Former First Lady Barbara Bush has died at 92 years old at her home in Texas.
In recent years Mrs. Bush was unwell with frequent visits to the hospital in as she battled Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure.
On Sunday, the office of former President George H. W. Bush released a statement confirming after a “recent series of hospitalizations,” she has decided against seeking additional medical help and was being cared for at her home.
Barbara Pierce married George Herbert Walker Bush at age 19 while he was a young naval aviator. After World War II, the couple moved to Texas where he went into the oil business. From there, George H. W. Bush entered politics, holding a myriad of offices from congressman, to CIA Director, Vice President, and then President.
During her time at the White House as the Second Lady, Mrs. Bush’s signature cause was early childhood education and adult literacy which she called, family literacy. Later on as First Lady, she launched the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
Eight years after she and her husband left the White House, Mrs. Bush stood with her husband as their son George W. was sworn in as president.
Bush was a fierce advocate for her husband and sons, including former Florida governor and presidential candidate Jeb Bush. She defended them against all detractors, including those who criticized her husband’s decision to raise taxes in 1990, those who opposed her son’s decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003, and most recently against those who criticized her son’s viability as a presidential candidate in 2016.
Former President George H.W. Bush is 93 years old and has had several recent stays in the hospital.
Read more about the life and times of Barbara Bush here.
