Laura Bush

Laura Bush (née Welch) is a former First Lady of the United States and the wife of former president George W. Bush. Laura was raised in Midland, Texas, and attended Southern Methodist University, earning a degree in education in 1968. She later obtained a master’s degree in library science from the University of Texas at Austin in 1973.

Laura worked as a teacher and librarian in Texas before meeting George W. Bush in 1977. After they married later that year, she focused on supporting his political career, eventually becoming First Lady of Texas in 1995 when he was elected governor.

She became First Lady of the United States 2001 and was an active advocate for literacy and education initiatives that gained national attention. She launched the Ready to Read, Ready to Learn initiative, promoted global education efforts and was a supporter of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

The Texas native is also an author and published her memoir Spoken from the Heart in 2010. She later cowrote the children’s book Our Great Big Backyard (2016) with her daughter Jenna Bush Hager.

Laura married George W. Bush in 1977, and they share twin daughters Jenna and Barbara Bush (born in 1981).