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U.S Presidents — Gerald Ford

OVERVIEW Name: Gerald Ford President: # 38 Term Number(s): 47 Term Length: 2.4 Took Office: August 9, 1974 Left Office: January 20, 1977 Age when Elected: 61 Party: Republican Also Known As: "Jerry" BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION Education: University of Michigan (B.A.), Yale Law School (J.D.) Occupation: Lawyer Other Governmental Position: 40th Vice President of the United States, 16th United States House of Representatives Minority Leader, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 5th Congressional District. Military Service: Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy Religion: Episcopalianism Spouse(s): Elizabeth Bloomer Ford (October 15, 1948) Children: Michael Gerald Ford, John Gardner Ford, Steven Meigs Ford, Susan Elizabeth Ford Birthdate: July 14, 1913 Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska Deathdate: December 26, 1906 Deathplace: Rancho Mirage, California Age at Death: 93 Cause of Death: cerebrovascular disease and diffuse arteriosclerosis Place of Internment: Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan Signature FIRST ELECTION Election : Not elected President, succeeded President Richard Nixon CABINET AND COURT APPOINTMENTS Vice President: vacant, Nelson Rockefeller Secretary of State: Henry Kissinger (1974–1977) Secretary of the Treasury: William E. Simon (1974–1977) Secretary of Defense: James R. Schlesinger (1974–1975), Donald Rumsfeld (1975–1977) Secretary of the Interior: Rogers Morton (1974–1975), Stanley K. Hathaway (1975), Thomas S. Kleppe (1975–1977) Secretary of Agriculture: Earl Butz (1974–1976), John Albert Knebel (1976–1977) Secretary of Commerce: Frederick B. Dent (1974–1975), Rogers Morton (1975), Elliot Richardson (1975–1977) Secretary of Labor: Peter J. Brennan (1974–1975), John Thomas Dunlop (1975–1976), William Usery Jr. (1976–1977) Secretary of Health & Human Services: Caspar Weinberger (1974–75), F. David Mathews (1975–1977) Secretary of Housing & Urban Development: James Thomas Lynn (1974–1975), Carla Anderson Hills (1975–1977) Secretary of Transportation: Claude Brinegar (1974–1975), William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. (1975–1977) Attorney General: William Saxbe (1974–1975), Edward Levi (1975–1977) Supreme Court Assignments: John Paul Stevens (1975) PRESIDENT'S BIOGRAPHY When Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office on August 9, 1974, he declared, "I assume the presidency under extraordinary circumstances... This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts." It was indeed an unprecedented time. He had been the first vice president chosen under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, was succeeding the first president ever to resign. Ford was confronted with almost insuperable tasks. There were the challenges of mastering inflation, reviving a depressed economy, solving chronic energy shortages, and trying to ensure world peace. The president acted to curb the trend toward government intervention and spending as a means of solving the problems of American society and the economy. In the long run, he believed, this shift would bring a better life for all Americans. Ford's reputation for integrity and openness had made him popular during his 25 years in Congress. From 1965 to 1973, he was House Minority Leader. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1913, he grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He starred on the University of Michigan football team, then went to Yale University, where he served as assistant coach while earning his law degree. During World War II he attained the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy. After the war he returned to Grand Rapids, where he began the practice of law, and entered Republican politics. A few weeks before his election to Congress in 1948, he married Elizabeth Bloomer. They have four children: Michael, John, Steven, and Susan. As president, Ford tried to calm earlier controversies by granting former President Nixon a full pardon. His nominee for vice president, former Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, was the second person to fill that office by appointment. Gradually, Ford selected a cabinet of his own. Ford established his policies during his first year in office, despite opposition from a heavily Democratic Congress. His first goal was to curb inflation. Then, when recession became the nation's most serious domestic problem, he shifted to measures aimed at stimulating the economy. But, still fearing inflation, Ford vetoed a number of non-military appropriations bills that would have further increased the already heavy budgetary deficit. During his first 14 months as president, he vetoed 39 measures. His vetoes were usually sustained. Ford continued as he had in his congressional days to view himself as "a moderate in domestic affairs, a conservative in fiscal affairs, and a dyed-in-the-wool internationalist in foreign affairs." A major goal was to help business operate more freely by reducing taxes upon it and easing the controls exercised by regulatory agencies. "We...declared our independence 200 years ago, and we are not about to lose it now to paper shufflers and computers," he said. In foreign affairs Ford acted vigorously to maintain U.S. power and prestige after the collapse of Cambodia and South Vietnam. Preventing a new war in the Middle East remained a major objective; by providing aid to both Israel and Egypt, the Ford administration helped persuade the two countries to accept an interim truce agreement. Detente with the Soviet Union continued. President Ford and Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev set new limitations upon nuclear weapons. President Ford won the Republican nomination for the presidency in 1976, but lost the election to his Democratic opponent, former Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia. On Inauguration Day, President Carter began his speech, "For myself and for our nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land." A grateful people concurred. Ford retired to Rancho Mirage, California, where he died on December 26, 2006. FIRST LADY'S BIOGRAPHY Elizabeth Bloomer Ford In 25 years of political life, Betty Bloomer Ford did not expect to become first lady. As wife of Representative Gerald R. Ford, she looked forward to his retirement and more time together. In late 1973 his selection as Vice President was a surprise to her. She was just becoming accustomed to their new roles when he became President upon Mr. Nixon's resignation in August 1974. Born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in Chicago, she grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and graduated from high school there. She studied modern dance at Bennington College in Vermont, decided to make it a career, and became a member of Martha Graham's noted concert group in New York City, supporting herself as a fashion model for the John Robert Powers firm. Close ties with her family and her home town took her back to Grand Rapids, where she became fashion coordinator for a department store. She also organized her own dance group and taught dance to handicapped children. Her first marriage, at age 24, ended in divorce five years later on the grounds of incompatibility. Not long afterward she began dating Jerry Ford, football hero, graduate of the University of Michigan and Yale Law School, and soon a candidate for Congress. They were married during the 1948 campaign; he won his election; and the Fords lived in the Washington area for nearly three decades thereafter. Their four children—Michael, Jack, Steven, and Susan—were born in the next ten years. As her husband's political career became more demanding, Betty Ford found herself shouldering many of the family responsibilities. She supervised the home, did the cooking, undertook volunteer work, and took part in the activities of "House wives" and "Senate wives" for Congressional and Republican clubs. In addition, she was an effective campaigner for her husband. Mrs. Ford faced her unexpected new life as first lady, accepting it as a challenge. "I like challenges very much," she said. She had the self-confidence to express herself with humor and forthrightness whether speaking to friends or to the public. Forced to undergo radical surgery for breast cancer in 1974, she reassured many troubled women by discussing her ordeal openly. She explained, "Maybe if I as first lady could talk about it candidly and without embarrassment, many other people would be able to as well." As soon as possible, she resumed her duties as hostess at the executive mansion and her role as a public-spirited citizen. Mrs. Ford did not hesitate to state her views on controversial issues such as the Equal Rights Amendment, which she strongly supported. From their home in California, Mrs. Ford was equally frank about her successful battle against dependency on drugs and alcohol. She helped establish the Betty Ford Center for treatment of this problem at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. Mrs. Ford has described the role of first lady as "much more than a 24-hour job than anyone would guess" and says of her predecessors, "Now that I realize what they've had to put up with, I have new respect and admiration for every one of them." MAJOR EVENTS 1974: Nixon is granted a full and unconditional pardon by President Ford. 1974: Campaign Reform Law is passed. 1975–1976: Communist victory in Southeast Asia. 1975: Helsinki Agreement; accord is reached between Communist bloc and Western nations. TRIVIA 1. Gerald Ford's birthname was Leslie Lynch King, Jr. 2. Ford enjoyed swimming laps in the White House pool and once gave a press conference while swimming. 3. Ford once worked as a fashion model.