Barbara Bush Dies at 92

The former First Lady had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

First lady Barbara Bush points towards the White House balcony where she was waiting for her husband, George H.W. Bush.Charles Tasnadi/AP

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

Barbara Bush, former First Lady and longtime literacy advocate, died on Tuesday night, a family spokesperson confirmed on Twitter. She was 92.

On Sunday, a spokesperson for George H.W. Bush’s office said that Barbara Bush, who had been battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, had opted to forego further medical treatment to “focus on comfort care.” In January, Bush celebrated her 73rd wedding anniversary with her husband, making them the longest married presidential couple, according to the New York Times

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2022 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2022 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate