Barbara Bush, who had the distinction of being a wife to one president and the mother of another, died at the age of 92 on Tuesday evening.
Her death was announced by Bush family spokesman Jim McGrath in a statement posted on Twitter. It comes only days after the office of her husband, one-time President George Bush, released a statement that she had “decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care.”
In January, Barbara and George Bush celebrated their 73rd anniversary, which made them the longest-married couple in the history of the presidency.
Barbara Bush was only the second woman in U.S. history to have a son, George W. Bush, follow her husband’s footsteps to the Oval Office. Her other son, Jeb, served as the governor of Florida from 1999 through 2007, but fell short of the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and was a frequent target of Donald Trump on the campaign trail.
Barbara, who at times was outspoken, shot back at Trump in TV interviews, calling him out as a hatemonger and a misogynist. (The New York Times)
Fasho Thoughts:
- The first woman to have her husband and son become presidents was Abigail Adams, the wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams.
- Barbara Bush had been in and out of the hospital in recent months. Back in 2008, she had surgery for a perforated ulcer and underwent heart surgery four months later.
- Although she downplayed her role in George Bush’s political career, she was a valuable presence in four national campaigns – 1980, when George was Ronald Reagan‘s running mate; in 1984, when the pair ran for re-election; in 1988, when George ran for president; and again in 1992, when he campaigned for re-election.
- She also appeared at fundraisers when George W. campaigned for president in 2000.
- She was generally well-liked by the American people. A poll in 1999 found that 63 percent of Americans viewed her favorably, with only three percent having an unfavorable opinion about her.
Source: CS / CS
