The Other Children of George and Barbara Bush

Think You Know the Bush Family? Think Again

We're all familiar with the famous children of the Bush family (President George W. Bush and Florida Governor Jeb Bush). But are you familiar with the other children of George and Barbara Bush?

President and Mrs. Bush had six children: George W. (the oldest child), Pauline Robinson Bush known as "Robin," John Ellis Bush nicknamed "Jeb," Neil Mallon Bush, Marvin Pierce Bush, and Dorothy Bush, whose nickname is "Doro."

Below, you will find information about the lesser-known children of George and Barbara Bush.

Robin Bush (1949-1953): Deceased Daughter of George and Barbara Bush

Pauline Robinson "Robin" Bush was born in 1949, the second child of George and Barbara Bush, after the birth of George W. in 1946. Sadly, she was diagnosed with advanced leukemia when she was just 3 years old. Her parents took her to New York City for treatments, however, she passed away just two months before her fourth birthday. There was no funeral for Robin as her remains were donated to science to be used for research in the hope that a cure for leukemia would be found. Her maternal grandfather placed a small headstone for Robin in his family cemetery in Greenwich, Connecticut. Many years later, the headstone was moved to the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University which will be the final resting place of her parents.

Neil Mallon Bush

Neil was born in 1955 after the birth of Jeb and the death of Robin, both of which occurred in 1953. He struggled throughout school until he was diagnosed with dyslexia. Barbara worked long and hard with Neil to overcome his disability and he later graduated from Tulane University with an MBA.

He is the chairman of Points of Light Institute which is a foundation that promotes volunteering for worthy causes around the world.

During his father's term as Vice President, Neil served on the board of directors of Silverado Savings and Loan prior to its collapse which cost taxpayers 1.3 billion dollars. The investigation revealed that Neil had questionable activities involving numerous conflicts of interest. Surprisingly, he was not indicted on criminal charges. The FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.) brought civil charges against him which were settled out of court resulting in a payment of $50,000 as his part of the settlement. A Republican fundraising effort was made to help Neil with the costs of these dealings.

A highly publicized divorce from his wife of 23 years, Sharon, brought to light that Neil had contracted STD herpes from high-priced prostitutes in Hong Kong and Thailand. A year later he married his current wife, Maria, who claimed that he was the father of her 2-year-old son.

Marvin Pierce Bush

Born in 1956, Marvin is a venture capitalist and until 2000, he served on the board of directors for Securacom, a company that maintained security for the World Trade Center Towers. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Towers, Securacom and Marvin Bush were severely criticized in the media.

Marvin, the Bush's youngest son, now leads a relatively private life, as much as possible as a member of such a powerful American political family. He received a BS degree from the University of Virginia. He and his wife, Margaret have two adopted children.

Dorothy Bush Koch

Dorothy, nicknamed Doro, was born in 1959 and is the youngest of the George and Barbara Bush children. She is married to Robert Koch, President of the Wine Institute who was formerly an aide to House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt, which is ironic considering the Bush family is staunchly Republican. Dorothy has a BA degree in Sociology from Boston College. She has two children with Koch and two from a previous marriage.

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Dorothy lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and serves with her brother, Jeb, as co-chair of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She played a major fundraising role in her brother's two presidential campaigns. She is also the author of the book My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H. W. Bush.

This content reflects the personal opinions of the author. It is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and should not be substituted for impartial fact or advice in legal, political, or personal matters.

Questions & Answers

Question: Is George Bush's wife Mexican?

Answer: No, neither Barbara Bush or Laura Bush are Mexican.

Question: How many children did George and Barbara Bush have?

Answer: They had six children. Five of them reached adulthood. One child, a daughter called Robin, passed away as a child.

Question: is Dorothy's husband one of the Koch brothers?

Answer: No, Dorothy's husband is not one of the Koch brothers.

The brothers' names are David (born 1940) and Charles (born 1935). Their parents were Fred and Mary Koch.

Dorothy's husband is Robert "Bobby" Koch born in 1960. His father was George William Koch.

I am unaware of any relation between the two Koch families.

Question: Barbara Bush has how many grandchildren?

Answer: Mrs. Bush had 14 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Question: What basic information do you have about Jeb Bush?

Answer: Jeb's real name is John Ellis Bush. His nickname consists of his initials, "Jeb". He was the governor of Florida and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. presidency.

Question: Who is Robert Koch?

Answer: He is the husband of Dorothy, the daughter of George and Barbara Bush.

Question: Were Barbara Bush's children at her funeral?

Answer: Yes, her children were there.

Question: How many great-grandchildren did Barbara Bush have?

Answer: Mrs. Bush had 8 great-grandchildren.

Question: What church did George and Barbara Bush attend?

Answer: They attended St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston.

Question: Did George and Barbara Bush have an adopted daughter?

Answer: No, they did not have an adopted daughter. However, they did have an adopted granddaughter named Marshall Bush.

Question: Did Barbara Bush have grandchildren?

Answer: Yes, she had several.

Question: What is the pattern of First Lady, Barbara Bush's, white house china?

Answer: That is a great question but I am afraid I couldn't find an answer for you. Some of the first ladies didn't order their own pattern and Barbara Bush may be one that didn't. I was in the dish room at the White House during her son's administration and I don't remember seeing a display of her china.

My favorite pattern is Hillary Clinton's china followed by Mamie Eisenhower's and Nancy Reagan's dishes. Of the older first ladies, I like Sarah Polk's pattern best. She was in the White House from 1845 to 1849.

The patterns I like least are Michelle Obama's, Rosalynn Carter's and Harriet Lane's. Harriet served as first lady for her uncle, President Buchanan. You can see a picture of her pattern in an article I wrote at https://owlcation.com/humanities/Harriet-Lane

Question: What is Barbara Bush's maiden name?

Answer: Her maiden name was Pierce.

Question: Did any of Barbara Bush's grandchildren die?

Answer: No, none of her grandchildren have died. Perhaps, you are thinking of Barbara Bush's daughter, Robin, who died when she was four-years-old.

Question: Is Sofia Bush related to George and Barbara Bush?

Answer: No, she is not related to the president's family.

Question: What number is Jeb Bush in the family?

Answer: Jeb was the third child born to George and Barbara Bush. George W. Bush was born in 1946 and Robin Bush (who is deceased) was born in 1949. Jeb was born in 1953.

Question: How many children do Jeb Bush and his wife have?

Answer: Jeb Bush and his wife Columba have 3 children.

Question: Where was the wife of Jeb Bush born?

Answer: Colomba Bush was born in Leon, Mexico.

Question: Who are the twin daughters of George W. Bush?

Answer: George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, have two twin daughters named Barbara and Jenna.

Question: What is the birth order of the Bush children?

Answer: George W., Robin, Jeb, Neil, Marvin and Dorothy is the birth order.

Question: What religion was George H. W. Bush?

Answer: Bush was raised in the Episcopal Church. He supported prayer in schools and the pro-life movement.

Question: Who are "Margaret Bush and Margaret Bush" on the invitee list to the funeral of Barbara Bush?

Answer: That entry was an error on the attendee's list for the funeral. It should have read "Marvin and Margaret Bush". Marvin is the son of Barbara Bush and Margaret is his wife.

Question: Who is the oldest grandson of George and Barbara Bush?

Answer: George Prescott Bush, born in 1976, is the son of Jeb Bush.

Question: Did George and Barbara Bush adopt any children?

Answer: No, they did not adopt any children. However, they did have 2 adopted grandchildren.

Question: How tall are the Bush boys?

Answer: George W. Bush is 6'0" tall and Jeb Bush is 6'3" tall. I'm sorry, I don't know the height of brothers Marvin and Neil Bush.

Question: Is the wife of Jeb Bush Hispanic?

Answer: Columba Bush, wife of Jeb Bush, was born in Mexico.

Question: Did George and Barbara Bush have an adopted child that they raised for a maid?

Answer: No, they did not have an adopted child. However, they did have an adopted granddaughter and grandson, children of Marvin Bush.

Question: Why is Jeb Bush not mentioned in your article describing the Bush children?

Answer: The article is intended to give information about the lesser known children of George and Barbara Bush. Most people know about George W. and Jeb, however, the other children are not familiar to most people.

Question: Did George and Barbara Bush adopt a daughter?

Answer: No, they did not have an adopted daughter. However, they did have an adopted granddaughter named Marshall Bush.

Question: Was Marvin Bush at his mom's funeral?

Answer: Yes, Marvin and his wife Margaret were at the funeral.

Question: Where was Barbara Bush from?

Answer: Mrs. Bush was born in New York City and grew up in Rye, NY.

Question: Were Marvin and Neil Bush at the funeral of Mrs. Barbara Bush?

Answer: Yes, they both were there. Marvin's name was incorrect on the official guest list. He and his wife, Margaret, should have both been listed. By mistake, their names were shown as Margaret and Margaret Bush.

Question: What was Dorothy Bush's first husband's name?

Answer: The name of Dorothy's first husband was William LeBlond.

Question: What is the name of Jeb Bush's wife?

Answer: Mrs. Jeb Bush's first name is Columba.

Question: Is Jeb Bush’s wife Mexican?

Answer: She was born in Mexico but is an American citizen.

Question: How many grandchildren did Barbara Bush have?

Answer: Mrs. Bush had 14 grandchildren. George W. has 2 children, Jeb has 3, Neil has 3, Marvin has 2 and Dorothy has 4.

Thank you for your question and for reading my article.

Question: Where does Marvin Bush live now?

Answer: Virginia

Question: How many grandchildren and great-grandchildren did Barbara Bush have?

Answer: George and Barbara Bush had 17 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

© 2012 Thelma Raker Coffone