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GERALD RUDOLPH FORD
by John T. Marck
38th President Term- August 9, 1974 to January 20, 1977 Republican Party Birth: Omaha, Nebraska, July 14, 1913. Marriage: Grace Episcopal Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, October 15, 1948 to Elizabeth Anne (Betty) Bloomer, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, April 8, 1918. Children: Michael Gerald (1950- ); John Gardner (1952- ); Steven Meigs (1956- ); Susan Elizabeth (1957- ). Home: Thunderbird Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California. Education: South High School, Grand Rapids, Michigan; University of Michigan B.A. (1935); Yale University Law School L.L.B. (1941). Religion: Episcopalian Occupation before Presidency: Lawyer Military Service: Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy (active 1942-1946). Pre-Presidential Offices: Member of U.S. House of Representatives; Minority Leader, House of Representatives; Vice President. Age at Inauguration: 61 Ford Administration: Vice President: Nelson Rockefeller of New York, (December 19, 1974) Inauguration August 9, 1974, The East Room of the White House, Washington, D.C. Occupation after Presidency: Writing his memoirs; lecturing at colleges and universities. Death: December 26, 2006, 06:45 p.m., at age 93, at his home in Rancho Mirage, California. Funeral Service: Small private ceremony in Palm Desert, California, followed by a public mourning at the Capital in Washington, D.C. Burial: Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Interesting Facts: Ford was the only man to be both vice president and president without winning election to either office. Ford pardoned Nixon for any federal crimes he might have committed on the job. This widely unpopular move was balanced in 1975 by his action in flying thousands of refugees out of South Vietnam. Ford had a rare condition whereby he was left-handed when sitting down, and right-handed when standing. "You have not elected me as your President, by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers. I have not sought this enormous responsibility, but I will not shirk it- My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over, our Constitution works, our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here the people rule. God helping me, I will not let you down." Inaugural Address, 1974.Copyright © 1993-2022 by John T. Marck. All Rights Reserved. This article and their accompanying pictures, photographs, and line art, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author. From The Presidents of the United States by John T. Marck. |
