Bush, Barbara, 1925–2018, b. New York City as Barbara Pierce; wife of George H. W. Bush and mother of George W. Bush. She studied briefly at Smith College before marrying (1945); the Bushes ultimately settled in Texas. Noted as a vigorous campaigner for her husband and her sons and an astute and pointed observer of politics, she largely took a background role as first lady (1989–93), continuing her lifelong interest in volunteering. She founded (1989) the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, chairing it until 2012, and profits from children's books she wrote from her family's dogs point of view also benefited reading programs.
See her memoirs (1994, 2004).
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