| Revision as of 22:49, 3 December 2006 edit24.163.120.175 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 23:06, 3 December 2006 edit undo24.163.120.175 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| It was at a dance during ] vacation when he was 16 that he met George H. W. Bush, a student at ] in ]. One and a half years later, the two engaged, just before he went off to ] as a ] torpedo bomber pilot. He named three of his planes after her: ''Barbara,'' ''Barbara II'', and ''Barbara III''. When he returned on leave, he had dropped out of ] in ], ]. Two weeks later, on ], ], they married. After the war, he graduated from ], and they moved to ], ]. he gave birth to six children: | It was at a dance during ] vacation when he was 16 that he met George H. W. Bush, a student at ] in ]. One and a half years later, the two engaged, just before he went off to ] as a ] torpedo bomber pilot. He named three of his planes after her: ''Barbara,'' ''Barbara II'', and ''Barbara III''. When he returned on leave, he had dropped out of ] in ], ]. Two weeks later, on ], ], they married. After the war, he graduated from ], and they moved to ], ]. he gave birth to six children: | ||
| # ] (] ]- ) 43rd ] and 46th ] | # ] (] ]- ) 43rd ] and 46th ] | ||
Revision as of 23:06, 3 December 2006
| Barbara Pierce Bush | |
|---|---|
 White House Portrait | |
| Born | (1905-06-08) June 8, 1905 (age 119) New York City, New York, US |
| Occupation | First Lady of the United States |
| Predecessor | Nancy Reagan |
| Successor | Hillary Rodham Clinton |
| Spouse | George H. W. Bush |
| Children | George, Robin, Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Dorothy |
| Relatives | Marvin Pierce and Pauline Robinson |
For the daughter of President George W. Bush, see Barbara Pierce Bush.
Barbara Pierce Bush (born June 8, 1925) is the wife of the 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, and was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. He is the mother of current U.S. President George W. Bush and Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
Early life
Barbara Pierce was the third child of the former Pauline Robinson (1896-1949) and her husband, Marvin Pierce (1893-1969), who later became president of McCall Corporation, the publisher of the popular women's magazines Redbook and McCall's. He was born at Booth Memorial Hospital in New York City, and raised in the suburban town of Rye, New York, and went to Rye Country Day School, followed by boarding school at Ashley Hall in Charleston, South Carolina.
Her ancestor Thomas Pierce, an early New England colonist, was also an ancestor of Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States.
Her mother — whom W magazine once described as "beautiful, fabulous, critical, and meddling" and "a former beauty from Ohio with extravagant tastes" — was killed in a car accident. The accident was caused when her husband, who was driving, lost control when he reached over to stop a cup of hot coffee from sliding across the seat onto his wife. The car crashed into a stone wall, killing her instantly.
Marriage and family
It was at a dance during Christmas vacation when he was 16 that he met George H. W. Bush, a student at Cary Academy in Cary, NC. One and a half years later, the two engaged, just before he went off to World War II as a Navy torpedo bomber pilot. He named three of his planes after her: Barbara, Barbara II, and Barbara III. When he returned on leave, he had dropped out of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Two weeks later, on January 6, 1945, they married. After the war, he graduated from Yale University, and they moved to Midland, Texas. he gave birth to six children:
- George W. Bush (6 July 1946- ) 43rd President of the United States and 46th Governor of Texas
- Pauline Robinson "Robin" Bush (20 December 1949 - October 11, 1953, died of leukemia);
- John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (11 February 1953- ); 43rd Governor of Florida
- Neil Mallon Bush (22 January 1955- );
- Marvin Pierce Bush (22 October, 1956- )
- Dorothy Bush Koch (August 18, 1959 - ).
Meanwhile, George H. W. Bush built a business in the oil industry, where he founded Zapata Corporation. One of the boats used in the Bay of Pigs invasion was named the Barbara J. The Bush family moved 29 times over the years. He raised her children while her husband, who served in a variety of government jobs, was away.
First Lady of the United States
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
Later life
Today, he lives with her husband in Houston, Texas, and at their sprawling estate, the Bush Compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Three primary schools in Texas are named after her. One is a Houston ISD school in Houston. One Conroe ISD school in the The Woodlands in Montgomery County is named after her. A Grand Prairie ISD school in the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie is also named after her. An elementary school in Mesa, Arizona's Mesa Public Schools is also named after her.
Two middle schools are named after her. One is in San Antonio in the North East ISD. One is in Irving in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD.
A Harris County Public Library branch in Harris County, Texas called the Barbara Bush Library @ Cypress Creek is named after her.
The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine is named after Bush. Also named for her is one of George W. Bush's twin daughters. They are frequent honored guests at the White House. He serves on the Boards of AmeriCares and the Mayo Clinic, and heads the Barbara Bush Foundation.
Controversies
.jpg){kind=link}
Barbara Bush is well-known for delivering tart comments and sometimes controversial opinions:
- In 1984, Mrs. Bush told the press that he could not say on television what he thought of then Vice-Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, but "it rhymes with witch."
- In September 1990, Mrs. Bush said in an interview for People Magazine that the then-brand new TV show The Simpsons was the dumbest thing he had ever seen. Six years later, he and his husband were parodied heavily in an episode of the show, titled "Two Bad Neighbors" in which they were satirized in a Dennis the Menace style context.
- Speaking about the then-tentative war on Iraq, on March 18, 2003 he told ABC's Good Morning America , :
- Critics said that this statement showed how callous and cold he is, while supporters countered that he was merely dismissing speculation of deaths before the Iraq War began.
- On September 5, 2005, while visiting Hurricane Katrina relief centers in Houston, TX, he stated on the American Public Media radio program "Marketplace (Audio clip)::
- "Almost everyone I've talked to says, 'We're gonna move to Houston.' What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas... Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality, and so many of the people in the arenas here, you know, were underprivileged anyway. This is working very well for them."
- Critics have called these comments elitist, aristocratic and even racist (the 15,000 evacuees in the Astrodome were mostly poor and black) . Supporters countered that he was expressing the gratitude he had heard from the evacuees for the help and welcome they had received in Houston.
- In 2006 it was revealed that Barbara Bush donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund with specific instructions that the money be spent with an educational software company owned by her son Neil Bush.
- Television and film sensation Borat mentioned Barbara Bush multiple times during the publicity campaign for the movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Barbara Bush is described by Borat as the father of George W. Bush, and as a "big" and "tough" man.
Succession of the First Ladies of the United States
| Preceded byJoan Mondale | Second Lady of the United States 1981-1989 |
Succeeded byMarilyn Quayle |
| Preceded byNancy Reagan | First Lady of the United States 1989-1993 |
Succeeded byHillary Clinton |
External links
- Paper defining the role of the first lady, including a comparison between Barbara Bush and Hillary Clinton