George H.W. Bush's 75-Year-Old Love Letter to Wife Barbara Goes Viral
A hand-written love letter by then-future-President George H.W. Bush for his then-fiancée Barbara Pierce has gone viral. The note, dated Dec. 12, 1943, was sent when he was a U.S. Navy pilot during World War II.
Last Tuesday, it was announced that the former US first lady died at the age of 92 due to her poor health. Her son, George, the country's 43rd president, wrote in a statement how sad the family was due to her passing. He said, though, that their souls are settled because hers is now at peace.
In his note, he called Mrs. Bush a "fabulous" First Lady and a one-of-a-kind woman who brought "levity, love, and literacy" to many people. Bush also said that his mom kept them laughing until the end, even though it was tough for her. He thanked those who offered prayers for her soul.
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Mrs. Bush was a known literacy advocate even after her husband, George Sr., ended his term as president from 1989 to 1993. She founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy to help parents and children from underprivileged families to read and write. The former First Lady was also a staunch advocate of civil rights, even going against her husband's Republican party supporters about abortion rights.
Days after her death, presidential historian Michael Beschloss tweeted a letter to Mrs. Bush from her husband when he was still serving the Navy during the war. The note, written in blue ink on Navy stationery, began with a sweet greeting — "My darling Bar." Mr. Bush was talking about the announcement of their engagement in the newspaper and how happy he was to read it. The two met at a Christmas dance when she was 17 and he was 18. Mr. Bush, a naval aviator in training, was reportedly smitten when he saw the lady across the room. He fondly recalled that she was wearing a green and red holiday dress.
They got married on Jan. 6, 1945. Four months after, Mr. Bush was shot down over the Pacific. He was said to have her name on his Grumman Avenger torpedo bomber. The two were married for 73 years, making them the longest married presidential couple in U.S. history. Mr. Bush's letter was reportedly kept in his wife's scrapbook for years. Although he talked about the war, most of the content of the note was said to be his fervent wish to return to her as soon as possible.
"I love you, precious, with all my heart and to know that you love me means my life. How often I have thought about the immeasurable joy that will be ours someday. How lucky our children will be to have a mother like you. ... This may sound melodramatic, but if it does it is only my inadequacy to say what I mean. Bar, you have made my life full of everything I could ever dream of — my complete happiness should be a token of my love for you," part of his letter reads.
