Time in Office: August 1974 to January 1977
Terms: One +
Birthday: July 14, 1913
Birth Place: Omaha, Nebraska
Date of Death: December 28, 2006
Place of Death: At his home – Rancho Mirage, California
Buried: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Notes:
~ Didn’t meet his biological father until he was 17
~ An Eagle Scout
~ An excellent athlete and football player
~ An avid golfer – once shot a hole-in-one
~ Turned down offers to play in the NFL
~ Was a member of the Freemasons
~ Never elected to be either President or Vice President
~ Made the first visit of a sitting US President to Japan
~ Survived two assassination attempts
~ Longest-lived US President – 93 years, 165 days
~ Was the last surviving member of the Warren Commission
Quote: “The length of one’s days matters less than the love of one’s family and friends.”
I felt a bit sorry for Gerald Ford. The man tripped once in 1975 while heading down the stairs of Air Force One and was forever after “bullied” by the Press and the media as a “klutz.” How likely is it that the only US President ever drafted by the NFL while in college was a “klutz”?
Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr., America’s 38th President, was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr in Omaha, Nebraska – 1913. His mother divorced his father, remarried in 1916, and although “Leslie” was never formally adopted by his new stepfather, his name was legally changed in 1935. He was raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he was an Eagle Scout and captain of his high school football team.
Gerald attended the University of Michigan, played football – where he was scouted by NFL recruiters – and washed dishes to pay his college expenses. Ford applied to and was eventually accepted at Yale Law School in 1938. He graduated and began practicing law in 1941, but due to World War II in 1942, he enlisted in the Navy. He reported for duty at Annapolis, attended further traning in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and then served with distinction aboard the carrier USS Monterey. He finished out his military career as an instructor and on staff in California and Illinois. He resigned June 1946.
In 1948 Gerald married the former model and dancer, Elizabeth Bloomer Warren and over the next 9 years they had 4 children – 3 sons and one daughter. This coincided with his first election as Representative – a role he held for the next 25 years.
In 1963 he was appointed to the Warren Commission which investigated the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He also served as House Minority Leader from 1965 to 1973.
In October 1973 the then Vice President, Spiro Agnew, was forced to resign on bribery charges he faced as Governor of Maryland, Ford was selected to replace him. While the Ford family was still waiting to be moved into the Vice President’s residence, “Watergate” erupted and Ford was told to prepare himself to take over as President. When Nixon resigned August 1974, Gerald R. Ford, never voted in as Vice President, became the 38th President of the United States.
Countries visited by Gerald Ford in 1974: (He first visited China in 1972.)
~ Mexico ~Japan ~Korea ~USSR ~France ~Belgium ~Spain ~Austria
In 1975:
~Belgium ~Spain ~Austria ~Italy ~Germany ~Poland ~Finland ~Romania ~France ~China ~Indonesia ~Phillipines
He stayed in the United States for all of 1976.
Ford faced many trials as President – from the controversy over the Nixon pardon to a crushing economy. Add to this a swine flu epidemic, the ending of the Vietnam War, and the subsequent management of final evacuations. Ford was a somewhat reluctant candidate in the 1976 Presidential election which he lost to Jimmy Carter.
Ford’s Presidential Travel
After his Presidency, Gerald Ford remained politically active, briefly considered a run for the Presidency in 1980, and was also considered as a Vice Presidential candidate to Ronald Reagan in that same year.
The Ford family was energetic and athletic. Deep-sea fishing in the Bahamas; skiing in Vail, Colorado and in Utah, and for the President – golf and tennis.
Gerald Ford is the one and only President I’ve seen in person. I attended the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am Golf Tournament in Pebble Beach, California in 1977 where President Ford was playing. A ball he hit landed within 5 feet of where I was standing. As he walked up to take his next shot he said, “Excuse me for temporarily blocking your view.” There’s even a YouTube available of this 34-year old golf event believe it or not!
President Gerald R. Ford died December 26, 2006 of arteriosclerosis. He was 93. He was buried at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. His wife Betty died July 8 2011, also aged 93, and is buried alongside her husband.
Links:
Ford Presidential Library and Museum
Gerald R. Ford International Airport
President Ford’s Daily Diaries
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
The Betty Ford Center
Next: America’s 39th President – James Earl Carter
Prior: Richard M. Nixon, 37th President of the United States