First Lady Laura Bush speaking at Washington, D.C. announcement of the launch of a new historic preservation initiative, Preserve America, emphasizing, through grants and awards, the development of federal, state, local partnerships to promote preservation of, and greater public use of, historic sites

Laura Lane Welch Bush (born November 4, 1946) is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, and was the First Lady from 2001 to 2009. Bush graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in education, and took a job as a second grade teacher. After attaining her master's degree in library science at the University of Texas at Austin, she was employed as a librarian. Bush is of English, French, and Swiss ancestry. Her father was a home builder and later successful real estate developer, while her mother worked as the bookkeeper for her father's business.