Ex-US First Lady Barbara Bush dead

Washington, April 18: Barbara Bush, the matriarch of a Republican political dynasty and a former First Lady who elevated the cause of literacy, has died at the age of 92, media reports said. Barbara Bush is survived by her husband former President George H.W. Bush; sons George W., Neil, Marvin and Jeb; daughter, Dorothy Bush Koch; and 17 grandchildren. The Bushes had celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in January, making them the longest-married couple in presidential history. Only the second woman in American history to have had a husband and a son elected President (Abigail Adams was the first), Barbara Bush was seen as a plainspoken public figure who was instantly recognisable with her signature white hair and pearl necklaces and earrings, reports CNN. She became a major political figure as her husband rose to become first a Vice President (January 20, 1981 - January 20, 1989) and then the 41st US President (January 20, 1989 - January 20, 1993). (IANS)