Character Matters: And Other Life Lessons from George H.W. Bush, 2024

Jean Becker grew up on a family farm in Martinsburg, Missouri and was valedictorian of her country high school. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 1978 with a bachelor’s in journalism and a bachelor’s in arts with a major in political science. Before joining the Bush White House staff in 1989, Ms. Becker was a newspaper reporter for 10 years. Ms. Becker served as deputy press secretary to First Lady Barbara Bush from 1989 to 1992. After, she moved to Houston to help Mrs. Bush with her autobiography, Barbara Bush, A Memoir.  Jean Becker served as the chief of staff for George H.W. Bush from March 1, 1994, until his death on November 30, 2018. She oversaw such events as the opening of the George Bush Presidential Library Center in 1997 and the commissioning of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier in January 2009 and coordinating his special projects such as the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund. Ms. Becker is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H.W. Bush’s Post Presidency. Her most recent book, Character Matters: And Other Life Lessons from George H.W. Bush, was published in April 2024.