Marvin Pierce

Marvin Pierce (June 17, 1893 – July 17, 1969) was president of McCall Corporation, the publisher of the popular women's magazines Redbook and McCall's.

He was the father of United States First Lady Barbara Pierce Bush and the maternal grandfather of President George W. Bush and Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

Spouses

Pauline Robinson (1918–1949, her death)
Willa Martin (1952–1969, his death)

Early life

Marvin Pierce was born on June 17, 1893 in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, to Mabel (née Marvin; 1869–?) and Scott Pierce (1866–?). Mr Pierce was an insurance salesman in Dayton, Ohio. His ancestor Thomas Pierce (1618–1683), an early New England colonist, was also an ancestor of Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States. Marvin was a 1916 graduate of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, he was nicknamed "Monk" and was a stand-out athlete in football, basketball, baseball and tennis. He was inducted into Miami's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1972. He also received graduate degrees from MIT in civil engineering and from Harvard in architectural engineering.

Career

Pierce served as the president of McCall Corporation, the publisher of the popular women's magazines Redbook and McCall's.

Personal life

Pierce's first marriage (August 1918) was to Pauline Robinson who was born on 28 April 1896 to Ohio Supreme Court justice, James E. Robinson and his wife Lulu Dell Flickinger and died on 23 September 1949. They had four children together:

• Martha Pierce Rafferty (1920–1999)
• James Pierce (1921–1993)
• Barbara Pierce Bush (1925–2018), First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993.[1]
• Scott Pierce (born 1930) – named for his grandfather

W magazine once described Pauline Robinson as "beautiful, fabulous, critical, and meddling" and "a former beauty from Ohio with extravagant tastes". On 23 September 1949, Pauline was killed in an automobile accident in Harrison, Westchester County, New York, when Marvin, who was driving the car, lost control as he reached over to stop a cup of hot coffee from sliding across the seat onto his wife. The car crashed into a tree on Purchase St, killing Pauline instantly at 8:12 a.m. She was 53 years old.

Their third child, Barbara Pierce, later became the wife of the 41st President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, mother of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush.

Pierce's second marriage (June 1952) was to Willa Gray Martin (1911–2006), an artist and Associated Pressreporter.

Death and legacy

Pierce died on July 17, 1969 at Rye, New York (aged 76) and was interred at Greenwood Union Cemetery. Marvin Pierce Bush, one of Barbara's sons, is named after him.