- Barbara Pierce, the future Barbara Bush, is shown in her graduation photo from Ashley Hall, a finishing school in Charleston, S.C., in 1943. (AP Photo) (Photo Credit: AP)
- FILE - In this 1964 file photo, George H.W. Bush sits on couch with his wife Barbara and their children. George W. Bush sits at right behind his mother. Behind couch are Neil and Jeb Bush. Sitting with parents are Dorothy and Marvin Bush. Again? Really? There are more than 300 million people in America, yet the same two families keep popping up when it comes to picking a president. The possibility of a Bush-Clinton matchup in 2016 is increasingly plausible. After months of hints and speculation, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush last week said he's actively exploring a bid for the Republican nomination. And while Hillary Rodham Clinton hasn't revealed her intentions, she's seen as the odds-on favorite for the Democratic nomination. By Nancy Benac. ? (AP Photo, File) (Photo Credit: AP)
- George Bush, candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, gets returns by phone at his headquarters in Houston, Saturday, June 6, 1964 as his wife Barbara, beams her pleasure at the news. Bush was leading his opponent Jack Cox in the run-off primary. Bush will face Sen. Ralph Yarborough (D-Tex) in the November general election if his lead holds and he is the winner. (AP Photo/Ed Kolenovsky) (Photo Credit: AP)
- Republican Senatorial candidate George Bush shows a victory sign as he and his wife Barbara stand in front of a vote machine November 3, 1964 in Houston,Tex., just before casting their ballot. The candidate waited an hour and a half in a long of votes that circled the Pilgrim Elementary School where the Bush's voted this morning. in Houston. (AP Photo). (Photo Credit: AP)
- Mrs. George Bush walking on New York's Park Avenue, April 13, 1971. (AP Photo) (Photo Credit: AP)
- President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, right, share a moment with Vice President and Mrs. George Bush following the oaths in the Capitol Building in Washington on Monday, Jan. 21, 1985. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty) (Photo Credit: AP)
- George Bush beams as some of his family members applaud at the National Press Club in Washington on Tuesday, May 1, 1979 where he formally announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. From left are: John E. (Jeb), a son; Columba, a daughter-in-law; Marvin, a son; Dorothy, a daughter; Mrs. Barbara Bush, his wife; and Bush. (AP Photo/Taylor) (Photo Credit: AP)
- First lady Barbara Bush points towards the White House balcony where she was waiting for her husband as he returned home from a day trip from Columbia, S.C., Feb. 15, 1989 Bush addressed a joint session of the South Carolina state legislature. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi) (Photo Credit: AP)
- First Lady Barbara Bush poses with her dog Millie in 1990. (Photo Credit: Doug Mills/AP)
- In this file photo from Friday, March 18, 2005, former first lady Barbara Bush listens to her son, President George W. Bush, as he speaks on Social Security reform in Orlando, Fla. The wife of former President George H.W. Bush is in "failing health," a Bush family spokesman said Sunday, April 15, 2018, following a recent series of hospitalizations and after consulting with her family and doctors, the 92-year-old former first lady has decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file) (Photo Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
- First Lady Barbara Bush reacts to Sen. Phil Gramm, who delivered the keynote address to the Republican National Convention at the Houston Astrodome, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1992, Houston, Tex. Gramm derided Democratic candidate Bill Clinton's economic program as a "Lemon for America." (AP Photo/Marcy Nighswander) (Photo Credit: AP)
- First lady Barbara Bush pokes fun at herself by crossing her eyes for reporters who were visiting the summer White House in Kennebunkport, Maine, August 23, 1989. When asked about her health and recent treatment for Graves's disease, which affects her vision, Mrs. Bush replied, "I want you to see my eye's are just fine." (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach) (Photo Credit: AP)
- Vice President George H. W. Bush, center, poses with his family outside St. Anns Church, Sunday, Aug. 8, 1988, Kennebunkport, Me. The Bush family from left front row: Neil Bush, Pierce Bush, Lauren Bush, Dorothy Bush, and Ellie LeBlond. The rest of the children in the front row are unidentified. Second row from left: an unidentified woman, Laura Bush, Jenna Bush, George H. W. Bush, Dorothy Bush and Barbara Bush. Back row from left are: Jeb Bush, George P. Bush and Noelle Bush. The rest of the group is unidentified. (AP Photo/Herb Swanson) (Photo Credit: AP)
- President Barack Obama shares a laugh with former first lady Barbara Bush at the dedication of the George W. Bush presidential library on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Thursday, April 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) (Photo Credit: AP)
- The then Texas Gov. George W. Bush, right, gives his mother, Barbara Bush , a hug after taking a family photo Thursday, June 10, 1999 in Houston. (Photo Credit: David J. Phillip | AP)
THE LATEST on former first lady Barbara Bush, who has died at age 92:
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told a forum held outside Chicago that his mother would have wanted him to attend because he made a commitment.
Speaking Wednesday at Elmhurst College Governmental Forum, Bush said of former first lady Barbara Bush that he was “so blessed to be her son.”
Barbara Bush, the wife of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, died Tuesday at age 92.
Jeb Bush said he could still feel her presence behind him, saying “‘You said you were only going to speak 30 minutes so make sure you don’t go beyond that.'”
Bush said his mother taught the family to be civil. “She taught us to love your family with your heart and soul.”
He finished his comments about his mother with, “I love her dearly.”
Jeb Bush talked about leadership in a changing world during the forum.
"I'm so blessed to be her son. She taught us to serve others, she taught us to be civil, she taught us to love your family with your heart and soul," Jeb Bush says about his mother Barbara Bush pic.twitter.com/YE7sUji8jr
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/jgm41/status/986662348017537025
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Former President George W. Bush said his mother was joyful and still teasing him the day before she died.
Bush spoke warmly of his mother during a leadership forum Wednesday at his presidential library in Dallas. His mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, died a day earlier at her Houston home. She was 92.
The 43rd president told the audience that the day before his mother died, he told her during a phone conversation that she’d been a “fabulous mother” and that he loved her dearly. He said she responded by telling him: “‘I want you to know that you’re my favorite son — on the phone.'”
Bush told audience members he hoped they didn’t feel sorry for him. He said he’s at peace with his mother’s death because his mother “was at peace.” He said she believed in an afterlife and “was joyously looking forward” to it.
Former President George W. Bush on the death of his mother, Barbara Bush:
"I hope you don't feel sorry for any of us, particularly me – I am at peace with what took place, and the reason why is my mother was at peace for what took place." pic.twitter.com/aiI8SgkYE7
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 18, 2018
George W. Bush: "It's the end of a beautiful life." #BarbaraBush @FoxBusiness @MariaBartiromo pic.twitter.com/uLj9eVMIha
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 18, 2018
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Trump: Barbara Bush a ‘titan in American life’
President Donald Trump is praising former first lady Barbara Bush as a “wonderful, wonderful person” and a “titan in American life.”
Trump said her presence and character were engraved into America’s identity and her strength and toughness embodied the nation’s spirit.
He noted her tireless advocacy for literacy, along with her patriotism and “profound faith.”
First lady Melania Trump plans to attend the former first lady’s funeral Saturday in Houston.
Trump did not say whether he would also attend. He commented as he opened a news conference in Florida with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/986430103075868672
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Navy: Barbara Bush treated sailors like family
The U.S. Navy said former first lady Barbara Bush treated sailors “like her own family” on the USS George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier.
Navy officials said in statement Wednesday that she visited the ship multiple times. It was commissioned in 2009 and named after her husband, who was a naval aviator during World War II.
Vice Admiral DeWolfe Miller was the carrier’s original commanding officer. He said Barbara Bush’s “sharp wit, humor and sincere love for those who served on her ‘favorite’ ship was clearly apparent.”
Miller said he’ll never forget Barbara Bush “donning a chef’s hat and handing out cookies, with a big smile and kind message to each sailor she met.”
As first lady, she also christened the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.
Both ships are flying their flags at half-mast to honor Barbara Bush, who died Tuesday at age 92.
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WATCH: Barbara Pierce Bush delivers the Commencement Address at Wellesley College.
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Officials say former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton and their wives plan to attend funeral services for former first lady Barbara Bush.
The wife and mother of former presidents died Tuesday.
Bill Clinton dashed Mrs. Bush’s husband’s re-election hopes en route to winning the 1992 election. Clinton since grew close to former President George H.W. Bush and Barbara, and would visit them at their summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Clinton often joked he spent so much time with the Bushes that he’d become like a member of the family.
Former first ladies Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama will accompany their husbands to Saturday’s funeral in Houston.
Our statement on the passing of Former First Lady Barbara Bush: pic.twitter.com/MhTVYCL9Nj
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 18, 2018
Barbara Bush was a remarkable woman. She had grit & grace, brains & beauty. She was fierce & feisty in support of her family & friends, her country & her causes. She showed us what an honest, vibrant, full life looks like. Hillary and I mourn her passing and bless her memory.
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) April 17, 2018
Thinking about Barbara Bush's legacy of service to our country and the extraordinary family she raised. Thanking her for her many kindnesses to me and my family. Wishing her the comfort she deserves surrounded by her loved ones.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 16, 2018
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Former President George H.W. Bush said he’s always known and would tease his wife that she was “the most beloved woman in the world” and that he “had a complex about that fact.”
In a statement released by Bush family spokesman Jim McGrath, the nation’s 41st president said the outpouring of love and friendship to Barbara Bush following her death Tuesday “is lifting us all up.”
https://twitter.com/jgm41/status/986662348017537025
He also referred Wednesday to Barbara Bush as “The Enforcer,” a term of endearment bestowed by her family.
Bush said he has faith his wife “is in heaven, and we know life will go on — as she would have it.”
He adds: “So cross the Bushes off your worry list.”
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Queen Elizabeth II and British Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch have sent messages of condolences to the Bush family.
British embassy spokesman Andrew Overton said Wednesday that Darroch also issued a statement that said the U.K. government is “deeply saddened” by the loss of Barbara Bush, who died Tuesday at 92. Darroch said as one of only two women to be the wife of one U.S. president and the mother of another, “Barbara Bush was a very special person in American history.”
Darroch said the wife of former President George H.W. Bush will be “remembered for her care and compassion for her fellow Americans, for her unfailing efforts to promote literacy, and for her devotion to her family. A great orator, widely admired and dedicated to public service, she will be dearly missed.”
UK Ambassador to the United Nations @KarenPierceUN:
"On behalf of the British government, and the British people, we send our condolences to our American friends, and to Barbara Bush's family at this time." https://t.co/LVttm53yL8 pic.twitter.com/gNUXCjt6Mh
— British Embassy Washington D.C. (@UKinUSA) April 18, 2018
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Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, whose last years in office overlapped the Bush presidency, is remembering Barbara Bush as warm and astute.
In a statement of condolence to the Bush family on Wednesday, Gorbachev said: “I am deeply saddened by the death of Barbara, and on this day I remember everything was connected with us, our numerous meetings. Barbara did a lot to build trust and friendship between us. She immediately developed a warm relationship with Raisa, they communicated easily and at ease “
https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/265940272196751360
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The White House said Melania Trump will attend the funeral for former first lady Barbara Bush.
Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for the current first lady, said Mrs. Trump will pay her respects to the entire Bush family at the ceremony Saturday in Houston.
In a statement following Bush’s death Tuesday, Melania Trump praised her 92-year-old predecessor for putting her “family and country above all else.”
Trump said Bush was a woman of strength who will always be remembered for her roles as wife, mother and first lady.
The White House said U.S. flags at the president’s home and private golf club in Florida have been lowered to half-staff in honor of the former first lady.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/986430103075868672
The U.S. Secret Service expresses sincere condolences to the family of Mrs. Barbara Bush, the epitome of class and grace during and after her service to our country as First Lady of the United States. pic.twitter.com/VKxYkb0WUB
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) April 18, 2018
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Jenna Bush Hager’s father-in-law, former Virginia Lt. Gov. John Hager, remembers former first lady Barbara Bush as a “marvelous woman.”
Hager tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch (https://bit.ly/2EUx8BD) that Bush “was a real matriarch in every sense of the word.”
Barbara Bush, the wife of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, died Tuesday at 92.
Jenna Bush Hager, the Bush’s granddaughter, is married to Henry Hager.
John Hager said Barbara Bush “was real friendly to us and could not have been a better hostess,” noting that the Bush family was down-to-earth and welcoming.
Hager added: “She was always very gracious to us. I think they liked Henry and that was the end of it. They’ve been great to us ever since.”
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences to George H.W. Bush following the death of his wife, Barbara.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Putin sent a telegram to the former president offering his condolences.
Barbara Bush died Tuesday at 92.
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Former President George W. Bush said his mother, Barbara Bush, did not fear death because she believed in an afterlife and that she would be “wonderfully received in the arms of a loving God.”
The former president appeared Wednesday with his wife Laura Bush on the Fox Business Network. He said his mother “was warm and wonderful, until you got out of line.”
Barbara Bush, the wife of former President George H.W. Bush, died Tuesday at 92.
George W. Bush said that during a recent visit with his mother, she told her doctor that her son “is the way he is” because she “drank and smoked when (she) was pregnant with him.”
Laura Bush said her mother-in-law had long supported literacy campaigns and believed “if everyone could read and write, a lot of problems would be solved.”
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The ruler of Kuwait is mourning the death of Barbara Bush, whose husband the Arab nation has long celebrated for securing its freedom from Iraqi occupation in the 1991 Gulf War.
State-run news agency KUNA reported Wednesday that Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah sent letters of condolence to former President George H.W. Bush and his son, former President George W. Bush. The letter describes Barbara Bush as a person “who enjoyed a life of love and admiration from the American people.”
State-affiliated newspaper Al Anbaa published an appreciation of the former first lady online with the headline: “Barbara Bush: First Lady Who Knew about the Kuwait Liberation Zero Hour.” It highlights her 1993 and 2001 visits to Kuwait, where she was warmly received by dignitaries and Kuwaiti women.
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Presidents, first ladies and many others who knew Barbara Bush are praising her devotion to the nation, her family and literacy.
President Donald Trump said among Mrs. Bush’s greatest achievements “was recognizing the importance of literacy as a fundamental family value that requires nurturing and protection.”
He said, “She will be long remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served unfailingly well.”
Former President Barack Obama said Mrs. Bush lived her life “as a testament to the fact that public service is an important and noble calling.”
Family spokesman Jim McGrath said Mrs. Bush died Tuesday at age 92. She had decided to decline further medical treatment for health problems and focus instead on “comfort care” at home in Houston.