Sally Bush (October 29, 1860 – November 3, 1946) was an American photographer also known for her quiet philanthropy, especially her generosity toward hungry people during the Great Depression of the 1930s. She also served as her father's hostess at their home,

Bush House Bush House is a Grade II listed building at the southern end of Kingsway between Aldwych and the Strand in London. It was conceived as a major new trade centre by American industrialist Irving T. Bush, and commissioned, designed, funded, a ...

in Salem, Oregon, in the United States.

Early life and education

Sally Bush, daughter of

Asahel Bush Asahel Bush (June 4, 1824 – December 23, 1913) was an American newspaper publisher and businessman in Salem, Oregon. As publisher of the ''Oregon Statesman'' newspaper, he moved the paper to Salem when the territorial capital moved to that city. ...

and Eugenia (Zieber)Born in Salem, Bush was the third of their four children. When she was almost three years old, her mother died of tuberculosis in 1863. She attended Sacred Heart Academy in Salem, and graduated high school from Moravian Seminary in

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

. After attending Martha Burnham school in Northampton, Massachusetts, she graduated from Smith College in 1883. While she was still at Smith, she assisted her father in choosing wallpaper and other furnishings and budgeted their money for the new Bush residence in Salem, Oregon. It was eventually completed in 1887.

"Lady of the House"

For the next thirty years, Bush hosted guests from the town, as well as her father's business and political acquaintances. She was also

...the loving caretaker of the home; the hostess at her father's dinner parties; the avid gardener, cultivating the flowers of the newly constructed Conservatory near the house, managing the vegetable beds and fruit trees on the property; the animal lover, tending to the cows and other farmyard creatures, caring for the dogs and cats — particularly the cats — which people left at her doorstep, knowing that each would be given a home.

She "carried on her many charities without ostentation", encouraging and sometimes financing the early careers of young writers and artists. Although she was a "complete vegetarian", she offered guests main courses of fish, fowl or meat, as well as many vegetable choices. She was a member of the Salem Garden Club and the Unitarian Church. Bush purchased a 1909 Baker electric car, but stopped driving it after her first outing, when she drove it through the front window of a local pharmacy. Subsequently, chauffeurs drove the car. By 1912, she had become the vice president of the Ladd and Bush bank established by her father.

Photography

Along with her brother A. N. Bush, Sally Bush became a proficient photographer. The Salem Public Library archives include over 2200 of their photographs, more than half taken by her, some using glass plate negatives. She created both portraits and candid photos of her friends and family, Bush House, the grounds, and conservatory.

Legacy

Bush is remembered as "a kind, generous, and compassionate woman, always prepared to assist families in need of food or clothing," focusing much of their legacy in "quiet philanthropy." In her honor, the Bush House Museum has established an annual Sally Bush Memorial Food Drive, in conjunction with the "Women Ending Hunger" campaign of the Marion-Polk Food Share. She has also been honored for her stewardship of Bush's Pasture Park and Historic Deepwood Estate, in an exhibition at the Bush Barn Art Center, ''Parks for People: Lord and Schryver's Legacy''.

References

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