Barbara Bush, the matriarch of a Republican political dynasty and a first lady who elevated the cause of literacy, died Tuesday, a family spokesman said. She was 92.

Only the second woman in American history to have had a husband and a son elected President (Abigail Adams was the first), Bush was seen as a plainspoken public figure who was instantly recognizable with her signature white hair and pearl necklaces and earrings. She became a major political figure as her husband, George H.W. Bush, rose to become vice president and president. After they left the White House, she was a potent spokeswoman for two of her sons -- George W. and Jeb -- as they campaigned for office.

The mother of six children -- one of whom, a daughter, Robin, died as a child from leukemia -- Barbara Bush raised her fast-growing family in the 1950s and '60s amid the post-war boom of Texas and the whirl of politics that consumed her husband.

Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush was the wife of George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, and served as the First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She was the mother of George W. Bush, the 43rd President, and Jeb Bush, the 43rd Governor of Florida. She served as the Second Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989.

• Lived: Jun 08, 1925 - Apr 17, 2018 (age 92)
• Height: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
• Spouse: George H. W. Bush (m. 1945 - 2018)
• Children: George W. Bush (Son) · Jeb Bush (Son) · Neil Bush (Son) · Marvin Bush (Son) · Dorothy Bush Koch (Daughter) · Robin Bush
• Education: Smith College · Rye Country Day School · Ashley Hall School
• Party: Republican Party