Gerald Ford

President of the United States from 1974 to 1977 (1913-2006) · United States · Politicians · Died at 93

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The only president never elected to the office or the vice presidency - he inherited both jobs through resignation, then pardoned the man whose downfall put him there.

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A life in dates

2006Died26 December 20062001Profile in Courage AwardAward1999Presidential Medal of FreedomAward1997Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st ClassAward1994“Tell the truth, work hard, and come to dinner on time.”In their wordsAs quoted in Time and Chance (1994) by James Cannon, p. 411.Read the whole statement

1983Horatio Alger AwardAward1977Francis Boyer AwardAward1975Theodore Roosevelt AwardAward1974“It's the quality of the ordinary, the straight, the square, that accounts for the great stability and success of our nation. It's a quality to be proud of.”In their words28 January 1974As quoted by Time magazine (28 January 1974)Read the whole statement

President of the United StatesOffice1974-19771973“He's the smartest guy in Congress, but he insists on voting his conscience instead of party.”In their wordsRemarks about John B. Anderson in 1973, later quoted in an Anderson 1980 Presidential campaign adRead the whole statement

“I believe in friendly compromise. I said over in the Senate hearings that truth is the glue that holds government together. Compromise is the oil that makes governments go.”In their words15 November 1973During hearings before the US House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, on his nomination to be Vice-President (15 November 1973)Read the whole statement

Vice President of the United StatesOffice1973-19741970“We have come tardily to the tremendous task of cleaning up our environment. We should have moved with similar zeal at least a decade ago. But no purpose is served by post-mortems.”In their words22 April 1970Earth Day address, Grand Rapids, Michigan (22 April 1970); published in Gerald R. Ford, Selected Speeches (1973) edited by Michael V. DoyleRead the whole statement

1966“Too often critics seem more intent on seeking new ways to alter Congress than to truly learn how it functions.”In their words3 November 1966Address at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (3 November 1966); published in Gerald R. Ford,Selected Speeches (1973) editedRead the whole statement

1949United States representativeOffice1949-19731927Eagle ScoutAward1913Born14 July 1913

Also in Deutsch

Photos 12

Ford in 1916; at age 3

Ford as a center on the University of Michigan Wolverines football team, 1933

The Gunnery officers of USS Monterey, 1943. Ford is second from the right, in the front row.

A billboard for Ford's 1948 congressional campaign from Michigan's 5th district

The Warren Commission (Ford 4th from left) presents its report to President Johnson (1964).

In their own words 10

Gerald Ford

10 statements, newest first

Tell the truth, work hard, and come to dinner on time.
1994, As quoted in Time and Chance (1994) by James Cannon, p. 411., Own words
I know well the coequal role of the Congress in our constitutional process. I love the House of Representatives.
Aug 12, 1974, Address to a joint session of Congress (August 12, 1974); in Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Gerald R. Ford, 1974,, Own words
It's the quality of the ordinary, the straight, the square, that accounts for the great stability and success of our nation. It's a quality to be proud of.
Jan 28, 1974, As quoted by Time magazine (28 January 1974), Own words

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Awards

Profile in Courage Award2001

Presidential Medal of Freedom1999

Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class1997

Horatio Alger Award1983

Francis Boyer Award1977

Theodore Roosevelt Award1975

Eagle Scout1927

Congressional Gold Medal

World War II Victory Medal

Doctor Honoris Causa of Keiō University

Honorary Doctor of the Ohio State University

American Campaign Medal

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

Distinguished Eagle Scout Award

Honorary Doctor of the Hofstra University

Family

Parents

Gerald Ford

Partners

Spouse Betty Ford

Children

Sibling Thomas Gardner Ford

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About this person

Born Leslie Lynch King Jr. in Omaha in 1913, he was renamed after his stepfather and grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He played football at the University of Michigan, went to Yale Law School, and served in the Naval Reserve during World War II. Elected to the House in 1948, he spent nearly 25 years there, the last nine as minority leader, and sat on the Warren Commission investigating Kennedy's assassination. In December 1973, after Spiro Agnew resigned, Ford became the first vice president appointed under the 25th Amendment. Eight months later Nixon quit and Ford became president. He granted Nixon a pardon, presided over the worst economy since the Depression, signed the Helsinki Accords, and watched South Vietnam collapse. He narrowly beat Ronald Reagan for the 1976 Republican nomination, then narrowly lost to Jimmy Carter. He spent his later years at odds with his party's rightward drift and became friends with Carter before dying in California in 2006.

Country

United States