Laura Lane Welch Bush (born November 4, 1946) is the wife of the forty-third (List of Presidents of the United States) President of the United States, George W. Bush, and was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001 to January 20, 2009.

Mrs. Bush has had a love for books and reading since childhood, and her life and education have reflected that interest. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1968 with a Bachelors degree in education, and soon took a job as a second grade school teacher. After attaining her Masters degree in Library Science at the University of Texas at Austin, she was employed as a librarian. She met George Walker Bush in 1977, and they were married later that year. In 1981, the couple had twin daughters.

Bushs political involvement began with her marriage. She campaigned in her husbands unsuccessful 1978 run for the United States Congress and later his successful Texas gubernatorial (Governor of Texas) campaign. As First Lady of Texas, Bush implemented many initiatives focused on health, education, and literacy. In 1999, she aided her husband in campaigning for the presidency of the United States in a number of ways, most notably delivering a keynote address at the 2000 Republican National Convention; this gained her national attention. She became first lady after her husband defeated Democrat (U.S. Democratic Party) Al Gore in the 2000 election (United States presidential election, 2000).

Polled by Gallup (The Gallup Organization) as one of the most popular first ladies, Laura Bush was involved in topics of both national and global concern during her tenure. She continued to advance her trademark interests of education and literacy by establishing the annual National Book Festival in 2001 and encouraged education on a worldwide scale. She also advanced womens causes through The Heart Truth and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She represented the United States during her foreign trips, which tended to focus on HIV/AIDS and malaria awareness.