General Notes

Biography: Rarely has a First Lady been greeted by the American peopleand the press with the approbation and warmth accorded to Barbara PierceBush. Perhaps this is prompted by the image she calls "everybody'sgrandmother." People are comfortable with her white hair, her warm,relaxed manner, and her keen wit. With characteristic directness, shesays people like her because they know "I'm fair and I like children andI adore my husband."

Barbara was born in 1925 to Pauline and Marvin Pierce, who later becamepresident of McCall Corporation. In the suburban town of Rye, New York,she had a happy childhood. She went to boarding school at Ashley Hall inSouth Carolina, and it was at a dance during Christmas vacation when shewas only 16 that she met George Bush, a senior at Phillips Academy inAndover, Massachusetts. They became engaged a year and a half later, justbefore he went off to war as a Navy torpedo bomber pilot. By the timeGeorge returned on leave, Barbara had dropped out of Smith College. Twoweeks later, on January 6, 1945, they were married.

After the war, George graduated from Yale, and they set out for Texas tostart their lives together. Six children were born to them: George,Robin, Jeb, Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy. Meanwhile, George built a businessin the oil industry. With Texas as home base, he then turned to politicsand public service, serving as a member of Congress, U. S. Ambassador tothe United Nations, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chiefof the U. S. Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China, Directorof the Central Intelligence Agency, and later as Vice President. In those44 years of marriage, Mrs. Bush managed 29 moves of the family.

When her husband was away, she became the family linchpin, providingeverything from discipline to carpools. The death of their daughter Robin from leukemia when she was not quite four left George and Barbara Bushwith a lifelong compassion. She says, "Because of Robin, George and Ilove every living human more."

Barbara Bush was always an asset to her husband during his campaigns forpublic office. Her friendly, forthright manner won her high marks fromthe voters and the press. As wife of the Vice President, she selected thepromotion of literacy as her special cause. As First Lady, she calledworking for a more literate America the "most important issue we have."Involved with many organizations devoted to this cause, she becameHonorary Chairman of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Astrong advocate of volunteerism, Mrs. Bush helped many causes--includingthe homeless, AIDS, the elderly, and school volunteer programs.

Today Barbara Bush lives in a home she and her husband built in Houston,Texas, where she enjoys being part of the community. Their children andgrandchildren visit them often in Houston and at the family summer homein Kennebunkport, Maine. Devoted to her family, Mrs. Bush still findstime to work on an autobiography, serve on the Boards of AmeriCares andthe Mayo Clinic, and continue her prominent role in the Barbara BushFoundation.
Note: DESCENDANT OF MAYFLOWER PASSENGER HENRY SAMSON

PRESIDENT FRANKLIN PIERCE WAS BARBARA'S GREAT GREAT GREAT UNCLE

FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES

Barbara Bush was a beloved First Lady. She was active in many causes including AIDS, the homeless, and school volunteer programs. She also helped found the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Barbara's story of her pet dog -- Millie'sBook (1990) -- became a bestseller.

Notes on this website are authored by Larry Overmire, unless noted otherwise. Please credit if reproduced elsewhere.
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