Barbara Bush stamp is latest in USPS' presidential tradition of living history | Opinion
The history of presidential stamps goes back to 1847 – as soon as Congress authorized US postage.
A postage stamp is a small but mighty canvas, sealing history onto every envelope with a historic image, vibrant ink and adhesive. When these miniature tributes bring to our everyday lives the leaders who shaped America, they transform a routine act of mailing a letter into a celebration of the nation’s past.
This June, Barbara Bush joined an elite group of first ladies honored on U.S. postage. Her stamp, released for public sale June 10 in Kennebunkport, Maine ‒ her cherished summer haven and home to the Bush family compound ‒ marks what would have been her 100th birthday. Featuring her official White House portrait painted by Chas Fagan, the stamp reminds us of Mrs. Bush’s legacy as a tireless advocate for literacy and family.
At the May 8 White House ceremony revealing the design, first lady Melania Trump praised Barbara Bush, saying, “Mrs. Bush’s legacy is marked by her respect for tradition while also breaking with convention. While she is known for championing literacy, she also supported women’s empowerment, changed the national conversation on AIDS and took a stance supporting gay rights."
Who was the first president on US stamps?
The tradition of presidential stamps began in 1847 as soon as Congress authorized U.S. postage.
One of the first issues showcased George Washington, his image on a 10-cent stamp from Gilbert Stuart’s iconic portrait. Washington reigns as the most depicted figure in U.S. stamp history, gracing over 300 issues. A rare 1922 green 3-cent Washington stamp recently sold for over $15,000. Our first president’s allure continues to this day.
And in 1902, Martha Washington became the first American woman on a U.S. stamp, featured on an 8-cent issue and later on an unusual 1½-cent denomination. Other first lady stamps followed, including Dolley Madison, Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lady Bird Johnson, Nancy Reagan and Betty Ford. Eleanor Roosevelt, like Barbara Bush, was honored on her 100th birthday with her global humanitarian work etched into postal history.
For some presidents, postal commemoration is especially befitting.
Stamps were a lifelong passion of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who began collecting at age 8 ‒ a hobby sparked by his mother’s own collection. Over his lifetime, he amassed 1.2 million stamps, finding solace in collecting during his recovery from polio and the crushing demands of leading America through the Great Depression and World War II.
“I owe my life to my hobbies ‒ especially stamp collecting,” FDR declared.
As president, he sketched stamp designs and brainstormed with Postmaster General James A. Farley.
In 1938, FDR championed the “Presidential Series,” or “Prexies,” featuring every deceased president to that time, from George Washington to Calvin Coolidge. A nationwide contest yielded the designs, with the winner earning $500 and making Elaine Rawlinson the first woman to have designed a U.S. stamp.
FDR’s legacy was swiftly honored with four stamps months after his 1945 death.
Stamp on our collective memory: Remembering US presidents through postage
Tragedy elevates some tributes. A 5-cent stamp for John F. Kennedy, issued after his 1963 assassination, bears an eternal flame and his inaugural words: “And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.”
Printed in mournful black, it mirrors the somber design for Abraham Lincoln, another president felled by violence.
Stamps and special “first day of issue” postmarks meaningful to collectors and fans alike are often issued at sites connected to the honoree, like their presidential library. Richard Nixon’s 1995 stamp was issued in Yorba Linda, California, site of his birthplace and library. George H.W. Bush was honored June 12, 2019, at his presidential library in College Station, Texas, a half-year after his state funeral burial.
Today, every U.S. president is commemorated on a stamp within a year of passing. No living person is eligible; other people, including first ladies, can be honored on a stamp three years after death.
No matter who the honoree or when, stamps are more than memorabilia. The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum calls them a “looking glass” into the nation’s leaders, citizens and landscapes.
FDR believed stamps could broaden knowledge and enrich lives, a truth felt each time we press one to an envelope.
From George and Martha Washington to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt to George and Barbara Bush, these tiny portraits keep America’s iconic leaders at our fingertips, their contributions to history forever stamped on our collective memory.
Stewart D. McLaurin is president of the White House Historical Association, a private nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, and is director of The People’s House: A White House Experience multimedia educational center and museum.