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Gerald Ford
Gerald R. Ford, Jr. (b. July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska) was the 38th President of the United States. He served from 1974 to 1977.[1]
Before being sworn in as President, Ford served as vice president under Richard Nixon, who resigned in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Before being selected by Nixon to serve in that post, Ford represented Michigan's 5th Congressional District from 1949 to 1973 and was the minority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1973.[2]
Biography
Early life
Ford was born Leslie Lynch King Jr. on January 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. Shortly after he was born, his mother divorced and relocated her and her son to Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1917, Ford's name was changed to Gerald Ford Jr. after his mother married Gerald Ford, Sr. He began playing football in high school, which he continued to excel at during his time at the University of Michigan. Before deciding to attend Yale Law School, Ford was offered football contracts with the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, both of which he declined. In 1942, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served until 1946, when he was honorably discharged with several commendations.[2]
Early political career
Ford began his career in politics in 1948, defeating an incumbent congressman in a Republican primary and winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.[2] Ford went on to serve in Congress for nearly 25 years. During that time, he served on the Warren Commission, which was tasked with investigating the assassination of President John F Kennedy. In 1965, he was selected by his fellow Republicans to serve as minority leader in the House. Ford remained in that position until 1973, when President Richard Nixon appointed him to replace Spiro T Agnew, who had resigned his position as vice president due to a scandal involving bribery and tax evasion. Ford was the first person to be appointed vice president under the guidelines of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. On August 9, 1974, Nixon became the first and only president in American history to resign, leaving the presidency to Ford.[3]
Presidency and post-presidency
Because Ford was not Nixon's running mate in the 1972 presidential election, he became the first and only person to serve as president without having been elected as either president or vice president. When he assumed the presidency, the nation was still trying to cope with the Watergate scandal. Referring to the scandal in his inaugural address, Ford famously said, "Our long national nightmare is over" and pledged to restore the nation's faith in the presidency. Shortly into his term, Ford pardoned Nixon for all crimes associated with Watergate, saying that the decision would allow the country to move on and heal. However, the decision was seen as very controversial and was met with criticism by individuals who wanted to see Nixon brought to justice. In addition to dealing with the aftermath of Watergate, Ford had to contend with a slow economy, fears of inflation, and the capture of South Vietnam by North Vietnamese Communist forces. In the realm of foreign policy, Ford continued to pursue his predecessor's policy of detente, or an easing of tensions with the Soviet Union. He also oversaw the signing of the Helsinki accords, which was aimed at bringing the United States and Western Europe closer with communist countries in Eastern Europe.[1][3] In 1975, Ford also survived two assassination attempts.[2]
Ford ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 1976. He survived a difficult primary challenge by then-Governor of California Ronald Reagan, but lost in the general election to Democrat Jimmy Carter. Upon Carter's inauguration, he praised Ford for his efforts to guide the nation through the Watergate scandal, saying "For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land."[1]
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Ford's academic, professional, and political career:[2]
- 1931-1935: Attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a B.A. in economics
- 1938-1941: Attended Yale Law School
- 1942-1946: Served in the United States Navy
- 1948: Married Betty Ford
- 1949-1973: Congressman representing Michigan's 5th Congressional District
- 1965-1973: Minority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives
- 1973-1974: Vice President of the United States
- 1974-1977: President of the United States
- 1999: Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 2006: Ford passes away in his California home, at the age of 93.
State of the Union addresses
Every year in office, the president of the United States addresses Congress on the present state of affairs as well as the administration's goals for the coming year.[4] Addresses made by presidents in their inauguration years are not technically "State of the Union" addresses and are typically held in February.[5] Following are pages with information on Ford's State of the Union addresses.
Elections
1976 presidential election
In 1976, Carter defeated incumbent Gerald Ford (R) in the general election for the United States presidency.
| U.S. presidential election, 1976 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic |  Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale |
50.2% | 40,831,881 | 297 | |
| Republican | Gerald Ford/Bob Dole | 48.1% | 39,148,634 | 240 | |
| Independent | Eugene McCarthy | 0.9% | 744,763 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Roger MacBride/David Bergland | 0.2% | 172,557 | 0 | |
| American Independent | Lester Maddux/William Dyke | 0.2% | 170,373 | 0 | |
| American | Thomas Anderson/Rufus Shackelford | 0.2% | 158,724 | 0 | |
| Socialist Workers | Peter Camejo/Willie Mae Reid | 0.1% | 90,986 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 81,317,918 | 537 | |||
| Election results via: 1976 official election results | |||||
Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Gus Hall, Margaret Wright, Lyndon LaRouche, Benjamin Bubar, Julius Levin, Frank Zeidler, Ernest Miller, Frank Taylor and various write-in candidates.[6]
1976 Republican primary election
Ford faced one of the most difficult primary challenges in modern American history during his bid for re-election. The 1976 contest between Ford and Ronald Reagan remained unsettled until the Republican National Convention in August, 1976, when incumbent Ford narrowly won the nomination of his party. The 1976 Republican primary contest was the last presidential primary to remain unsettled into the party convention and remains one of the most contentious primary contests in American history.[7]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Ford was married to Betty Ford. The couple had four children together.[3]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms President Gerald Ford. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 WhiteHouse.gov, "Gerald R. Ford," accessed October 30, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Ford Presidential Library, "Timeline of President Ford's Life and Career," accessed October 30, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 History Channel, "Gerald Ford," accessed October 30, 2015
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The President’s State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications," January 24, 2014
- ↑ The American Presidency Project, "State of the Union Addresses and Messages," accessed October 14, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "1976 Presidential Election Results," accessed July 22, 2014
- ↑ Wikipedia, "1976 Republican National Convention," accessed October 30, 2015
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard Nixon |
President of the United States 1974-1977 |
Succeeded by Jimmy Carter |
