Gouche, and pastels. As a political operative having worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 6 blogs that range from art to life coaching, to food, to writing, and opinion or history pieces each week.