Barbara Pierce
11 min read
Reading time
2,120
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Published
31
Film credits
5
Awards
Barbara Bush was the wife of President George H.W. Bush and mother of President George W. Bush, making her one of only two women in U.S. history to hold both roles. She served as First Lady from 1989 to 1993 and was a passionate advocate for literacy. At her death in 2018 at age 92, she and her husband were the longest-married presidential couple, having been married 73 years.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Barbara Bush — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Barbara Bush by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Barbara Bush — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Barbara Pierce was born on June 8, 1925, in New York City, New York, to Pauline Robinson and Marvin Pierce. Her father was the president of McCall Corporation, publisher of women’s magazines McCall’s and Redbook. She attended Rye Country Day School in Rye, New York, and later graduated from Ashley Hall in Charleston, South Carolina in 1943. She briefly attended Smith College before leaving to marry George H.W. Bush in 1945.
Barbara Bush’s primary public role was as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She used that platform to champion literacy, establishing the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Her work earned her the Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education and induction into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. She also made cameo appearances in documentaries such as Frontline 1983 and Fahrenheit 9/11 2004 as archival footage.
Barbara married George H.W. Bush on January 5, 1945, a union that lasted 73 years until her death. They had six children: George W., Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Dorothy, and Robin, who died of leukemia in 1953 at age three. Barbara suffered from Graves disease and depression, and had open heart surgery in 2009. The family resided in Houston, Texas, and the Bushes were known for their close-knit bond.
Barbara Bush and Abigail Adams are the only women in American history to be both the wife of one president and the mother of another. Her literacy advocacy established a lasting legacy through the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame in 1997 and received honorary doctorates from Hofstra University and the University of Miami. She is remembered for her unpretentious style, fake pearls, and sharp wit, as noted in her New York Times obituary.
Browse the complete filmography of Barbara Bush — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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Every award, honor, and recognition received by Barbara Bush — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Barbara Bush — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
You Don’t Just Luck into Things as Much as You’d Like to Think You Do. You Build Step by Step, Whether It’s Friendships or Opportunities.
Little-known facts about Barbara Bush — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
She and Abigail Adams were the only women, so far, in American history who have been the wife of one president and the mother of another president. First Lady Anna Elizabeth Symmes Harrison was the only woman to have been both the wife of a U.S. president William Henry Harrison and the grandmother of a U.S. president Benjamin Harrison.
Fourth cousin, four times removed, of U.S. President Franklin Pierce, through their common Pierce ancestors.
Daughter Pauline Robinson Bush died of leukemia two months shy of her 4th birthday.
Children: George W. Bush born July 6, 1946; Pauline Pierce Robin Bush born December 20, 1949, died October 11, 1953; Jeb Bush born February 11, 1953; Neil Bush born January 22, 1955; Marvin Bush born October 22, 1956; and Doro Bush born August 18, 1959.
Portrayed by Phil Hartman on Saturday Night Live in 1975.
Born in New York City to Pauline Robinson from Ohio and Marvin Pierce from Pennsylvania. Her father was the president of McCall Corporation, publisher of women’s magazines McCall’s and Redbook.
Suffered from Graves disease, and had also suffered from depression.
In The Simpsons episode Two Bad Neighbors January 14, 1996, George and Barbara Bush move to Springfield. Bart’s pestering turns into an all-out war between Homer and the ex-President. The show’s producers did not ask the Bushes to voice themselves; Harry Shearer voiced George and Tress MacNeille voiced Barbara.
George and Barbara Bush were the longest-married presidential couple when Barbara died in 2018, having been married for 73 years. They were later surpassed by Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter, who were married for 77 years when Rosalynn died in 2023.
Born at 7:00 pm EDT at Booth Memorial Hospital in New York City.
Suffered a miscarriage in the mid-1960s.
Attended Rye Country Day School in Rye, New York, but graduated from Ashley Hall in Charleston, South Carolina in 1943.
First lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993.
Daughter-in-law of Prescott Bush.
Alumna initiate of Pi Beta Phi sorority in 2003.
Grandmother of Barbara Bush, Jenna Bush Hager, and Lauren Bush Lauren.
Recovered at Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas after successful open heart surgery on March 4, 2009 to replace her aortic valve. In late November 2008, she underwent surgery to treat a perforated ulcer in her small intestine. Also had operations for back problems and two hip replacements.
Inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame in 1997.
At age 92, Barbara was one of just six first ladies to have lived into their 90s, the others being Bess Truman 97, Lady Bird Johnson 94, Nancy Reagan 94, Betty Ford 93, and Rosalynn Carter 90.
In September 2005, she and her husband toured a shelter housing people who had fled Hurricane Katrina. She said these people were already underprivileged, so this is better for them, drawing allegations that she held an elitist viewpoint.
Attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Ancestry was English, some German, and smaller amounts of Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and French, as well as 1/128th Moravian Czech.
Her obituary in The New York Times described her as unpretentious, a woman who could wear fake pearls, enjoy takeout tacos, walk the dog in her bathrobe and make fun of herself.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Barbara Bush.
Celebrities similar to Barbara Bush — same craft, ranked by reach.
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