Barbara Bush Fast Facts

CNN  — 

Here is a look at the life of Barbara Bush, wife of former President George H.W. Bush and mother of former President George W. Bush.

Personal:
Birth date: June 8, 1925

Death date: April 17, 2018

Birth place: New York, New York

Birth name: Barbara Pierce

Father: Marvin Pierce, publisher

Mother: Pauline (Robinson) Pierce

Marriage: George H.W. Bush (January 6, 1945-April 17, 2018, her death)

Children: Dorothy, August 18, 1959; Marvin, October 22, 1956; Neil, January 22, 1955; John (Jeb), February 11, 1953; Pauline (Robin), December 20, 1949-October 1953 (died of leukemia); George, July 6, 1946

Education: Attended Smith College, 1943-1944

Other Facts:
Was a life member of the University Cancer Foundation Board of Visitors for the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.

Was a relative of Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States.

Only the second woman in American history to have had a husband and a son elected president (Abigail Adams was the first).

Timeline:
1941 - Meets George H.W. Bush at a dance at the Round Hill Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut.

1943 - Has a summer job working in a nuts and bolts factory in Port Chester, New York.

January 6, 1945 - Marries Bush.

October 1953 - Daughter, Robin, dies of leukemia.

1969-1971 - While living in Washington, Bush writes a monthly column called “Washington Scene” for Houston newspapers.

1971 - Volunteers at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York.

January 20, 1980-January 20, 1989 - Second Lady of the United States.

1984 - Writes “C. Fred’s Story,” about the Bush family’s dog.

1986-2018 - Ambassador-at-large of AmeriCares.

January 20, 1989-January 20, 1993 - First Lady of the United States.

1989 - Founds the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

1989 - Makes public that she was diagnosed in 1988 with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disease that commonly affects the thyroid.

1990 - “Millie’s Book” is published. Millie is the Bush family dog.

1994 - “Barbara Bush: A Memoir” is published.

November 25, 2008 - Is hospitalized in Houston after complaining of stomach pains. She is diagnosed with a perforated ulcer and has surgery to correct the problem.

March 4, 2009 - Undergoes heart surgery.

March 27-31, 2010 - Is hospitalized for what doctors describe as a mild relapse of Graves’ disease.

December 30, 2013-January 4, 2014 - Is treated for pneumonia at a hospital in Houston.

January 18, 2017 - Is hospitalized for bronchitis four days after her husband, George H.W. Bush, was admitted to the hospital to address “an acute respiratory problem stemming from pneumonia.” The former first lady is discharged January 23.

April 15, 2018 - A source close to the Bush family tells CNN that Bush is in failing health and is being cared for at her home in Houston. Bush’s office releases a statement, confirming after a “recent series of hospitalizations,” she has decided against seeking additional medical help and will instead focus on “comfort care.”

April 17, 2018 - Passes away at the age of 92.

March 27, 2019 - Did not consider herself a Republican after President Donald Trump took office, according to a forthcoming book obtained by USA Today. “The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty” by Susan Page will be published in April.