Former US first lady Barbara Bush is dead. She died at the age of 92, triggering an outpouring of praise for the matriarch of a Republican family once
Former US first lady Barbara Bush is dead. She died at the age of 92, triggering an outpouring of praise for the matriarch of a Republican family once at the apex of American politics.
“A former first lady of the United States of America and relentless proponent of family literacy, Barbara Pierce Bush passed away Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at the age of 92,” said a statement from the office of George H.W. Bush. They were married for 73 years.
Barbara Bush has long been considered the rock at the center of one of America’s most prominent political families, as the wife of a president and the mother to another, George W. Bush and to Jeb Bush, a former Florida governor and onetime presidential aspirant. As tributes poured in to honor the life of Barbara Bush, President Donald Trump hailed her as an “advocate of the American family.”
“Amongst her greatest achievements was recognizing the importance of literacy as a fundamental family value that requires nurturing and protection,” Trump said.
“She will be long remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served unfailingly well.”
Mrs Bush, who was first lady from 1989 to 1993, had been in failing health for some time and had declined further medical treatment.
