Gerald Rudolph Ford

38th President of the United States
(August 9, 1974 to January 20, 1977)

Nickname: "Jerry"

Born: July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska
Died: December 26, 2006 in Rancho Mirage, California

Father: Leslie Lynch King
Mother: Dorothy Ayer Gardner King Ford
Married: Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer Warren (1918- ), on October 15, 1948
Children: Michael Gerald Ford (1950- ); John Gardner Ford (1952- ); Steven Meigs Ford (1956- ); Susan Elizabeth Ford (1957- )

Religion: Episcopalian
Education: Graduated from the University of Michigan (1935) and Yale University Law School (1941)
Occupation: Lawyer, public official
Political Party: Republican
Other Government Positions:

• Member of U.S. House of Representatives, 1949-73

• Vice President, 1973-74 (under  Nixon)

Presidential Salary: $200,000/year + $50,000 expense account

Vice President: Nelson A. Rockefeller (1974-77)

Cabinet:

Secretary of State

Henry A. Kissinger (1974-77)

Secretary of the Treasury

William E. Simon (1974-77)

Secretary of Defense

James R. Schlesinger (1974-75)

Donald H. Rumsfeld (1975-77)

Attorney General

William B. Saxbe (1974-75)

Edward H. Levi (1975-77)

Secretary of the Interior

Rogers C. B. Morton (1974-75)

Stanley K. Hathaway (1975)

Thomas S. Kleppe (1975-77)

Secretary of Agriculture

Earl L. Butz (1974-76)

John A. Knebel (1976-77)

Secretary of Commerce

Frederick B. Dent (1974-75)

Rogers C. B. Morton (1975)

Elliot L. Richardson (1976-77)

Secretary of Labor

Peter J. Brennan (1974-75)

John T. Dunlop (1975-76)

W. J. Usery, Jr. (1976-77)

Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare

Caspar W. Weinberger (1974-75)

F. David Mathews (1975-77)

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

James T. Lynn (1974-75)

Carla Anderson Hills (1975-77)

Secretary of Transportation

Claude S. Brinegar (1974-75)

William T. Coleman, Jr. (1975-77)

Notable Events:

Internet Biographies:

Gerald R. Ford -- from The Presidents of the United States of America

Compiled by the White House.

Gerald R. Ford -- from Table of Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States - MSN Encarta

An encyclopedia entry from MSN Encarta.

Gerald Ford -- from The American President

From the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, in addition to information on the Presidents themselves, they have first lady and cabinet member biographies, listings of presidential staff and advisers, and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration.

Gerald R. Ford Biography -- from Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum

This six-part biography covers the time from his youth through his presidency.

Gerald R. Ford -- from Character Above All

From a PBS broadcast of the same name, this essay excerpt by James M. Cannon discusses some of the issues and events that molded Ford.

Historical Documents:

Remarks on Taking the Oath of Office (1974)

Remarks on Signing a Proclamation Granting Pardon to Richard Nixon (1974)

Proclamation 4311, Granting Pardon to Richard Nixon (1974)

Selected Gerald R. Ford Speeches (1974-present)

Media Resources:

Audio

From the 188th State of the Union address on January 19, 1976. (1:23)

RealAudio | MP3 (651K)

From the Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University under the leadership of Dr. Maurice Crane.

Audio & Video

The American Presidency Project's Presidential Audio/Video Archive for Gerald R. Ford site

Other Internet Resources:

 Gerald R. Ford Image Gallery

Images of Ford from childhood through his presidency provided by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.

Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum

Located on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the library's collection, museum exhibits, and tourist information are available.

Gerald Ford as President

Brief history of the Ford administration from From Revolution to Reconstruction.

Points of Interest:

• He was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.

• Ford was the first president to be an Eagle Scout.

• Ford was on the University of Michigan football team from 1931 to 1934. He was offered tryouts by both the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions.

• Both Ford and his wife, Betty, had been models before their marriage.

• When Ford proposed to to his wife, he was wearing one brown & one black shoe.

• Running for Congress in 1948, Ford campaigned on his wedding day.

• Ford was one of the members of the Warren Commission appointed to study the assassination of President  John F. Kennedy.

• One night, Ford was locked out of the White House while walking his golden retriever, Liberty. The Secret Service finally let him in.

• Ford's daughter Susan held her senior prom at the White House.

• He was the first president to release to the public a full report of his medical checkup.

• Ford was the first president to visit Japan.

• Ford was the only president whose two assassination attempts against him were made by women.

• Gerald Ford was the first president not elected by the people to become president. He became vice president when Nixon's elected vice president, Spiro T. Agnew, resigned. Then became president when  Nixon resigned.

• Ford was the first president to pardon a former president.

Gerald Rudolph Ford

38th President of the United States
(August 9, 1974 to January 20, 1977)

Elizabeth "Betty" Ford

Videos