Dorothy Bush Koch

Dorothy Bush Koch
Dorothy Bush Koch at the 2006 Texas Book Festival.
Born	Dorothy Walker Bush August 18, 1959 Harris County, Texas, U.S.
Residence	Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Alma mater	Boston College (Bachelor of Arts)
Religion	Episcopal
Spouse(s)	William LeBlond (1982–1990) Robert P. Koch (1992–present)
Children	Sam (b. 1984) and Ellie (b. 1986) (LeBlond) Robert (b. 1993) and Gigi (b. 1996) (Koch)
Parent(s)	George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush
Relatives	George W. Bush (brother) Pauline Robinson Bush (sister) John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (brother) Neil Mallon Bush (brother) Marvin Bush (brother)

Dorothy Walker Bush Koch, often called "Doro", (born August 18, 1959) is an American author and philanthropist.^[1] She is the daughter of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush, and the youngest sibling of George W. Bush, the 43rd President.

Early life

Bush Family in the early 1960s. Dorothy on far left.

Dorothy Walker Bush was born on August 18, 1959 in Harris County, Texas. Her father, George H. W. Bush, served as the 41st President of the United States and her mother, Barbara Bush, was the First Lady. She was named after her paternal grandmother, Dorothy Walker Bush. Her brother, George W. Bush, served as the 43rd President of the United States. Her other four siblings are Jeb Bush, Neil Bush, Marvin Bush, and Pauline Robinson Bush, who died of leukemia in 1953. Since she was a child, she has spent summers and holidays at the Bush compound, a sprawling estate in Kennebunkport, Maine.

She was educated at Miss Porter's School, a private all-girl college preparatory school in Farmington, Connecticut.

In 1975, during a visit to Beijing, she became the first person publicly baptized in the People's Republic of China since its government began discouraging foreign religious practices in 1949.^[2]

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Boston College in 1982.^[3]

Career and volunteer work

She serves as an event-organizer and fundraiser for charities and other non-profit organizations. She currently serves as co-chair of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy along with her brother Jeb Bush. She has also served as a pioneer fundraiser for her brother's presidential campaigns.^[4]

She is the author of the book My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H.W. Bush.

She sponsored the commission of USS George H.W. Bush, her father's namesake. On January 10, 2009, she gave the first orders to the ship's company at Norfolk, Virginia.^[5]

Personal life

In 1982, she married William Heekin LeBlond (b. January 11, 1957). They had two children, Samuel Bush (b. 1984) and Nancy Ellis (b. 1986). They divorced in 1990.^[6]

In June 1992, she married Robert P. Koch (b. 1960). The wedding took place at Camp David. They have two children, Robert David (b. 1993) and Georgia Grace (b. 1996). Robert P. Koch was an aide to House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt, and is a lobbyist and president of the Wine Institute.^[7] He has a substantial equity interest in Central European Distribution Corp., a company that manufactures and distributes vodka in Poland.^[8]

She resides in Bethesda, Maryland with her family.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Dorothy Bush Koch

16. James Smith Bush               8. Samuel P. Bush                       17. Harriet Eleanor Fay               4. Prescott Bush, U.S. Senator from Connecticut                             18. Robert Emmet Sheldon               9. Flora Sheldon                       19. Mary Elizabeth Butler               2. George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States                                   20. David Davis Walker               10. George Herbert Walker                       21. Martha Adela Beaky               5. Dorothy Walker                             22. James Hutchenson Wear               11. Lucretia Wear                       23. Nanny Eliza Holliday               1. Dorothy Walker Bush Koch                                         24. Jonas James Pierce               12. Scott Pierce                       25. Kate Pritzel               6. Marvin Pierce                             26. Jerome Place Marvin               13. Mabel Marvin                       27. Martha Anne Stokes               3. Barbara Pierce                                   28. John W. Robinson               14. James E. Robinson                       29. Sarah Coe               7. Pauline Robinson                             30. Jacob Marion Flickinger               15. Lula Dell Flickinger                       31. Sarah Haines

References

1. Texas Births, 1926-1995 Family Tree Legends
2. Wead, Doug. All the Presidents' Children. Atria (January 6, 2004), p.291.
3. "Teacher Weds Dorothy Bush". The New York Times. September 2, 1982. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
4. Bush Donor Profile: Dorothy Bush Koch Texans For Public Justice
5. "Aircraft Carrier Named the USS George H.W. Bush Commissioned". Fox News. January 10, 2009.
6. Knight-Ridder News Service (June 26, 1992). "A Bush wedding is under wraps". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
7. "Wine Institute of California announces Robert P. Koch as President and Chief Executive Officer". PRNewswire (Press release). June 12, 2003.
8. "Central European Distribution Corp". Company Profile. US SEC. 2006-02-06. Retrieved 2007-12-22.