Early Life and Career
Mrs. Laura Bush is shown in her senior yearbook photo from Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas.
Courtesy George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. (H37-12)
Laura Lane Welch Bush was born November 4, 1946, in Midland, Texas, the only child of Harold and Jenna Welch. After graduating from Robert E. Lee High School in Midland Texas, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Southern Methodist University in 1968, and a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Texas in 1973.
Upon graduation, she worked as a librarian and elementary school teacher in the inner-city schools of Dallas, Houston, and Austin. Laura Welch and George Walker Bush married in 1977 and their twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, were born in 1981.
Political
First Lady Laura Bush smiles as she meets with female graduates of the Police Training Academy in Bamiyan province in Afghanistan on June 8, 2008. With her is Bamiyan Governor Habiba Sarabi.
Courtesy George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. (P060808SC-0936)
Mrs. Bush began political life in 1978, when she helped her husband in his unsuccessful run for the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1994, George W. Bush was elected 46th Governor of Texas. As the First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000, Mrs. Bush implemented many initiatives focused on health, literacy, and education.
With the inauguration of George W. Bush as President in 2001, Mrs. Bush assumed the role of First Lady of the United States. She became a key advocate of President Bush’s public education reforms stemming from the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, and introduced the “Ready to Read, Ready to Learn” initiative, which stimulated better methods of early childhood education. To encourage reading at all ages, Mrs. Bush instituted the annual National Book Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC in 2001. Mrs. Bush encouraged reading globally as well when she and the President hosted the first White House Conference on Global Literacy in 2006.
Following the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the beginning of the War in Afghanistan, Mrs. Bush became an ardent supporter of women in Afghanistan. When presenting the Presidential weekly radio address in November 2001 – the first ever recorded by a First Lady – Mrs. Bush spoke against the Taliban’s treatment of women and children. Mrs. Bush served as honorary chair of the U.S. – Afghan Women’s Council and in 2008, she delivered a presentation at the International Conference (Centre de Conferences Internationals) in support of the people of Afghanistan.
President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush escort Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, from the Grand Staircase of the White House, May 7, 2007, prior to attending the State Dinner in the Queen's honor.
Courtesy George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. (P050707JB-0692)
Mrs. Bush expanded her education work in 2003, when she was named honorary ambassador for the United Nations Literacy Decade. With the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, she worked to promote global literacy programs in Ghana, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Domestically, Mrs. Bush advocated for alternative teacher recruitment programs, such as Troops to Teachers, the New Teacher Project, and Teach for America, to encourage professionals to devote themselves to the cause of education.
In his 2005 State of the Union Address, President Bush announced that Mrs. Bush would be leading the Helping America’s Youth Initiative, a new effort designed to introduce community leaders to the needs of at-risk children. An online Community Guide was created to direct willing adults to needs within their own communities. President and Mrs. Bush hosted the first White House Conference on Helping America’s Youth in 2005 at Howard University; the Conference would become a yearly event throughout the Bush Administration.
Mrs. Laura Bush visits with school children February 26, 2001, at Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where she launched the "Ready to Read, Ready to Learn" School Initiative.
Courtesy George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. (P687-31)
Mrs. Bush also advocated for the advancement of human rights in Burma, drawing attention to the oppression enforced by the controlling military regime. Mrs. Bush convened a 2006 United Nations roundtable discussion and participated in a 2007 video teleconference on Burma, both of which expanded awareness about the suffering and human rights violations committed in that country.
Mrs. Bush increased awareness of women’s health issues, including breast cancer and heart disease. She joined the Heart-Truth campaign, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in 2002.
First Lady Laura Bush records the Weekly Radio Address from her study in January 2008. On November 17, 2001, Mrs. Bush became the first First Lady to deliver an entire Presidential Radio Address when she used the medium to address the nation regarding the treatment of women in Afghanistan.
Courtesy George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum. (P013008SC-0374)
In addition, Mrs. Bush pioneered the U.S. - Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research and the Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas, serving to connect global research resources and educational tools about breast cancer. In making five trips to Africa, Mrs. Bush also encouraged President Bush’s humanitarian aid programs, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the President’s Malaria Initiative. She and the President hosted the first White House Summit on Malaria in 2006.
President Bush and Mrs. Bush collaborated to repair, improve, and protect the National Park system by establishing the Preserve America’s Heritage Initiative and the National Parks Centennial Initiative.
Post-Presidential
President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush pose for a photo, October 29, 2009, at Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Courtesy George W. Bush Foundation.
The President and Mrs. Bush left the White House and returned home to Texas on January 20, 2009. Mrs. Bush’s memoir, Spoken from the Heart, was published in May 2010. She remains actively involved in issues of national and global concern through the George W. Bush Institute, with a continued emphasis on education, health care and human rights for women. Mrs. Bush also assists with the planning for the George W. Bush Presidential Center, including taking an active role in the creation of the architectural and landscape designs for the future facility at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
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