Governor Scott Walker issued the order flags to half-staff to honor former First Lady Barbara Bush who passed away Tuesday at 92 years old. Flags are to be lowered to half-staff beginning Wednesday, April 18 until sunset on the day of her internment.
“Barbara Bush was an amazing woman, who showed leadership and strength in all she did,” said Walker in a statement Wednesday. “On behalf of Wisconsin, Tonette and I send our prayers to the Bush family as America mourns her loss.”
Bush was only the second woman in the history of the United States to be both the wife and the mother of an American president. Her husband, George H. W. Bush, served as president from 1989 to 1993. Her son, George W. Bush, served as president from 2001 to 2009. Her son Jeb Bush served as Florida’s governor from 1999 to 2007 but was unsuccessful in seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2016.
Bush was known for her charitable efforts to promote literacy. She was also known for having a sharp tongue and strong opinions, although she mostly stayed away from public policy debates during her time as First Lady.
The text of the order to lower the flags to half-staff, Executive Order #285, is below:
EXECUTIVE ORDER #285
Relating to a Proclamation that the Flag of the United States and the Flag of the State of Wisconsin Be Flown at Half-Staff as a Mark of Respect for Barbara Bush, Former First Lady of the United States
WHEREAS, on April 17, 2018, Barbara Bush, former First Lady of the United States, passed away at the age of 92; and
WHEREAS, Barbara Bush, wife of President George H.W. Bush, served as First Lady during her husband’s presidency from 1989 to 1993, and was the mother of President George W. Bush; and
WHEREAS, Barbara Bush was a devoted and beloved First Lady who used her platform to champion literacy, launching the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy; and
WHEREAS, after her husband’s presidency, Barbara Bush continued to be an active and influential figure in American life, raising over $1 billion for literacy and cancer charities with her husband; and
WHEREAS, the people of the State of Wisconsin and the United States mourn the loss of former First Lady Barbara Bush;
NOW THEREFORE, I, SCOTT WALKER, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of this State, do hereby order that the flag of the United States and the flag of the State of Wisconsin shall be flown at half-staff at all buildings, grounds, and military installations of the State of Wisconsin, beginning at sunrise on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, and ending at sunset on the date of interment.
