Barbara Bush dead: Former US first lady dies, aged 92

Donald Trump and wife Melania release statement lauding her efforts to promote literacy

Former US first lady Barbara Bush has died at the age of 92.

Her death was announced in a statement from the office of George HW Bush, the former president and Ms Bush's husband of 73 years. A funeral date is yet to be announced.

Earlier this week Ms Bush decided to forego additional medical treatment after a series of hospital visits.

A spokesman did not elaborate on the nature of her health problems, but she had long received treatment for a thyroid condition known as Graves' disease.

Born in New York, Ms Bush met George HW Bush at a school dance as a teenager.

They raised their family in Texas, where the Bush family became a formidable political dynasty.

“Barbara Bush was a fabulous First Lady and a woman unlike any other who brought levity, love, and literacy to millions,” former president George W Bush said in a statement. “To us, she was so much more. Mom kept us on our toes and kept us laughing until then”.

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum.

Donald Trump and his wife Melania released a statement lauding her efforts to promote literacy and her role as “an advocate of the American family”.

“She will long be remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she served well”, the statement said.

Barack and Michelle Obama hailed Ms Bush “for the way she lived her life - as a testament to the fact that public service is an important and noble calling; as an example of the humanity and decency that reflects the very best of the American spirit”.

The statement announcing Ms Bush's death noted she was a “relentless proponent of family literacy”, a cause that led her to launch the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, which seeks to boost reading and writing skills.


 First Lady Barbara Bush and her son George Bush Jr attend the 1992 Republican National Convention (AFP/Getty)
 (AFP/Getty Images)

“I chose literacy because I honestly believe that if more people could read, write and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems that plague our nation and our society,” Ms Bush told a Wellesley College audience in 1990.

She also held the distinction of seeing both both her husband and her son become president of the United States.

After her husband George HW Bush governed from 1989 to 1993, Ms Bush's son George W Bush was elected to two terms in 2000 and in 2004.

Her son Jeb Bush served as governor of Florida and was the favoured presidential candidate for much of the Republican establishment at the outset of the 2016 presidential campaign.

In a characteristic display of her reputation for blunt talk, Ms Bush initially cast doubt on another of her sons seeking the presidency.

“We've had enough Bushes,” Ms Bush said, though she called Jeb Bush “by far the most qualified” and later supported his candidacy.

She made no secret of her dislike for Mr Trump, who savaged Jeb Bush on the way to winning the nomination, saying in February of 2016 that she was “sick of him”.

“He's said terrible things about women, terrible things about the military,” she said. “I don't understand why people are for him, for that reason.”