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Laura Bush is the wife of 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush. She served as first lady from 2001 to 2009.

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This time, he won, and Laura Bush was thrust into the public arena of being the state's first lady. Still a reluctant speaker, Laura developed more confidence and began to take advantage of her elevated position to support causes and projects important to her. She successfully lobbied for the state funding of early reading, literacy and early childhood development programs. She also supported breast cancer awareness, and raised nearly $1 million for public libraries.

In early 2000,

George W. Bush began his campaign for the U.S. presidency. Laura Bush enthusiastically supported her husband, appearing at rallies and avoiding controversy during the campaign. She made her first major national speech at the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. Bush went on to win the closest presidential race in American history against his Democratic opponent, Al Gore.

Although Laura planned to keep a low profile as first lady, national events made that nearly impossible. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks riveted attention on the Bush Administration, and Laura joined her husband in comforting the nation. In the aftermath of the attacks, she addressed parents' anxiety and fear over how the event affected their children. She frequently spoke about ways parents could comfort their families traumatized by the event.

During her first term as first lady, Laura Bush continued to lend support to education, childhood development and teacher training. In January 2002, she testified before the Senate Committee on Education, calling for higher teachers' salaries and better training for Head Start programs. She created a national initiative called "Ready to Read * Ready to Learn" to promote reading at an early age. Additionally, she lobbied to continue work on saving America's national treasures, and supported the "Preserve America" campaign.

During the 2004 campaign, Laura dramatically elevated her public role as first lady by delivering a major policy speech at the Republican National Convention, and later, during the campaign, by speaking about major policy accomplishments and goals of the Bush Administration. Such speeches are usually left for office holders and political supporters. After Bush's win, Laura increased her activities by leading initiatives in health, literacy and gender equality. She traveled to Afghanistan to promote a new teacher-training institute for Afghan women. In 2005, she spoke at the World Economic Forum, emphasizing the link between education and fostering democracy.

Throughout the final years of George W. Bush's second term, Laura continued to support women's health. In 2007, the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health was founded at Texas Tech University. Traveling around the county, Laura spoke at events on the importance of early detection of heart disease. In October 2007, she traveled to the Middle East in an attempt to improve America's image by highlighting concern for women's health and promoting breast cancer awareness.

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