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{{Infobox President
|name=Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.
|nationality=[[United States|American]]
|image=Gerald Ford.jpg|250px
|order='''38th [[President of the United States]]'''
|term_start=[[August 9]], [[1974]]
|term_end=[[January 20]], [[1977]]
|vicepresident= ''none'' (August–December 1974) [[Nelson Rockefeller]] (December 1974–January 1977)
|predecessor=[[Richard Nixon]]
|successor=[[Jimmy Carter]]
|order2=40th [[Vice President of the United States]]
|term_start2=[[December 6]], [[1973]]
|term_end2=[[August 9]], [[1974]]
|president2=[[Richard Nixon]]
|predecessor2=[[Spiro Agnew]]
|successor2=[[Nelson Rockefeller]]
|order3=15th [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|United States House of Representatives Minority Leader]]
|term_start3=[[January 3]], [[1965]]
|term_end3=[[December 6]], [[1973]]
|president3=
|predecessor3=[[Charles A. Halleck]]
|successor3=[[John Jacob Rhodes]]
|order4=Member of the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] from [[Michigan]]'s 5th District
|term_start4=[[January 3]], [[1949]]
|term_end4=[[December 6]], [[1973]]
|president4=
|predecessor4=[[Bartel J. Jonkman]]
|successor4=[[Richard F. Vander Veen]]
|birth_date={{birth date|1913|7|14}}
|birth_place=[[Omaha, Nebraska]]
|death_date={{death date and age|2006|12|26|1913|7|14}}
|death_place=[[Rancho Mirage, California]]
|spouse=[[Betty Ford|Elizabeth Bloomer Warren]]
|occupation=[[Lawyer]]
|alma_mater=[[University of Michigan]]
|party=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|religion=[[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopalian]]
|signature=Gerald R. Ford signature.png
}}
'''Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.''' ([[July 14]], [[1913]] – [[December 26]], [[2006]]) was the thirty-eighth [[President of the United States]], serving from 1974 to 1977, and the fortieth [[Vice President of the United States]] serving from 1973 to 1974. He was the first person appointed to the vice presidency under the terms of the [[Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|25th Amendment]], and became President upon [[Richard Nixon]]'s resignation on [[August 9]], [[1974]]. Ford was the fifth U.S. President never to have been elected to that position, and the only one never to have won a national election at all.

Before ascending to the vice-presidency, Ford served nearly 25 years as [[United States House of Representatives|Representative]] from [[Michigan's 5th congressional district]], eight of them as the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|Minority Leader]].

As president, Ford signed the [[Helsinki Accords]], marking a move toward [[détente]] in the [[Cold War]], even as [[South Vietnam]], a former ally, was invaded and conquered by [[North Vietnam]]. Ford did not intervene in Vietnamese affairs, but did help extract friends of the U.S. Domestically, the economy suffered from [[inflation]] and a [[recession]] under President Ford. One of his more controversial decisions was granting a presidential [[pardon]] to President [[Richard Nixon]] for his role in the [[Watergate scandal]]. In [[United States presidential election, 1976|1976]], Ford narrowly defeated [[Ronald Reagan]] for the Republican nomination, but ultimately lost the presidential election to [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Jimmy Carter]].

Following his years as president, Ford remained active in the Republican party. After experiencing health problems and being admitted to the hospital four times in 2006, Ford [[Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford|died at his home]], aged 93, on [[December 26]], [[2006]].

==Early life==
===Childhood===
'''Gerald R. Ford''' was born '''Leslie Lynch King, Jr.''' on [[July 14]], [[1913]], at 12:43 a.m. [[Central Time zone|CST]], at [[Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens|3202 Woolworth Avenue]] in [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]], [[Nebraska]]. His father, [[Leslie Lynch King, Sr.]], a wool trader who was the son of a prominent banker, and his mother, the former [[Dorothy Ayer Gardner Ford|Dorothy Ayer Gardner]], separated just sixteen days after his birth. His mother took him to the [[Oak Park, Illinois|Oak Park]], [[Illinois]] home of her sister Tannisse and her husband, Clarence Haskins James. From there she moved to the home of her parents, Levi Addison Gardner and his wife, the former Adele Augusta Ayer, in [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]], [[Michigan]]. Ford's parents divorced the following December with his mother gaining full custody.

[[Image:Gerald Ford 1914.gif|left|thumb|Leslie Lynch King, Jr. (later known as Gerald R. Ford) at one year of age in 1914]]

Gerald Ford later said his biological father had a history of hitting his mother.<ref name="ford-Nebraska"> {{cite web |last =Funk |first =Josh |year = 2006 |url = http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/12/27/nebraska_born_ford_left_state_as_infant/ |title = Nebraska - Born, Ford Left State As Infant |work = Associated Press |publisher = Boston.com |accessdate = 2007-10-06}}</ref> James M. Cannon, who was the executive director of the domestic council during the Ford administration, wrote in a Ford biography the Kings' separation and divorce were sparked when, a few days after Ford's birth, Leslie King, Sr. threatened Dorothy with a butcher knife and threatened to kill her, the baby, and the baby's nursemaid. His first abusive action, according to Ford, occurred on the couple's honeymoon, when King hit his wife for smiling at another man.<ref name="pbs-knife"> {{cite web |last = Cannon |first = James |url = http://www.pbs.org/newshour/character/essays/ford.html |title = Gerald R. Ford |work = Character Above All|publisher = Public Broadcasting System |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref>

On [[February 1]], [[1916]], now settled in Grand Rapids, Dorothy King married [[Gerald Rudolff Ford]], a salesman in a family-owned paint and varnish company, who later became president of the firm.<ref name="paint"> {{cite web |url = http://www.4president.org/brochures/ford1976brochure.htm |title =A Lifetime of Achievement |publisher = 4President.org |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref> She began calling her son ''Gerald Rudolff Ford, Jr''. The future president was never formally [[adoption|adopted]], however, and he did not legally change his name until [[December 3]], [[1935]]; he also used a more conventional spelling of his middle name.<ref name="utexas"> {{cite web |url = http://www.ford.utexas.edu/grf/genealog.asp|title = Gerald R. Ford Genealogical Information |work = Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum |publisher = University of Texas |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref> He was raised in [[East Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]] with his three half-brothers by his mother's second marriage: Thomas Gardner Ford (1918–1995), Richard Addison Ford (born 1924), and James Francis Ford (1927–2001). He also had three half-siblings by his father's second marriage: Marjorie King (1921–1993), Leslie Henry King, Sr. (1923–1976), and Patricia Jane King (born 1925).

Ford was not aware of his biological parentage until he was 17, when his parents told him about the circumstances of his birth. That same year his biological father, whom he described as a "carefree, well-to-do man", approached Ford while he was waiting tables in a Grand Rapids restaurant. The two "maintained a sporadic contact" until Leslie King, Sr.'s death,<ref name="ford-Nebraska">[[Associated Press]].[http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Ford-Nebraska.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Nebraska - Born, Ford Left State As Infant.] ''[[The New York Times]]'' ([[December 27]], [[2006]]). Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= A Common Man on an Uncommon Climb |page=28|publisher= The New York Times|date=[[1976-08-19]]|accessdate=}}</ref> but Ford maintained his distance emotionally, saying, "My stepfather was a magnificent person and my mother equally wonderful. So I couldn't have written a better prescription for a superb family upbringing."<ref name="AP"> {{cite web |url = http://www.americanpresident.org/history/geraldford/ |title = Gerald Rudolph Ford |publisher = AmericanPresident.org |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref>

===Scouting and athletics===
[[Image:Ford Scout.jpg|thumb|right|Eagle Scout Gerald Ford (circled in red) in 1929. [[Governor of Michigan|Michigan Governor]] [[Fred Green]] at far left, holding hat.]]
Ford joined the [[Boy Scouts of America]], and attained that program's highest rank, [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]].<ref>{{cite web| url =http://www.scouting.org/Media/FactSheets/02-516.aspx | title = Fact Sheet Eagle Scouts| publisher = Boy Scouts of America| accessdaymonth = 03 March | accessyear = 2008}}</ref> He always regarded this as one of his proudest accomplishments, even after attaining the [[White House]].<ref name="EagleScout"> {{cite web |url = http://www.scouting.org/media/report/2004/history/07.html|title = Gerald R. Ford |work = Report to the Nation |publisher = Boy Scouts of America |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref> In subsequent years, Ford received the [[Distinguished Eagle Scout Award]] in May 1970 and [[Silver Buffalo Award]] from the Boy Scouts of America. He is the only US president who was an Eagle Scout.<ref name="honor">{{cite book |last = Townley |first = Alvin |origdate= [[2006-12-26]] |url= http://www.thomasdunnebooks.com/TD_TitleDetail.aspx?ISBN=0312366531|title = Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts |publisher = St. Martin's Press|location = New York |pages = pp. 12–13 and 87|id = ISBN 0-312-36653-1 |accessdate= 2006-12-29}}</ref> [[Scouting]] was so important to Ford that his family asked that Scouts participate in his funeral. About 400 Eagle Scouts were part of the funeral procession, where they formed an honor guard as the casket went by in front of the museum, and served as ushers.<ref name="EagleScoutHonorGuard"> {{cite web |last = Balloch |first = Jim|year = [[2007-01-04]]|url = http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_5254909,00.html|title = Knox Eagle Scout has role in Ford funeral |publisher = KnoxNews |accessdate = 2007-01-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last = Ray |first = Mark |year =2007 |url =http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0703/a-ford.html |title =Eagle Scout Welcome Gerald Ford Home |work =Scouting Magazine|publisher =Boy Scouts of America |accessdate = 2007-03-05}}</ref>

Ford attended Grand Rapids South High School and was a star athlete and [[captain (sports)|captain]] of his [[American football|football]] team. In 1930, he was selected to the All-City team of the [[Grand Rapids City League]]. He also attracted the attention of college recruiters.<ref name="kunhardt"> {{cite book |last = Kunhardt, Jr. |first = Phillip |origyear = 1999 |url = http://www.americanpresident.org/history/geraldford/biography/resources/ArticlesCopy1/KunhardtFordBio.article.shtml |title = Gerald R. Ford "Healing the Nation" |pages=pp. 79–85 |publisher = Riverhead Books |location = New York |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref>

Attending the [[University of Michigan]] as an undergraduate, Ford played [[center (football)|center]] and [[linebacker]] for the school’s football team and helped the [[Michigan Wolverines football|Wolverines]] to undefeated seasons and [[NCAA Division I-A national football championship|national titles]] in 1932 and 1933. The team suffered a steep decline in his 1934 senior year, however, winning only one game. Ford was the team’s star nonetheless, and after a game during which Michigan held heavily favored [[Minnesota Golden Gophers football|Minnesota]] (the eventual national champion) to a scoreless tie in the first half, assistant coach [[Bennie Oosterbaan]] later said, “When I walked into the dressing room at half time, I had tears in my eyes I was so proud of them. Ford and [Cedric] Sweet played their hearts out. They were everywhere on defense.” Ford himself later recalled, “During 25 years in the rough-and-tumble world of politics, I often thought of the experiences before, during, and after that game in 1934. Remembering them has helped me many times to face a tough situation, take action, and make every effort possible despite adverse odds.” His teammates later voted Ford their most valuable player, with one assistant coach noting, “They felt Jerry was one guy who would stay and fight in a losing cause.”<ref name="perry">{{cite book |last = Perry |first = Will |origyear = 1974 |url = http://www.aafla.org/SportsLibrary/FootballStudies/1999/FS0202h.pdf |title = The Wolverines: A Story of Michigan Football|chapter=No Cheers From the Alumni |pages=pp. 150–152 |publisher = The Strode Publishers |location = Huntsville, Alabama|isbn = 0-87397-055-1|accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref>
[[Image:Gerald Ford on field at Univ of Mich, 1933.jpg|right|thumb|Ford as a University of Michigan [[American football|football]] player, 1933]]

During the same season, in a game against the [[University of Chicago]], Ford “became the only future U.S. president to tackle a future [[Heisman Trophy]] winner when he brought down running back [[Jay Berwanger]], who would win the first Heisman the following year.”<ref>{{cite news |title = Ford one of most athletic Presidents |publisher = [[Associated Press]] via [[MSNBC]] |date = [[2006-12-27]] |url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16367165/ |accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref> In 1934 Gerald Ford was selected for the Eastern Team on the Shriner’s East West Crippled Children game at San Francisco (a benefit for crippled children), played on [[January 1]] [[1935]]. As part of the 1935 Collegiate All-Star football team, Ford played against the [[Chicago Bears]] in an exhibition game at [[Soldier Field]].<ref name="greene">{{cite book |last = Greene |first = J.R. |origyear = 1995 |title = The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford (American Presidency Series) |pages=p. 2 |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref>

Ford retained his interest in football and his alma mater throughout life, occasionally attending games and on one occasion asking to be awakened to find out the score of an [[Ohio State-Michigan]] football game, while attending a summit in the Soviet Union as President.<ref name="wakeup">{{cite web |last = Larcom |first = Geoff |url = http://www.mlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-20/1167234102199890.xml&coll=2|title = Colleagues mourn a 'Michigan man' |publisher = The Ann Arbor News |accessdate = 2007-01-24}}</ref> The University of Michigan retired Ford's #48 [[jersey (clothing)|jersey]] in 1994.

===Education===
At Michigan, Ford became a member of the [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]] fraternity and washed dishes at his fraternity house to earn money for college expenses. Following his graduation in 1935 with a degree in [[political science]] he turned down contract offers from the [[Detroit Lions]] and [[Green Bay Packers]] of the [[National Football League]] in order to take a coaching position at [[Yale University|Yale]] and apply to its law school. Each team was offering him a contract of $200 a game, but he wanted a legal education.<ref name="proball"> {{cite web |last = Smith|first = Michael David|year = 2006 |url =http://nfl.aolsportsblog.com/2006/12/27/lions-packers-had-their-chance-but-gerald-ford-chose-law-and-p/ |title = Lions, Packers Had Their Chance, But Gerald Ford Chose Law and Politics |work = NFL Fanhouse |publisher = AOL Sports Blog |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref> Ford continued to contribute to football and boxing, accepting an assistant coaching job for both at Yale in September 1935.<ref name="utexas-grf-timeline"> {{cite web |url =http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/grf/timeline.asp |title = Timeline of President Ford's Life and Career |work = Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum|publisher = Gerald R. Ford Library |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref>

Ford hoped to attend Yale's law school beginning in 1935 while serving as boxing coach and assistant varsity football coach, but Yale officials initially denied his admission to the law school, because of his full-time coaching responsibilities. He spent the summer of 1937 as a student at the [[University of Michigan Law School]]<ref name=umlaw"> {{cite web |url =http://www.umich.edu/ford/timeline.html |title = The U-M Remembers Gerald R. Ford |publisher = The University of Michigan |accessdate = 2007-01-02}}</ref> and was eventually admitted in the spring of 1938 to Yale Law School.<ref name=librarybio"> {{cite web |url = http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/grf/timeline.asp |title = Gerald R. Ford Biography |work = Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum|publisher = Gerald R. Ford Library |accessdate = 2007-01-02}}</ref> Ford earned his LL.B. degree in 1941 (later amended to [[Juris Doctor]]), graduating in the top 25 percent of his class. His introduction to politics came in the summer of 1940 when he worked in [[Wendell Willkie]]'s presidential campaign.
While attending [[Yale Law School]], he joined a group of students led by R. Douglas Stuart, Jr., and signed a petition to enforce the 1939 [[Neutrality Act]]. The petition was circulated nationally and was the inspiration for the [[America First Committee]], a group determined to keep the U.S. out of [[World War II]].<ref name="onlinereader"> {{cite web |last = Doenecke|first = Justus D.|year = 1990 |url = http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0817988416/ |title = In Danger Undaunted: The Anti-Interventionist Movement of 1940–1941 As Revealed in the Papers of the America First Committee (Hoover Archival Documentaries) |publisher = Hoover Institution Press |accessdate = 2006-12-28}} p. 7</ref>

Ford graduated from law school in 1941, and was admitted to the Michigan [[bar (law)|bar]] shortly thereafter. In May 1941, he opened a Grand Rapids law practice with a friend, Philip Buchen,<ref name="utexas-grf-timeline" /> who would later serve as Ford's White House counsel. But overseas developments caused a change in plans, and Ford responded to the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] by enlisting in the Navy.<ref name="navy"> {{cite web |last =Naughton |first =James M. |coauthors =Adam Clymer |date=2006-12-26 |url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/27/washington/27webford.html?pagewanted=4 |title = Gerald Ford, 38th President, Dies at 93 |work =[[New York Times]] |publisher = Naval Historical Center |accessdate = 2007-10-19}}</ref>

==Naval service in World War II==
Ford received a commission as [[Ensign (rank)#United States|ensign]] in the [[United States Navy Reserve|U.S. Naval Reserve]] on [[April 13]], [[1942]]. On [[April 20]], he reported for active duty to the V-5 instructor school at [[Annapolis, Maryland|Annapolis]], [[Maryland]]. After one month of training, he went to Navy Preflight School in [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina|Chapel Hill]], [[North Carolina]], where he was one of 83 instructors and taught elementary seamanship, ordnance, gunnery, first aid and military drill. In addition, he coached in all nine sports that were offered, but mostly in swimming, boxing and football. During the one year he was at the Preflight School, he was promoted to [[Lieutenant, Junior Grade|Lieutenant Junior Grade]] on [[June 2]], [[1942]], and to [[Lieutenant]] in March 1943.
[[Image:GeraldFord1945.jpg|left|thumb|Ford in [[United States Navy|Navy]] uniform, 1945]]
Applying for sea duty, Ford was sent in May 1943 to the pre-commissioning detachment for the new aircraft carrier [[USS Monterey (CVL-26)|USS ''Monterey'']], at New York Shipbuilding Corporation, [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]], [[New Jersey]]. From the ship's commissioning on [[June 17]], [[1943]] until the end of December 1944, Ford served as the assistant navigator, Athletic Officer, and antiaircraft battery officer on board the ''Monterey''. While he was on board, the carrier participated in many actions in the [[Pacific Theater of Operations|Pacific Theater]] with the [[United States Third Fleet|Third]] and [[United States Fifth Fleet|Fifth Fleets]] during the fall of 1943 and in 1944. In 1943, the carrier helped secure [[Makin Island]] in the Gilberts, and participated in carrier strikes against [[Kavieng]], New Ireland in 1943. During the spring of 1944, the ''Monterey'' supported landings at [[Kwajalein]] and [[Eniwetok]] and participated in carrier strikes in the [[Mariana Islands|Marianas]], [[Caroline Islands|Western Carolines]], and northern [[New Guinea]], as well as in the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]].<ref name="hove"> {{cite book |last = Hove |first = Duane |origyear = 2003 |title = American Warriors: Five Presidents in the Pacific Theater of World War II |publisher = Burd Street Press |id = ISBN 1-57249-307-0|accessdate =}}</ref><ref name="pacific5"> {{cite web |url =http://www.americanwarriorsfivepresidents.com/ |title = American Warriors: Five Presidents in the Pacific Theater of World War II |publisher = Americanwarriorsfivepresidents.com |accessdate = 2006-12-29}}</ref> After overhaul, from September to November 1944, aircraft from the ''Monterey'' launched strikes against [[Wake Island]], participated in strikes in the Philippines and [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryukyus]], and supported the landings at [[Leyte Island|Leyte]] and [[Mindoro]].

Although the ship was not damaged by [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] forces, the ''Monterey'' was one of several ships damaged by the [[typhoon]] that hit [[Admiral]] [[William Halsey, Jr.|William Halsey's]] Third Fleet on [[Typhoon Cobra|December 18–19, 1944]]. The Third Fleet lost three [[destroyer]]s and over 800 men during the typhoon. The ''Monterey'' was damaged by a fire, which was started by several of the ship's aircraft tearing loose from their cables and colliding on the hanger deck. During the storm, Ford narrowly avoided becoming a casualty himself. As he was going to his battle station on the bridge of the ship in the early morning of [[December 18]], the ship rolled twenty-five degrees, which caused Ford to lose his footing and slide toward the edge of the deck. The two-inch steel ridge around the edge of the carrier slowed him enough so he could roll, and he twisted into the catwalk below the deck. As he later stated, "I was lucky; I could have easily gone overboard."

Because of the extent of the fires, Admiral Halsey ordered Captain Ingersoll to abandon ship. Lieutenant (j.g.) Ford stood near the helm, awaiting his orders. "We can fix this" Captain Ingersoll said, and with a nod from his skipper, Lieutenant Ford donned a gas mask and led a fire brigade below.

Aircraft-gas tanks exploded as hose handlers slid across the burning decks. Into this furnace, Lieutenant Ford led his men, his first order of business to carry out the dead and injured. Five hours later he and his team emerged burned and exhausted, but they had put out the fire.

[[Image:USSMonterey-basketball.jpg|200px|thumb|Men aboard the [[USS Monterey (CVL-26)]] playing basketball in the forward elevator well June, 1944; the jumper on the left is Ford<ref name="navybio2007">{{cite web |date=2007 |url = http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/ford_gerald.htm|title = President Gerald R. Ford||publisher = [http://www.history.navy.mil US Navy]|accessdate = 2007-09-09 }}</ref><ref name="militaryunits">{{cite web |date=2007 |url = http://www.militaryunits.com/photos.htm|title = World War II Photographs|publisher = [http://www.militaryunits.com/ militaryunits]|accessdate = 2007-09-09 |quote=WW2042 "Activities aboard USS MONTEREY. Navy pilots in the forward elevator well playing basketball." Jumper at left identified as Gerald R. Ford. Attributed to Lt. Victor Jorgensen, circa June/July 1944. 80--G--417628}}</ref>]]
After the fire the ''Monterey'' was declared unfit for service, and the crippled carrier reached [[Ulithi]] on [[December 21]] before proceeding across the Pacific to [[Bremerton, Washington|Bremerton]], [[Washington]] where it underwent repairs. On [[December 24]], [[1944]] at Ulithi, Ford was detached from the ship and sent to the Athletic Department of the Navy Pre-Flight School at [[Saint Mary's College of California]], where he was assigned to the Athletic Department until April 1945. One of his duties was to coach football. From the end of April 1945 to January 1946, he was on the staff of the Naval Reserve Training Command, [[Naval Air Station Glenview|Naval Air Station, Glenview, Illinois]] as the Staff Physical and Military Training Officer. On [[October 3]], [[1945]] he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. In January 1946, he was sent to the Separation Center, [[Naval Station Great Lakes|Great Lakes]] to be processed out. He was released from active duty under honorable conditions on [[February 23]], [[1946]]. On [[June 28]], [[1946]], the [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] accepted Ford's resignation from the Naval Reserve.

For his naval service, Gerald Ford earned the [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with nine engagement stars for operations in the [[Gilbert Islands]], [[Bismarck Archipelago]], [[Marshall Islands]], Asiatic and Pacific carrier raids, [[Battle of Hollandia|Hollandia]], Marianas, Western Carolines, Western New Guinea, and the Leyte Operation. He also received the [[Philippine Liberation Medal]] with two bronze stars for Leyte and Mindoro, as well as the [[American Campaign Medal|American Campaign]] and [[World War II Victory Medal|World War II Victory]] medals.<ref name="navy"/>

Ford was a member of several civic organizations, including the [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks]], [[American Legion]], [[Veterans of Foreign Wars]], and [[AMVETS]].Gerald R. Ford was initiated into [[Freemasonry]] on [[September 30]], [[1949]].<ref name = "Scottish">[http://www.scottishrite.org/ee.php? The Supreme Council], Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, USA.</ref> He later said in 1975, "When I took my obligation as a master mason — incidentally, with my three younger brothers — I recalled the value my own father attached to that order. But I had no idea that I would ever be added to the company of the Father of our Country and 12 other members of the order who also served as Presidents of the United States."<ref name="UCSB">{{cite web|url =http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=5485 |title = Gerald Ford |work = The American Presidency Project |publisher = University of California - Santa Barbara |accessdate = 2007-01-17}}</ref>

==Marriage and children==
[[Image:Fords wedding 1948.gif|right|thumb|The Fords on their wedding day, [[October 15]], [[1948]]]]
On [[October 15]], [[1948]], at Grace [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal Church]] in Grand Rapids, Ford married [[Betty Ford|Elizabeth Bloomer Warren]], a department store fashion consultant. Warren had been a [[John Robert Powers]] fashion model and a dancer in the auxiliary troupe of the [[Martha Graham]] Dance Company. She had previously been married to and divorced from William G. Warren.

At the time of his engagement, Ford was campaigning for what would be his first of thirteen terms as a member of the [[United States House of Representatives]]. The wedding was delayed until shortly before the elections because, as [[The New York Times]] reported in a 1974 profile of Betty Ford, "Jerry was running for Congress and wasn't sure how voters might feel about his marrying a divorced ex-dancer."<ref>{{cite news |first = Jane|last = Howard |title = The 38th First Lady: Not a Robot At All |work = The New York Times|date = 1974-12-08}}</ref>

The Fords had four children:
*[[Michael Gerald Ford|Michael Gerald]], born in 1950
*[[John Gardner Ford|John Gardner]], known as Jack, born in 1952
*[[Steven Meigs Ford|Steven Meigs]], born in 1956
*[[Susan Elizabeth Ford|Susan Elizabeth]], born in 1957

==House of Representatives==
[[Image:Ford in meeting with Nixon.png|thumb|Ford meets with President Richard Nixon as [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|House Minority Leader]]]]

After returning to Grand Rapids, Ford became active in local Republican politics, and supporters urged him to take on [[Bartel J. Jonkman]], the incumbent Republican congressman. Military service had changed his view of the world; "I came back a converted internationalist", Ford wrote, "and of course our congressman at that time was an avowed, dedicated [[United States non-interventionism|isolationist]]. And I thought he ought to be replaced. Nobody thought I could win. I ended up winning two to one."<ref name=AP/>
During his first campaign in [[United States House elections, 1948|1948]], Ford visited [[Agriculture in the United States|farmers]] and promised he would work on their farms and milk the cows if elected—a promise he fulfilled.<ref>{{cite news |first = Melissa|last = Kruse|url =http://www.englishcottagegardens.com/barnhistory.html |title = The Patterson Barn, Grand Rapids, Michigan - Barn razing erases vintage landmark|work = The Grand Rapids Press|date = 2003-01-03|accessdate =2006-12-29}}</ref> In 1961, the U.S. House membership voted Ford a special award as a "Congressman's Congressman" that praised his committee work on military budgets.<ref name="nlhistory"> {{cite web |url =http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/gf38/about/fordbio.htm |title = Gerald R. Ford (1913–2006) |publisher = From Revolution to Reconstruction - an .HTML project|accessdate = 2006-12-29}}</ref>

Ford was a member of the House of Representatives for twenty-four years, holding the Grand Rapids [[congressional district]] seat from 1949 to 1973. It was a tenure largely notable for its modesty. As an editorial in ''[[The New York Times]]'' described him, Ford "saw himself as a negotiator and a reconciler, and the record shows it: he did not write a single piece of major legislation in his entire career."<ref name="nyt-editorial"> {{cite web |year =[[2006-12-28]] |url = http://www.pbs.org/newshour/character/essays/ford.html |title = Gerald R. Ford |work = Editorial |publisher = The New York Times |accessdate = 2006-12-29}}</ref>
Appointed to the [[United States House Committee on Appropriations|House Appropriations Committee]] two years after being elected, he was a prominent member of the [[United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense|Defense Appropriations Subcommittee]]. Ford described his philosophy as "a moderate in domestic affairs, an internationalist in foreign affairs, and a [[fiscal conservatism|conservative]] in fiscal policy."

[[Image:VonBraunFordMahon.jpg|thumb|left|Congressman Gerald Ford, MSFC director [[Wernher von Braun]], Congressman [[George H. Mahon]], and NASA Administrator [[James E. Webb]] visit the [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] for a briefing on the Saturn program, 1964]]
In November 1963, President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] appointed Ford to the [[Warren Commission]], a special task force set up to investigate the [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination]] of President [[John F. Kennedy]]. Ford was assigned to prepare a biography of [[Lee Harvey Oswald]], the accused assassin.<ref>In 1997 the [[Assassination Records Review Board]] (ARRB) released a document that revealed that Ford had altered the first draft of the report to read: "A bullet had entered the base of the back of [Kennedy's] neck slightly to the right of the spine." Some believed that Ford had elevated the location of the wound from its true location in the back to the neck to support the single bullet theory. ({{cite web |url = http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAfordG.htm |title = Gerald Ford |publisher = Spartacus Schoolnet |accessdate = 2006-12-29}}) The original first draft of the Warren Commission Report stated that a bullet had entered Kennedy's "back at a point slightly above the [[shoulder]] and to the right of the [[vertebral column|spine]]." Ford replied in an introduction to a new edition of the Warren Commission Report in 2004:
<blockquote>I have been accused of changing some wording on the Warren Commission Report to favor the lone-assassin conclusion. That is absurd. Here is what the draft said: "A bullet had entered his back at a point slightly above the shoulder and to the right of the spine.” To any reasonable person, “above the shoulder and to the right” sounds very high and way off the side — and that’s what it sounded like to me. That would have given the totally wrong impression. Technically, from a medical perspective, the bullet entered just to the right at the base of the neck, so my recommendation to the other members was to change it to say, “A bullet had entered the back of his neck, slightly to the right of the spine.” After further investigation, we then unanimously agreed that it should read, “A bullet had entered the base of his neck slightly to the right of the spine.” As with any report, there were many clarifications and language changes suggested by several of us.</blockquote>
Ford's description matched a [http://www.aarclibrary.org/publib/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh16/html/WH_Vol16_0501a.htm drawing] prepared for the Commission under the direction of Dr. James J. Humes, supervisor of Kennedy's autopsy, who in his [http://www.aarclibrary.org/publib/jfk/wc/wcvols/wh2/html/WC_Vol2_0178a.htm testimony to the Commission] said three times that the entrance wound was in the "low neck." The Commission was not shown the autopsy photographs.</ref> The Commission's work continues to be debated in the public arena.

In 1965, Republican members of the House elected Ford as its [[Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives|Minority Leader]]. During the eight years (1965–1973) he served as Minority Leader, Ford won many friends in the House because of his fair leadership and inoffensive personality.<ref name="nlhistory"/> But President Johnson disliked Ford for the congressman's frequent attacks on the administration's "[[Great Society]]" programs as being unneeded or wasteful, and for his criticism of the President's handling of the [[Vietnam War]]. As Minority Leader in the House, Ford appeared in a popular series of televised [[press conference]]s with famed [[Illinois]] Senator [[Everett Dirksen]], in which they proposed Republican alternatives to Johnson's policies. Many in the press jokingly called this "The Ev and Jerry Show".<ref name="ussenate"> {{cite web |last = Ford |first = Gerald |year = [[2001-05-23]] |url = http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/Leaders_Lecture_Series_Ford.htm |title = Address by President Gerald R. Ford, May 23, 2001 |publisher = United States Senate |accessdate = 2006-12-30}}</ref> Johnson said of Ford at the time, "That Gerald Ford. He can't fart and chew gum at the same time."<ref name="guardian-obituary"> {{cite web |last = Jackson|first = Harold|year =[[2006-12-27]] |url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1978937,00.html |title = Guardian newspaper obituary |publisher = The Guardian |accessdate = 2006-12-30}}</ref> The press, used to sanitizing LBJ's salty language, reported this as "Gerald Ford can't walk and chew gum at the same time."<ref name="reeves">{{cite book |last= Reeves |first= Richard|title= A Ford, not a Lincoln |origyear= 1975 |pages=}}</ref>

==Vice Presidency, 1973–74==
On [[October 10]], [[1973]], [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Spiro Agnew]] resigned the Nixon administration and then pleaded no contest to criminal charges of tax evasion and money laundering, part of a negotiated resolution to a scheme wherein he accepted $29,500 in bribes while governor of Maryland. According to ''[[The New York Times]]'', "Nixon sought advice from senior Congressional leaders about a replacement. The advice was unanimous. 'We gave Nixon no choice but Ford,' [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|House Speaker]] [[Carl Albert]] recalled later".<ref name="nyt-editorial" />

[[Image:Mr. and Mrs. Ford and Nixon 13 Oct 1973.jpg|left|thumb|The Fords and the Nixons in the White House [[Blue Room (White House)|Blue Room]] following President Nixon's nomination of Ford to be [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]], October 1973]]

Ford was nominated to take Agnew's position on [[October 13]], the first time the vice-presidential vacancy provision of the [[Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|25th Amendment]] had been implemented. The [[United States Senate]] voted 92 to 3 to confirm Ford on [[November 27]]. Only three Senators, all Democrats, had voted against Ford's confirmation: [[Gaylord Nelson]] of [[Wisconsin]], [[Thomas Eagleton]] of [[Missouri]] and [[William Hathaway]] of [[Maine]]. On [[December 6]], the House confirmed Ford by a vote of 387 to 35. One hour after the confirmation vote in the House, Ford took the oath of office as Vice President of the United States.

Ford's tenure as Vice President was little noted by the media. Instead, reporters were preoccupied by the continuing revelations about criminal acts during the [[United States presidential election, 1972|1972 presidential election]] and allegations of cover-ups within the [[White House]]. Ford said little about the [[Watergate scandal]], although he privately expressed his personal disappointment in the President's conduct.

Following Ford's appointment, the Watergate investigation continued until [[White House Chief of Staff|Chief of Staff]] [[Alexander Haig]] contacted Ford on [[August 1]], [[1974]], and told him that "[[smoking gun]]" evidence had been found. The evidence left little doubt that President Nixon had been a part of the Watergate cover-up. At the time, Ford and his wife, Betty, were living in suburban Virginia, waiting for their expected move into the newly designated [[Number One Observatory Circle|vice president's residence]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] However, "Al Haig [asked] to come over and see me," Ford later related, "to tell me that there would be a new [[Watergate tapes|tape]] released on a Monday, and he said the evidence in there was devastating and there would probably be either an impeachment or a resignation. And he said, 'I'm just warning you that you've got to be prepared, that things might change dramatically and you could become President.' And I said, 'Betty, I don't think we're ever going to live in the vice president's house.'"<ref name=AP/>

==Presidency, 1974–77==
===Accession===
[[Image:Ford sworn-in.jpg|right|thumb|Gerald Ford is sworn in as the 38th President of the United States by [[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]] [[Warren Burger]] in the White House [[East Room]], while Betty Ford looks on.]]
[[Image:Liberty-ford.jpg|thumb|right|Ford and his golden retriever, Liberty, in the [[Oval Office]], 1974]]
When Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal on [[August 9]], [[1974]], Ford assumed the presidency making him the only person to assume the vice-presidency and the presidency without having been voted into either office. Immediately after taking the oath of office in the [[East Room (White House)|East Room]] of the [[White House]], he spoke to the assembled audience in a speech broadcast live to the nation. Ford noted the peculiarity of his position: "I am acutely aware that 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."<ref name="ISP">{{cite web |year = 1974 |url = http://watergate.info/ford/ford-swearing-in.shtml|title = Remarks By President Gerald Ford On Taking the Oath Of Office As President |publisher = Watergate.info |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref> On [[August 20]] Ford nominated former [[New York]] Governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]] to fill the vice presidency he had vacated. Rockefeller was confirmed by the House and Senate.<ref name="bioguide">{{cite web |url = http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000363|title = ROCKEFELLER, Nelson Aldrich (1908–1979) |work = Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |publisher = US Congress |accessdate = 2006-12-28}}</ref>

===Nixon pardon===
On [[September 8]], [[1974]], Ford issued [[:wikisource:Proclamation 4311|Proclamation 4311]], which gave Nixon a full and unconditional [[pardon]] for any crimes he may have committed against the United States while President.<ref name="pardonspeech">{{cite web |last = Ford |first = Gerald |year = [[1974-09-08]] |url = http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/speeches/740061.htm|title =President Gerald R. Ford's Proclamation 4311, Granting a Pardon to Richard Nixon |work = Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum|publisher = University of Texas |accessdate = 2006-12-30}}</ref><ref name= "pardonimage">{{cite web |last = Ford |first = Gerald |year = [[1974-09-08]] |url = http://narademo.umiacs.umd.edu/cgi-bin/isadg/viewitem.pl?item=100775|title = Presidential Proclamation 4311 by President Gerald R. Ford granting a pardon to Richard M. Nixon |work = Pardon images|publisher = University of Maryland |accessdate = 2006-12-30}}</ref> In a televised broadcast to the nation, Ford explained that he felt the pardon was in the best interests of the country and that the Nixon family's situation "is a tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must."<ref name="pardonspeech2">{{cite web |last = Ford |first = Gerald |year = [[1974-09-08]] |url = http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/ford.htm|title =Gerald R. Ford Pardoning Richard Nixon |work = Great Speeches Collection|publisher = The History Place |accessdate = 2006-12-30}}</ref> At the same time as he announced the Nixon pardon, Ford introduced a conditional [[amnesty]] program for Vietnam War [[draft dodger]]s who had fled to countries such as [[Canada]].<ref name="amnesty"> {{cite web |last = Bacon |first = Paul |url = http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/speeches/740061.htm|title =The Pardoning President |publisher = Public Broadcasting System |accessdate = 2006-12-30}}</ref> Unconditional amnesty, however, did not come about until the Jimmy Carter Presidency.<ref name="carteruncon"> {{cite web |year = [[1977-01-21]]|url = http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/vietnam/vietnam_1-21-77.html|title =Carter's Pardon |work = McNeil/Lehrer Report|publisher = Public Broadcasting System |accessdate =2006-12-30}}</ref>

The Nixon pardon was highly controversial. Critics derided the move and claimed, a "[[corrupt bargain]]" had been struck between the men.<ref name="kunhardt" /> They claimed Ford's pardon was ''[[quid pro quo]]'' in exchange for Nixon's resignation that elevated Ford to the Presidency. Nixon's Chief of Staff, Alexander Haig, did in fact offer a deal to Ford. [[Bob Woodward]], in his book ''Shadow'', recounts that Haig entered Ford's office on [[August 1]], [[1974]] while Ford was still Vice President and Nixon had yet to resign. Haig told Ford that there were three pardon options: (1) Nixon could pardon himself and resign, (2) Nixon could pardon his aides involved in Watergate and then resign, or (3) Nixon could agree to leave in return for an agreement that the new president would pardon him. After listing these options, Haig handed Ford various papers; one of these papers included a discussion of the president's legal authority to pardon and another sheet was a draft pardon form that only needed Ford's signature and Nixon's name to make it legal. Woodward summarizes the setting between Haig and Ford as follows: "Even if Haig offered no direct words on his views, the message was almost certainly sent. An emotional man, Haig was incapable of concealing his feelings; those who worked closely with him rarely found him ambiguous."

{{wikisource|Proclamation 4311|The Nixon Pardon}}
Despite the situation, Ford never accepted the offer from Haig and later decided to pardon Nixon on his own terms. Regardless, historians believe the controversy was one of the major reasons Ford lost the [[United States presidential election, 1976|election in 1976]], an observation with which Ford concurred.<ref name="shanescott">{{cite news |first= Scott |last= Shane |title= For Ford, Pardon Decision Was Always Clear-Cut|publisher= The New York Times|page= A1 |accessdate= 2006-12-29 |quote=}}</ref> In an editorial at the time, ''[[The New York Times]]'' stated that the Nixon pardon was "a profoundly unwise, divisive and unjust act" that in a stroke had destroyed the new president's "credibility as a man of judgment, candor and competence."<ref name="nyt-editorial" />

Ford's first press secretary and close friend [[Jerald terHorst|Jerald Franklin terHorst]] resigned his post in protest after the announcement of President Nixon's full pardon. Ford also voluntarily appeared before [[United States Congress|Congress]] on [[October 17]], [[1974]] to give sworn testimony—the only time a sitting president has done so—about the pardon.<ref name="utexas-grf-timeline" />

After Ford left the White House in 1977, intimates said that the former President privately justified his pardon of Nixon by carrying in his wallet a portion of the text of ''[[Burdick v. United States]]'', a 1915 [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] decision which stated that a pardon indicated a presumption of guilt and that acceptance of a pardon was tantamount to a confession of that guilt.<ref name="shanescott"/> In 2001, the [[John F. Kennedy Library|John F. Kennedy Library Foundation]] awarded the [[John F. Kennedy]] [[Profile in Courage Award]] to Ford for his pardon of Nixon.<ref name="anoun"> {{cite web |year = [[2001-05-01]]|url = http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education+and+Public+Programs/Profile+in+Courage+Award/Award+Recipients/Gerald+Ford/Award+Announcement.htm|title =Award Announcement |publisher = JFK Library Foundation |accessdate =2007-03-31}}</ref>

===Administration and cabinet===
Upon assuming office, Ford inherited Nixon's [[United States Cabinet|cabinet]]. Over the course of Ford's relatively brief administration, only [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Henry Kissinger]] and [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]] [[William E. Simon]] remained. Ford appointed [[William T. Coleman, Jr.|William Coleman]] as [[United States Secretary of Transportation|Secretary of Transportation]], the second [[African American]] to serve in a presidential cabinet (after [[Robert Clifton Weaver]]) and the first appointed in a Republican administration.<ref>[http://www.americanpresident.org/history/geraldford/cabinet/transportation/transportationCopy1/h_index.shtml Secretary of Transportation: William T. Coleman Jr. (1975–1977)] - AmericanPresident.org ([[2005-01-15]]). Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref>

{|cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="float: right; margin:1em 1em 1em 0; border:1px solid #000000;font-size:85%; border-spacing:4px" align="left"
!bgcolor="#dcdcdc" colspan="3"|The Ford Cabinet
|-
|align="left"|'''OFFICE'''||align="left"|'''NAME'''||align="left"|'''TERM'''
|-
!colspan="3"|<hr />
|-
|align="left"|[[President of the United States|President]]||align="left" |'''Gerald Ford'''||align="left"|1974–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]||align="left"|'''[[Nelson Rockefeller]]'''||align="left"|1974–1977
|-
!colspan="3"|<hr />
|-
|align="left"|[[United States Secretary of State|State]]||align="left"|'''[[Henry Kissinger]]'''||align="left"|1974–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Treasury]]||align="left"|'''[[William E. Simon]]'''||align="left"|1974–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[United States Secretary of Defense|Defense]]||align="left"|'''[[James R. Schlesinger]]'''||align="left"|1974–1975
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[Donald Rumsfeld]]'''||align="left"|1975–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[Attorney General of the United States|Justice]]||align="left"|'''[[William Saxbe]]'''||align="left"|1974–1975
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[Edward Levi]]'''||align="left"|1975–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[United States Secretary of the Interior|Interior]]||align="left"|'''[[Rogers Morton]]'''||align="left"|1974–1975
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[Stanley K. Hathaway]]'''||align="left"|1975
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[Thomas S. Kleppe]]'''||align="left"|1975–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[United States Secretary of Agriculture|Agriculture]]||align="left"|'''[[Earl Butz]]'''||align="left"|1974–1976
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[John Albert Knebel]]'''||align="left"|1976–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[United States Secretary of Commerce|Commerce]]||align="left"|'''[[Frederick B. Dent]]'''||align="left"|1974–1975
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[Rogers Morton]]'''||align="left"|1975
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[Elliot Richardson]]'''||align="left"|1975–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[United States Secretary of Labor|Labor]]||align="left"|'''[[Peter J. Brennan]]'''||align="left"|1974–1975
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[John Thomas Dunlop]]'''||align="left"|1975–1976
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[William Usery, Jr.]]'''||align="left"|1976–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare|HEW]]||align="left"|'''[[Caspar Weinberger]]'''||align="left"|1974–1975
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[F. David Mathews]]'''||align="left"|1975–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]]||align="left"|'''[[James Thomas Lynn]]'''||align="left"|1974–1975
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[Carla Anderson Hills]]'''||align="left"|1975–1977
|-
|align="left"|[[United States Secretary of Transportation|Transportation]]||align="left"|'''[[Claude Brinegar]]'''||align="left"|1974–1975
|-
|align="left"| ||align="left"|'''[[William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr.]]'''||align="left"|1975–1977
|}

Other cabinet-level posts:
* '''[[White House Chief of Staff]]'''
**[[Donald Rumsfeld]] (1974–1975)
**[[Dick Cheney]] (1975–1977)
* '''[[Office of Management and Budget|Director of the Office of Management and Budget]]'''
**[[Roy Ash]] (1974–1975)
**[[James T. Lynn]] (1975–1977)
* '''[[Office of the United States Trade Representative|United States Trade Representative]]'''
**[[William D. Eberle]] (1974–1975)
**[[Frederick B. Dent]] (1975–1977)
* '''[[Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency]]'''
**[[Russell E. Train]] (1974–1977)
* '''[[United States Ambassador to the United Nations]]'''
**[[John A. Scali]] (1974–1975)
**[[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]] (1975–1976)
**[[William Scranton]] (1976–1977)

Other important posts:
* '''[[United States National Security Advisor]]'''
**[[Henry Kissinger]] (1974–1975)
**[[Brent Scowcroft]] (1975–1977)
* '''[[Director of Central Intelligence]]'''
**[[William E. Colby]] (1974–1976)
**[[George H. W. Bush]] (1976–1977)

Ford selected [[George H.W. Bush]] to be his [[United States Ambassador to China#Ambassadors/liaisons to the People's Republic of China (1973–)|liaison]] to the [[People's Republic of China]] in 1974 and then [[Director of Central Intelligence|Director]] of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] in late 1975.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/bush/ George Herbert Walker Bush] Bush Profile, [[CNN]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref>

Ford's transition chairman and first Chief of Staff was former congressman and ambassador [[Donald Rumsfeld]]. In 1975, Rumsfeld was named by Ford as the youngest-ever [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]]. Ford chose a young [[Wyoming]] politician, [[Dick Cheney|Richard Cheney]], to replace Rumsfeld as his new Chief of Staff and later [[campaign manager]] for Ford's [[United States presidential election, 1976|1976 presidential campaign]].<ref>[http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/secdef_histories/bios/cheney.htm Richard B. Cheney.] [[United States Department of Defense]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref> Ford's dramatic reorganization of his Cabinet in the fall of 1975 has been referred to by political commentators as the "[[Halloween Massacre]]."

===Midterm elections===
{{main|United States House elections, 1974|United States Senate elections, 1974}}
The 1974 Congressional midterm elections took place less than three months after Ford assumed office. Occurring in the wake of the Watergate scandal, the Democratic Party was able to turn voter dissatisfaction into large gains in the [[United States House elections, 1974|House elections]], taking 49 seats from the Republican Party, and increasing their majority to 291 of the 435 seats, which was one more than the number needed (290) for a 2/3rds majority, necessary in order to over-ride a Presidential [[veto]] (or to submit a Constitutional Amendment). Perhaps due in part to this fact, the [[94th United States Congress|94th Congress]] overrode the highest percentage of vetoes since [[Andrew Johnson]] was President of the United States (1865–1869).<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/05/bush-vetoes-less-than-most-presidents.html Bush vetoes less than most presidents], CNN, [[May 1]], [[2007]]. Retrieved on [[2007-10-19]].</ref> Even Ford's old, reliably Republican seat was taken by Democrat [[Richard VanderVeen]]. In the [[United States Senate elections, 1974|Senate elections]], the Democratic majority became 61 in the 100-seat body.<ref>Renka, Russell D. [http://web.archive.org/web/20031228111446/http://ustudies.semo.edu/ui320-75/Course/presidents/nixon/Nixon'sfall.htm Nixon's Fall and the Ford and Carter Interregnum.] [[Southeast Missouri State University]], ([[April 10]], [[2003]]). Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref>

===Domestic policy===
[[Image:A5235-5.jpg|thumb|right|President Ford meets with his [[United States Cabinet|Cabinet]] in 1975.]]
The [[Economy of the United States|economy]] was a great concern during the Ford administration. In response to rising [[inflation]], Ford went before the American public in October 1974 and asked them to "'''W'''hip '''I'''nflation '''N'''ow." As part of this program, he urged people to wear "[[Whip Inflation Now|WIN]]" buttons.<ref>[http://millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/diglibrary/prezspeeches/ford/grf_1974_1008.html Gerald Ford Speeches: ''Whip Inflation Now''] ([[October 8]], [[1974]]), Miller Center of Public Affairs. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]]</ref> In hindsight, this was viewed as simply a [[public relations]] [[gimmick]] without offering any effective means of solving the underlying problems.<ref name="econbrowser">{{cite web |year = 2006 |url = http://www.econbrowser.com/archives/2006/12/win_buttons_and.html |title = WIN buttons and Arthur Burns |publisher = Econbrowser |accessdate = 2007-01-24}}</ref> At the time, inflation was approximately seven percent.<ref> [http://woodrow.mpls.frb.fed.us/research/data/us/calc/hist1913.cfm Consumer Price Index, 1913-]. [[Federal Reserve System|Federal Reserve Bank]] of [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]]</ref>

The economic focus began to change as the country sank into a mild [[recession]] and in March 1975, Congress passed and Ford signed into law [[income tax]] rebates as part of the [[Tax Reduction Act of 1975]] to boost the economy. When [[New York City]] faced [[bankruptcy]] in 1975, [[List of mayors of New York City|Mayor]] [[Abraham Beame]] was unsuccessful in obtaining Ford's support for a federal bailout. The incident prompted the ''[[New York Daily News]]''' notorious headline: "Ford to City: Drop Dead."<ref>Lemann, Nick. [http://www.thecrimson.com/printerfriendly.aspx?ref=158751 Rhetorical Bankruptcy.] ''[[The Harvard Crimson]]'', [[November 8]], [[1975]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref>

Ford was confronted with a potential [[swine flu]] [[pandemic]]. Sometime in the early 1970s, an [[influenza]] strain [[H1N1]] shifted from a form of flu that affected primarily pigs and crossed over to humans. On [[February 5]], [[1976]], an [[United States Army|Army]] recruit at [[Fort Dix, New Jersey|Fort Dix]] mysteriously died and four fellow soldiers were hospitalized; [[Centers for Disease Control|health officials]] announced that "swine flu" was the cause. Soon after, public health officials in the Ford administration urged that every person in the United States be [[vaccination|vaccinated]].<ref>[http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=06-P13-00009&segmentID=1 Pandemic Pointers.] [[Living on Earth]], [[March 3]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref> Although the vaccination program was plagued by delays and public relations problems, some 25% of the population was vaccinated by the time the program was canceled in December of that year. The vaccine was blamed for twenty-five deaths; more people died from the shots than from the swine flu.<ref>Mickle, Paul. [http://www.capitalcentury.com/1976.html 1976: Fear of a great plague.] ''The Trentonian''. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref>

Despite his reservations about how this program ultimately would be funded in an era of tight public budgeting, Ford still signed the [[Education for All Handicapped Children Act]] of 1975, which established special education throughout the United States. Ford expressed "strong support for full educational opportunities for our handicapped children" according to the official White House press release for the bill signing.<ref>[http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/speeches/750707.htm President Gerald R. Ford's Statement on Signing the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.] Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, [[December 2]], [[1975]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref>

Ford was an outspoken supporter of the [[Equal Rights Amendment]], issuing Presidential Proclamation 4383.
<blockquote>
In this Land of the Free, it is right, and by nature it ought to be, that all men and all women are equal before the law.
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
Now, THEREFORE, I, GERALD R. FORD, President of the United States of America, to remind all Americans that it is fitting and just to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment adopted by the Congress of the United States of America, in order to secure legal equality for all women and men, do hereby designate and proclaim [[August 26]], [[1975]], as Women's Equality Day.[http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=23839]
</blockquote>

As president, Ford's position on abortion was that he supported "a federal constitutional amendment that would permit each one of the 50 States to make the choice."<ref>[http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov//library/speeches/760947.htm Presidential Campaign Debate Between Gerald R. Ford and Jimmy Carter, October 22, 1976]</ref> This had also been his position as House Minority Leader in response to the 1973 Supreme Court case of ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'', which he opposed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/print.php?pid=6320 |title=Letter to the Archbishop of Cincinnati |accessdate=2007-06-12 |last=Ford |first=Gerald|date=1976-09-10 |work=The American Presidency Project}}</ref> Ford came under criticism for a [[60 Minutes]] interview his wife Betty gave in 1975, in which she stated that ''Roe v. Wade'' was a "great, great decision."<ref>{{cite book |author=Greene, John Edward.|title=The presidency of Gerald R. Ford|publisher=University Press of Kansas |location=Lawrence |year=1995 |pages=p. 33 |isbn=0-7006-0639-4}}</ref> During his later life, Ford would identify as [[pro-choice]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0102/03/lklw.00.html |title=The Best of Interviews With Gerald Ford |accessdate=2007-06-12 |date=2001-02-03 |work=Larry King Live Weekend |publisher=CNN}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
All U.S. military forces had withdrawn from Vietnam in 1973. As the North Vietnamese invaded and conquered the South in 1975, Ford ordered the final withdrawal of U.S. civilians from [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]] in [[Operation Frequent Wind]], and the subsequent [[fall of Saigon]]. On [[April 29]] and the morning of [[April 30]], [[1975]], the U.S. embassy in [[Ho Chi Minh City|Saigon]] was evacuated amidst a chaotic scene. Some 1,373 U.S. citizens and 5,595 Vietnamese and third country nationals were evacuated by military and [[Air America]] helicopters to [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] ships off-shore.
[[Image:Ford signing accord with Brehznev, November 24, 1974.jpg|left|thumbnail|225px|Ford meets with Soviet Union leader [[Leonid Brezhnev]] in [[Vladivostok]], November 1974, to sign a joint [[communique|communiqué]] on the [[Strategic Arms Limitation Talks|SALT]] treaty]]

Ford continued the [[détente]] policy with both the [[Soviet Union]] and China, easing the tensions of the Cold War.
In his meeting with [[Indonesia]]n president [[Suharto]], Ford gave the green light<ref name="etimor"> {{cite news |first = Christopher |last = Hitchens |title = The Accidental President Gerald Ford: 1913–2006 |work = The Mirror |page = 17 |date = [[December 28]], [[2006]] |accessdate = 2007-01-01}}</ref><ref name="etimor2">{{cite news|url = http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB62/#doc4 |title = East Timor Revisited|publisher = National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 62 |date =[[December 6]], [[2006]]|accessdate = 2007-01-03}}</ref> through arms and aid to invade the former [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] colony [[East Timor]].

Still in place from the Nixon Administration was the [[Strategic Arms Limitation Talks|Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty]] (SALT).<ref>{{cite book |last=Mieczkowski |first=Yanek |title=Gerald Ford And The Challenges Of The 1970s |publisher= [[University Press of Kentucky]]|location=Lexington, Kentucky|year = 2005|isbn=0-8131-2349-6 |page=p. 284}}</ref> The thawing relationship brought about by [[1972 Nixon visit to China|Nixon's visit to China]] was reinforced by Ford's December 1975 visit to the communist country.<ref name="chinatrip"> {{cite web |url = http://www.ford.utexas.edu/avproj/china.htm |title =Trip To China |work = Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library|publisher = University of Texas |accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref> In 1975, the Administration entered into the Helsinki Accords<ref name="Helsinki Accords"> {{cite web |url = http://www.usa-presidents.info/speeches/helsinki.html |title =President Gerald R. Ford's Address in Helsinki Before the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe |publisher = USA-presidents.info|accessdate = 2007-04-04}}</ref> with the Soviet Union, creating the framework of the [[Helsinki Watch]], an independent [[non-governmental organization]] created to monitor compliance that later evolved into [[Human Rights Watch]].<ref name="hrw"> {{cite web |url = http://www.hrw.org/about/whoweare.html |title =About Human Rights Watch |publisher = Human Rights Watch |accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref>

Ford also faced a foreign policy crisis with the [[Mayaguez Incident]]. In May 1975, shortly after the [[Khmer Rouge]] took power in [[Cambodia]], Cambodians seized the American merchant ship ''Mayaguez'' in international waters. Ford dispatched [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] to rescue the crew, but the Marines landed on the wrong island and met unexpectedly stiff resistance just as, unknown to the U.S., the ''Mayaguez'' sailors were being released. In the operation, 41 U.S. servicemen were killed and 50 wounded while approximately 60 Khmer Rouge soldiers were killed.<ref name="marinemerchants"> {{cite web |date = 2000 |url = http://www.usmm.org/mayaguez.html |title =Capture and Release of SS Mayaguez by Khmer Rouge forces in May 1975 |publisher = United States Merchant Marine |accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref>

Ford attended the inaugural meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations (initially the G5) in 1975 and secured membership for Canada. Ford supported international solutions to issues. "We live in an interdependent world and, therefore, must work together to resolve common economic problems," he said in a 1974 speech.<ref name="canadaG7"> {{cite news |url = http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/12/27/ford-canada.html |title =President Ford got Canada into G7 |date = [[December 27]], [[2006]] |publisher = Canadian Broadcasting Company|accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref>

===Assassination attempts===
[[Image:Frommeassassinationattempt.jpg|thumb|[[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] agents rush Ford to safety after the first assassination attempt.]]
Ford faced two [[assassination attempt]]s during his presidency, occurring within three weeks of each other: while in [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], [[California]] on [[September 5]], [[1975]], [[Lynette Fromme|Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme]], a follower of [[Charles Manson]], pointed a [[M1911 Colt pistol|Colt 45]]-caliber [[handgun]] at Ford. As Fromme pulled the trigger, [[Larry Buendorf]],<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1026_041026_tv_secret_service2_2.html Election Is Crunch Time for U.S. Secret Service.] National Geographic News. Retrieved on [[2008-03-02]]. </ref> a Secret Service agent, grabbed the gun and managed to insert the webbing of his thumb under the hammer, preventing the gun from firing. It was later found that, although the gun was loaded with four cartridges, it was a [[semi-automatic pistol]] and the slide had not been pulled to place a round in the firing chamber, making it impossible for the gun to fire. Fromme was taken into custody; she was later convicted of attempted assassination of the President and was sentenced to life in prison.<ref name="squeakeyparole"> {{cite news |last =McLaren |first = Janet|date = 2005-06-26 |url = http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/322697p-275745c.html |title ='Squeaky' up for parole |work = New York Daily News |accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref>

[[Image:AV89-26-14 600d.jpg|thumb|left|Reaction immediately after the second assassination attempt.]]
In reaction to this attempt, the Secret Service started to keep Ford at a more secure distance from anonymous crowds, a strategy that may have saved his life seventeen days later: as he left a hotel in downtown [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[Sara Jane Moore]], standing in a crowd of onlookers across the street, pointed her pistol at him.<ref name="Secret Service">{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/ustreas/usss/t1pubrpt.html |title=Public Report of the White House Security Review |author =United States Secret Service |accessdate=2007-01-03|publisher=United States Department of the Treasury}}</ref> Just before she fired, former Marine [[Oliver Sipple]] grabbed at the gun and deflected her shot; one person was injured, and she was later sentenced to life in prison. She was paroled from prison on [[December 31]], [[2007]], having served 32 years.<ref name="ABC7-Lee">{{cite web |url=http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=local&id=4900159 |title=Interview: Woman Who Tried To Assassinate Ford |accessdate=2007-01-03 |last=Lee |first=Vic |date=2007-01-02 |work=ABC-7 News |publisher=KGO-TV }}</ref>

===Supreme Court appointment===
In 1975, Ford appointed [[John Paul Stevens]] as [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States]] to replace retiring Justice [[William O. Douglas]]. Stevens had been a judge of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit]], appointed by President Nixon.<ref name="stephensJP"> {{cite web |url = http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/legal_entity/101/biography |title =John Paul Stevens |publisher = OYEZ|accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref> During his tenure as House Republican leader, Ford had led efforts to have Douglas impeached. After being confirmed, Stevens eventually disappointed some conservatives by siding with the Court's [[judicial philosophy|liberal]] wing regarding the outcome of many key issues.<ref name="persuasion"> {{cite news |last = Levenick |first = Christopher |date = 2005-09-25|url = http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/135jlkrj.asp |title =The Conservative Persuasion |publisher = The Daily Standard |accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref> Nevertheless, President Ford paid tribute to Stevens. "He has served his nation well," Ford said of Stevens, "with dignity, intellect and without partisan political concerns."<ref>[http://law.fordham.edu/newsfiles/news-ford.pdf Letter from Gerald Ford to Michael Treanor] (PDF). Fordham University, [[2005-09-21]] Retrieved on [[2008-03-02]].</ref>

===1976 presidential election===
{{main|United States presidential election, 1976}}
Ford reluctantly agreed to run for office in 1976, but first he had to counter a challenge for the Republican party nomination. Then-former [[Governor of California]] [[Ronald Reagan]] and the party's [[American conservatism|conservative]] wing faulted Ford for failing to do more in [[South Vietnam]], for signing the Helsinki Accords and for negotiating to cede the [[Panama Canal]] (negotiations for the canal continued under President Carter, who eventually signed the [[Torrijos-Carter Treaties]]). Reagan launched his campaign in late 1975 and won several [[United States presidential primary|primaries]] before withdrawing from the race at the [[1976 Republican National Convention|Republican Convention]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[Missouri]]. The conservative insurgency convinced Ford to drop the more [[American liberalism|liberal]] Vice President Nelson Rockefeller in favor of Kansas Senator [[Bob Dole]].<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/analysis/back.time/9603/29/index.shtml Another Loss For the Gipper.] ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', [[March 29]], [[1976]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref>

In addition to the pardon dispute and lingering anti-Republican sentiment, Ford had to counter a plethora of negative media imagery. [[Chevy Chase]] often did [[pratfall]]s on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', imitating Ford, who had been seen stumbling on two occasions during his term. As Chase commented, "He even mentioned in his own autobiography it had an effect over a period of time that affected the election to some degree."<ref>[http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-19-2004/0002287784&EDATE= VH1 News Presents: Politics: A Pop Culture History Premiering Wednesday, October 20 at 10:00 p.m. (ET/PT).] ''PRNewswire'' [[October 19]], [[2004]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref>

President Ford's 1976 election campaign had the advantage that he was an incumbent President during several anniversary events held during the period leading up to the [[United States Bicentennial]]. The Washington, D.C. [[fireworks]] display on the [[Fourth of July]] was presided over by the President and televised nationally.<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/classroom/govt/1976.asp Election of 1976: A Political Outsider Prevails.] C-SPAN. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref> On [[July 7]], [[1976]], the President and First Lady served as proud hosts at a White House state dinner for [[Queen Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip]] of the United Kingdom, which was televised on the Public Broadcasting Service network. The 200th anniversary of the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]] in Massachusetts gave Ford the opportunity to deliver a speech to 110,000 in Concord acknowledging the need for a strong national defense tempered with a plea for "reconciliation, not recrimination" and "reconstruction, not rancor" between the United States and those who would pose "threats to peace".<ref>Shabecoff, Philip. "160,000 Mark Two 1775 Battles; Concord Protesters Jeer Ford -- Reconciliation Plea." ''New York Times'', [[April 20]], [[1975]], p. 1.</ref> Speaking in New Hampshire on the previous day, Ford condemned the growing trend toward big government bureaucracy and argued for a return to "basic American virtues".<ref>Shabecoff, Philip. "Ford, on Bicentennial Trip, Bids U.S. Heed Old Values." ''New York Times'', [[April 19]], [[1975]], p. 1.</ref>

[[Image:Carter and Ford in a debate, September 23, 1976.jpg|thumb|left|Ford (at right) and Jimmy Carter [[United States presidential election debates|debate]]]]
Democratic nominee and former [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] [[List of Governors of Georgia|governor]] Jimmy Carter campaigned as an outsider and reformer; he gained support from voters dismayed by the Watergate scandal. Carter led consistently in the polls, and Ford was never able to shake voter dissatisfaction following Watergate and the Nixon pardon.

[[United States presidential election debates|Presidential debates]] were reintroduced for the first time since the [[United States Presidential election, 1960|1960 election]]. While Ford was seen as the winner of the first debate, during the second debate he inexplicably blundered when he stated, "There is no Soviet domination of [[Eastern Europe]] and there never will be under a Ford Administration." Ford also said that he did not "believe that the [[Poland|Poles]] consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union".<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/debates/history.story/1976.html Election 2000: 1976 Presidential Debates.] ''CNN'' (2001). Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref> In an interview years later, Ford said he had intended to imply that the Soviets would never crush the ''spirits'' of eastern Europeans seeking independence. However, the phrasing was so awkward that questioner [[Max Frankel]] was visibly incredulous at the response.<ref name="pbs2000">{{cite web |last = Lehrer|first = Jim|date = 2000 |url = http://www.pbs.org/newshour/debatingourdestiny/dod/1976-broadcast.html |title = 1976:No Audio and No Soviet Domination |work = Debating Our Destiny|publisher = PBS|accessdate = 2007-03-31}}</ref>

In the end, Carter won the election, receiving 50.1% of the popular vote and 297 [[United States Electoral College|electoral votes]] compared with 48.0% and 240 electoral votes for Ford. The election was close enough that had fewer than 25,000 votes shifted in Ohio and Wisconsin – both of which neighbored his home state – Ford would have won the electoral vote.<ref>[http://www.multied.com/elections/1976state.html Presidential Election 1976 States Carried.] miltied.com. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref> Though he lost, in the three months between the Republican National Convention and the election Ford managed to close what was once a 34-point Carter lead to a 2-point margin. In fact, the [[Gallup poll]] the day before the election showed Ford held a statistically insignificant 1-point advantage over Carter.<ref name="gallup1">{{cite web |url = http://www.heartheissues.com/americanson-geraldford-200612-g.html |title =Americans On - Gerald Ford|work = Hear The Issues |publisher = Gallup Poll |accessdate = 2007-01-24}}</ref>

Had Ford won the election, he would have been disqualified by the [[Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution|22nd Amendment]] from running in [[United States presidential election, 1980|1980]], since he served more than two years of Nixon's term.

An article published in ''[[Newsweek]]'' shortly after Ford's death in 2006 discussed the former President's spiritual beliefs and cited evidence that Ford's preference not to openly express his Episcopalian faith in public contributed to his loss to [[Southern Baptist]] former Sunday school teacher Jimmy Carter. Ford's lowest level of support was in the [[Bible Belt]] states of the [[Deep South]] (Carter won every Southern state that year except Virginia).

==Post-presidential years, 1977–2006==
===Activity===
The Nixon pardon controversy eventually subsided. Ford's successor, Jimmy Carter, opened his 1977 [[inaugural address]] by praising the outgoing President, saying, "For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land."<ref name="JC">{{cite web |date = 1977-01-20 |url = http://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/history/us1945/docs/pres60.htm |title = Jimmy Carter |work= Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents |publisher = University of Seattle |accessdate = 2007-01-17}}</ref>

Ford remained relatively active in the years after his presidency and continued to make appearances at events of historical and ceremonial significance to the nation, such as presidential inaugurals and memorial services. In 1977, he reluctantly agreed to be interviewed by James M. Naughton, a ''New York Times'' journalist who was given the assignment to write the former President's advance obituary, an article that would be updated prior to its eventual publication.<ref name="poynterX">{{cite web |last = Naughton |first = James M |date = 2006-12-27 |url = http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=115796|title = The Real Jerry Ford |publisher = PoynterOnline |accessdate = 2007-03-31}}</ref>

During the term of office of his successor, Jimmy Carter, Ford received monthly briefs by President Carter’s senior staff on international and domestic issues, and was always invited to lunch at the White House whenever he was in Washington, D.C. However, a close friendship with Carter developed only after Carter had left office, with the catalyst being their trip together to the funeral of [[Anwar el-Sadat]] in 1981.<ref name "NYTobit">{{cite news |last = Kornblut |first = Anne |date = 2006-12-29 |url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/29/washington/29funeral.html?ex=1325048400&en=44d6cd10bbdba342&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |title = Ford Arranged His Funeral to Reflect Himself and Drew in a Former Adversary |work = The New York Times |accessdate = 2007-04-04}}</ref> Until Ford's death, Carter and his wife, [[Rosalynn Carter|Rosalynn]], visited the Fords' home frequently.<ref>Updegrove, Mark K. [http://www.americanheritage.com/people/articles/web/20060906-ronald-reagan-gerald-ford-richard-nixon-jimmy-carter-anwar-sadat-air-force-one-hosni-mubarak.shtml "Flying Coach to Cairo".] AmericanHeritage.com (August/September 2006). Retrieved on [[December 31]], [[2006]]. "Certainly few observers in January 1977 would have predicted that Jimmy and I would become the closest of friends," Ford said in 2000.</ref> In 2001, Ford and Carter served as honorary co-chairs of the [[National Commission on Federal Election Reform]].

[[Image:Fordportrait.gif|thumb|left|Gerald R. Ford: Official [[White House]] portrait by [[Everett Kinstler]]]]
Like Presidents Carter, Bush Sr. and [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]], Ford was an honorary co-chair of the [[Council for Excellence in Government]], a group dedicated to excellence in government performance and which provides leadership training to top federal employees.

After securing the Republican nomination in 1980, Ronald Reagan gave serious consideration to his former rival Ford as a potential vice-presidential running mate, but negotiations between the Reagan and Ford camps at the [[1980 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]] were unsuccessful. Ford conditioned his acceptance on Reagan's agreement to an unprecedented "co-presidency",<ref name="meeteye">{{cite web |last = Kantrowitz|first = Barbara |date = 2006 |url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16409224/site/newsweek/page/8/ |title = The 38th President: More Than Met the Eye|publisher = Newsweek National News |accessdate = 2007-03-31}}</ref> giving Ford the power to control key executive branch appointments (such as [[Henry Kissinger]] as Secretary of State and [[Alan Greenspan]] as Treasury Secretary). After rejecting these terms, Reagan offered the vice-presidential nomination instead to George H. W. Bush.<ref>Allen, Richard V. [http://www.hoover.org/publications/digest/3492521.html How the Bush Dynasty Almost Wasn't.] Hoover Institution, reprinted from the ''New York Times Magazine'', [[July 30]], [[2000]]. Retrieved on [[December 31]], [[2006]].</ref>

In 1977, he established the [[Gerald R. Ford Institute of Public Policy]] at [[Albion College]] in [[Albion, Michigan|Albion]], [[Michigan]], to give undergraduates training in public policy. In 1981, he opened the [[Gerald R. Ford Museum]] in Grand Rapids, and the Gerald R. Ford Library in [[Ann Arbor, Michigan|Ann Arbor]], [[Michigan]].<ref name="imdballstar"> {{cite web |date = 1981|url = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0355186/ |title =All-Star Celebration Opening the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum |publisher = IMDB|accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref> In 1999, Ford was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by Bill Clinton.<ref name="mof"> {{cite web |url = http://politicalgraveyard.com/special/medal-of-freedom.html |title = Politicians Who Received the Medal of Freedom |publisher = The Political Graveyard|accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref> In 2001, he was presented with the John F. Kennedy [[Profiles in Courage Award]] for his decision to pardon Richard Nixon to stop the agony America was experiencing over Watergate.<ref name="jfkpic"> {{cite web |date = 2001|url = http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education+and+Public+Programs/Profile+in+Courage+Award/Award+Recipients/Gerald+Ford/ |title = Gerald Ford |publisher = John F. Kennedy Library Foundation|accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref> In retirement Ford also devoted much time to his love of golf, often playing both privately and in public events with comedian [[Bob Hope]], a longtime friend.

[[Image:Presford90.jpg|thumb|Ford at his 90th birthday with [[Laura Bush]], President [[George W. Bush]], and Betty Ford in the White House [[State Dining Room]] in 2003]]
In October 2001, Ford broke with conservative members of the Republican party by stating that gay and lesbian couples "ought to be treated equally. Period." He became the highest ranking Republican to embrace full equality for gays and lesbians, stating his belief that there should be a federal amendment outlawing anti-gay job discrimination and expressing his hope that the Republican Party would reach out to gay and lesbian voters.<ref> Price, Deb. [http://pageoneq.com/news/2006/ford122806.html Gerald Ford: Treat gay couples equally.] ''The Detroit News'', [[October 29]], [[2001]]. Retrieved on [[December 28]], [[2006]]</ref> He also was a member of the Republican Unity Coalition, which ''[[The New York Times]]'' described as "a group of prominent Republicans, including former President Gerald R. Ford, dedicated to making sexual orientation a non-issue in the Republican Party".<ref>Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. "Vocal Gay Republicans Upsetting Conservatives," ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[June 1]] [[2003]], p. N26.</ref>

On [[November 22]], [[2004]], New York Republican Governor [[George Pataki]] named Ford and the other living former Presidents (Carter, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton) as honorary members of the board rebuilding the [[World Trade Center]].

In a pre-recorded [[news embargo|embargoed interview]] with [[Bob Woodward]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in July 2004, Ford stated that he disagreed "very strongly" with the Bush administration's choice of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction as justification for its decision to [[Iraq War|invade Iraq]], calling it a "big mistake" unrelated to the national security of the United States and indicating that he would not have gone to war had he been President. The details of the interview were not released until after Ford's death, as he requested.<ref>Woodward, Bob. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/27/AR2006122701558.html "Ford Disagreed With Bush About Invading Iraq".] ''The Washington Post'', [[December 28]] [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[December 28]], [[2006]]</ref><ref>[http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/28/1449201 Embargoed Interview Reveals Ford Opposed Iraq War.] ''Democracy Now'' Headlines for [[December 28]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[December 28]], [[2006]]</ref>

===Health problems===
As Ford approached his 90th year, he began to experience health problems associated with old age. He suffered two minor [[stroke]]s at the [[2000 Republican National Convention]], but made a quick recovery.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/863937.stm Gerald Ford recovering after strokes.] ''[[BBC]]'', [[August 2]], [[2000]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref> In January 2006, he spent 11 days at the [[Eisenhower Medical Center]] near his residence at [[Rancho Mirage, California|Rancho Mirage]], [[California]], for treatment of [[pneumonia]].<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-01-16-ford-hospitalized_x.htm Former President Ford, 92, hospitalized with pneumonia.] ''[[Associated Press]]'', [[January 17]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[2007-10-19]].</ref> On [[April 23]], President George W. Bush visited Ford at his home in Rancho Mirage for a little over an hour. This was Ford's last public appearance and produced the last known public photos, video footage and voice recording. While vacationing in [[Vail, Colorado|Vail]], [[Colorado]], he was hospitalized for two days in July, 2006 for shortness of breath.<ref>[http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14043669/ Gerald Ford released from hospital.] ''[[Associated Press]]'', [[July 26]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[2006-12-31]].</ref> On [[August 15]] Ford was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital of the [[Mayo Clinic]] in [[Rochester, Minnesota|Rochester]], [[Minnesota]] for testing and evaluation. On [[August 21]], it was reported that he had been fitted with a [[artificial pacemaker|pacemaker]]. On [[August 25]], he underwent an [[angioplasty]] procedure at the Mayo Clinic, according to a statement from an assistant to Ford. On [[August 28]], Ford was released from the hospital and returned with his wife Betty to their California home. On [[October 13]], he was scheduled to attend the dedication of a building of his namesake, the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, but due to poor health and on the advice of his doctors he did not attend. The previous day, Ford entered the Eisenhower Medical Center for undisclosed tests;<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2006/10/former-president-ford-in-hospital-for.html Former President Ford in hospital for tests.] ''[[Associated Press]]'', [[2006-10-12]]. Retrieved on [[2008-03-02]]. </ref> he was released on [[October 16]]. By November 2006 he was confined to a bed in his study.<ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0612/27/bn.01.html Gerald Ford Dies At Age 93.] CNN Transcript [[December 26]], [[2006]]. Retrieved on [[2008-03-02]].</ref>

===Death===
{{main|Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford}}
[[Image:Fords grave.jpg|right|thumb|President Ford's tomb at his Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan]]
Ford died at the age of 93 years and 165 days on [[December 26]], [[2006]] at 6:45 p.m [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific Standard Time]] (02:45, [[December 27]], [[UTC]]) at his home in [[Rancho Mirage, California|Rancho Mirage]], [[California]] of arteriosclerotic [[cerebrovascular disease]] and diffuse [[arteriosclerosis]].<ref name=ref name=survivewarren/>

With their father's health failing, all four of Gerald and Betty Ford's children visited their parents' home shortly before [[Christmas]]. Mrs. Ford and their three sons, who had celebrated Christmas the day before at home, were at Ford's bedside when he died. The couple's daughter, Susan, had returned to [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]], [[New Mexico]], the day before Christmas to spend the holiday with her family. No local clergy were present but Ford's eldest son, Michael, is an [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] minister and he performed [[Anointing of the Sick|last rites]].<ref>{{cite news |last = Hoffman |first = Allison |url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/28/ap/national/mainD8MA4AL80.shtml |title = Pastor: Family Gathered Near Dying Ford |publisher = [[CBS News]] |date = 2006-12-28 |accessdate = 2006-12-31}}</ref>

[[Image:Ford-capitol-rotunda.JPEG|thumb|left|Ford is honored during a memorial service in the U.S. [[Capitol Rotunda]] in Washington, D.C. on [[December 30]], [[2006]].]]
At 8:49 p.m., Ford's wife, Betty, issued a statement that confirmed his death:<ref name="cbsi">{{cite news |url = http://wcbstv.com/topstories/topstories_story_227195601.html |title = Former President Gerald Ford Dies |publisher = WCBS-TV |date = 2006-12-27 |accessdate = 2006-12-31}} </ref> "My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, has died at 93 years of age. His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."<ref>{{cite news |last = Smith |first = J.Y. |coauthors = Cannon, Lou |title = Gerald R. Ford, 93, Dies; Led in Watergate's Wake |work = The Washington Post |date = 2006-12-27 |url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/27/AR2006122700528_pf.html |accessdate =2007-01-04}}</ref> The statement was released by President Ford's Office. The body was taken to the [[Eisenhower Medical Center]], where it remained until the start of the funeral services on [[December 29]], [[2006]].

On [[December 30]], [[2006]], Ford became the 11th U.S. President to [[Lying in state#United States|lie in state]]. The burial was preceded by a state funeral and memorial services held at the [[National Cathedral]] in Washington, D.C. on [[January 2]], [[2007]]. Ford was [[eulogy|eulogized]] by former President George H. W. Bush, former [[Secretary of State]] [[Henry Kissinger]], former [[NBC Nightly News]] [[anchorman]] [[Tom Brokaw]] and current President George W. Bush. On [[December 28]], [[2006]], the ''[[New York Times]]'' reported that, at Ford's request, former President Jimmy Carter would deliver a eulogy. Decades ago, "Mr. Ford asked whether his successor might consider speaking at his funeral and offered, lightheartedly, to do the same for Mr. Carter, depending on who died first."<ref>{{cite news |last =Kornblut |first =Anne E |title =Ford Arranged His Funeral to Reflect Himself and Drew In a Former Adversary |page =A21 |work =The New York Times |date =2006-12-28 |url =http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/29/washington/29funeral.html?ex=1325048400&en=44d6cd10bbdba342&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss |accessdate =2007-01-04}}</ref> Carter delivered an emotional eulogy at the funeral service at Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids on [[January 3]], [[2007]]. Ford was also eulogized by Donald Rumsfeld, who was Ford's defense secretary, and Richard Norton Smith, Presidential historian. The invitation-only list of attendees included Vice President Dick Cheney, Michigan Gov. [[Jennifer Granholm]], and U.S. Senators from Michigan [[Carl Levin]] and [[Debbie Stabenow]]. After the service, Ford was interred at his [[Presidential Museum]] in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

===Longevity===
[[Image:Ford and Betty and Bush.jpg|thumb|right|President George W. Bush with former President Ford and his wife Betty on [[April 23]], [[2006]]. This is the last known public photo of Gerald Ford.]]
At the time of his death, Ford had outlived President Reagan by 45 days. He was the [[List of United States Vice Presidents by longevity|third longest-lived Vice President]] at the age of 93; the two oldest were [[John Nance Garner]], 98, and [[Levi P. Morton]], 96. Ford had the [[List of United States Presidents by time as former president|second longest post-presidency]] (29 years and 11 months) after [[Herbert Hoover]] (31 years and 7 months). He is one of only four former Presidents to live to 90 or more years of age; the others are [[Ronald Reagan]] (93), [[John Adams]] (90) and [[Herbert Hoover]] (90).

Ford died on the 34th anniversary of President [[Harry Truman]]'s death, the second U.S. President to die on [[Boxing Day]], which Ford's pastor, The Rev. Dr. Robert Certain, noted when he referred to [[December 26]] as its traditional Christian reference, [[St. Stephen's Day]].<ref name="boxingday">{{cite web |last = Certain|first = Rev. Dr. Robert|date = 2007-01-02 |url = http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/worship/FordFuneral/FordHomily.html|title = Homily Offered by the Rev. Dr. Robert Certain State Funeral of Gerald R. Ford |publisher = Catehdral.org |accessdate = 2001-01-17}}</ref> He was the last surviving member of the [[Warren Commission]].<ref name=survivewarren>Wilson, Jeff. [http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/12/27/D8M91R300.html Former President Gerald Ford Dies at 93.] [[Associated Press]]. [[December 27]], [[2006]]. Also available [http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/12/27/ford.obit/index.html here.] Retrieved on [[December 31]], [[2006]].</ref>

On [[November 12]], [[2006]] upon surpassing Ronald Reagan to become the [[List of United States Presidents by longevity|longest-lived U.S. President]], Ford released his last public statement:<ref name=EclipseReagan>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-11-10-ford_x.htm|title=Ford eclipses Reagan as oldest ex-president | date=2006-11-12|work=USA Today|accessdate=2008-03-02}}</ref>
{{cquote2|The length of one’s days matters less than the love of one’s family and friends. I thank God for the gift of every sunrise and, even more, for all the years. He has blessed me with Betty and the children; with our extended family and the friends of a lifetime. That includes countless Americans who, in recent months, have remembered me in their prayers. Your kindness touches me deeply. May God bless you all and may God bless America.|''Gerald Ford, final public statement, [[November 12]] [[2006]]''}}

==Electoral history==
Ford's electoral history is:<ref>[http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=4031 Ford, Jr., Gerald Rudolph.] OurCampaigns.com. Retrieved on [[2008-03-02]]. </ref>

'''Michigan 5th district, 1966'''
*[[Gerald Ford]] (R, Inc.) – 87,914 (68.39%)
*[[James M. Catchick]] (D) – 40,629 (31.61%)

'''Michigan 5th dictrict, 1968'''
*[[Gerald Ford]] (R, Inc.) – 105,085 (62.75%)
*[[Lawrence E. Howard]] (D) – 62,219 (37.16%)
*[[Frank Girard]] ([[Socialist Labor]]) – 156 (0.09%)

'''Michigan 5th dictrict, 1970'''
*[[Gerald Ford]] (R, Inc.) – 88,208 (61.36%)
*[[Jean McKee]] (D) – 55,337 (38.50%)
*[[Frank Girard]] (Socialist Labor) – 120 (0.08%)
*[[Walter M. Kus]] ([[Socialist Workers]]) – 87 (0.06%)

'''Michigan 5th district, 1972'''
*[[Gerald Ford]] (R, Inc.) – 118,027 (61.08%)
*[[Jean McKee]] (D) – 72,782 (37.67%)
*[[Dwight W. Johnson]] ([[American Independent]]) – 2,045 (1.06%)
*[[Frank Girard]] (Socialist Labor) – 235 (0.12%)
*[[Alan Lee Maki]] (Communist) – 140 (0.07%)

'''[[1976 Republican National Convention]]'''
*[[Gerald Ford]] – 1187
*[[Ronald Reagan]] – 1070
*[[Elliot Richardson]] – 1

'''[[United States presidential election, 1976]]'''
*[[Jimmy Carter]]/[[Walter Mondale]] (D) – 40,831,881 (50.1%) and 297 electoral votes (23 states and [[D.C.]] carried)
*[[Gerald Ford]]/[[Bob Dole]] (R) – 39,148,634 (48.0%) and 240 electoral votes (27 states carried)
*[[Ronald Reagan]] (R) – 1 electoral vote

==See also==
{{portal|United States Navy|United States Department of the Navy Seal.svg}}
*[[Gerald R. Ford Freeway]]
*[[Gerald R. Ford International Airport]] in Grand Rapids, Michigan
*[[Gerald R. Ford Library]] in Ann Arbor, Michigan
*[[Gerald R. Ford Museum]] in Grand Rapids, Michigan
*[[Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy]], University of Michigan
*[[USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)]]
*[[List of notable World War II veterans]]
*[[Liberty (dog)|Liberty]], Ford's pet (a [[golden retriever]])

==Notes==

{{reflist|2}}

==References==
===Primary sources===
*{{cite book |author=Ford, Gerald R. |year=1994 |title=Presidential Perspectives from the National Archives |id=ISBN 1-880875-04-7}}
*{{cite book |author=Ford, Gerald R. |year=1987 |title=Humor and the Presidency |id=ISBN 0-87795-918-8}}
*{{cite book |author=Ford, Gerald R. |year=1979 |title=A Time to Heal: The Autobiography of Gerald R. Ford |id=ISBN 0-06-011297-2}}
*{{cite book |author=Ford, Gerald R. |year=1973 |title=Selected Speeches |id=ISBN 0-87948-029-7}}
*{{cite book |author=Ford, Gerald R. |year=1965 |title=Portrait of the assassin (Lee Harvey Oswald) |id=ASIN B0006BMZM4}}
*{{cite book |author=Ford, Betty |year=1978 |title=The Times of My Life |id=ISBN 0-06-011298-0}}
*{{cite book |author=Casserly, John J. |year=1977 |title=The Ford White House: Diary of a Speechwriter |id=ISBN 0-87081-106-1}}
*{{cite book |author=Coyne, John R. |year=1979 |title=Fall in and Cheer |id=ISBN 0-385-11119-3}}
*{{cite book |author=DeFrank, Thomas. |year=2007 |title=Write It When I'm Gone: Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford |id=ISBN 0-399-15450-7}}
*{{cite book |author=Gergen, David. |year=2000 |title=Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership |id=ISBN 0-684-82663-1}}, by speechwriter
*{{cite book |author=Hartmann, Robert T. |year=1980 |title=Palace Politics: An Insider's Account of the Ford Years |id=ISBN 0-07-026951-3}}, by chief of staff
*{{cite book |author=Hersey, John |year=1980 |title=Aspects of the Presidency: Truman and Ford in Office (The President: A Minute-by-Minute Account of a Week in the Life of Gerald Ford) |id=ISBN 0-89919-012-X}}
*{{cite book |author=Kissinger, Henry A. |year=1999 |title=Years of Renewal |id=ISBN 0-684-85572-0}} by Secretary of State
*{{cite book |author=Thompson, Kenneth (ed.) |year=1980 |title=The Ford Presidency: Twenty-Two Intimate Perspectives of Gerald Ford |id=ISBN 0-8191-6960-9}}

===Secondary Sources===
*{{cite book |author=Brinkley, Douglas |year=2007 |title=Gerald R. Ford|id=ISBN 0-805-06909-7}} full-scale biography
*{{cite book |author=Cannon, James |year=1993 |title=Time and Chance: Gerald R. Ford's Appointment with History |id=ISBN 0-472-08482-8}} full-scale biography
* Conley, Richard S. "Presidential Influence and Minority Party Liaison on Veto Overrides: New Evidence from the Ford Presidency." ''American Politics Research'' 2002 30(1): 34–65. Issn: 1532-673x Fulltext: in Swetswise
*{{cite book |author=Firestone, Bernard J. and Alexej Ugrinsky (eds) |year=1992 |title=Gerald R. Ford and the Politics of Post-Watergate America |id=ISBN 0-313-28009-6}}
*{{cite book |author=Greene, John Robert |year=1992 |title=The Limits of Power: The Nixon and Ford Administrations |id=ISBN 0-253-32637-0}}
*{{cite book |author=Greene, John Robert |year=1995 |title=The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford |id=ISBN 0-7006-0639-4}}, the major scholarly study
* Hult, Karen M. and Walcott, Charles E. ''Empowering the White House: Governance under Nixon, Ford, and Carter.'' U. Press of Kansas, 2004.
* Jespersen, T. Christopher. "Kissinger, Ford, and Congress: the Very Bitter End in Vietnam." ''Pacific Historical Review'' 2002 71(3): 439–473. Issn: 0030-8684 Fulltext: in University of California; Swetswise; Jstor and Ebsco
* Jespersen, T. Christopher. "The Bitter End and the Lost Chance in Vietnam: Congress, the Ford Administration, and the Battle over Vietnam, 1975–76." ''Diplomatic History'' 2000 24(2): 265–293. Issn: 0145-2096 Fulltext: in Swetswise, Ingenta, Ebsco
* Maynard, Christopher A. "Manufacturing Voter Confidence: a Video Analysis of the American 1976 Presidential and Vice-presidential Debates." ''Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television'' 1997 17(4): 523–562. Issn: 0143-9685 Fulltext: in Ingenta
*{{cite book |author=Mieczkowski, Yanek |year=2005 |title=Gerald Ford And The Challenges Of The 1970s |id=ISBN 0-8131-2349-6}}
*{{cite book |author=Werth, Barry |year=2006 |title=31 Days: The Crisis That Gave Us the Government We Have Today |id=ISBN 0-385-51380-1}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
{{wikisource author}}
{{wikiquote}}

===Published works===
*{{gutenberg author|id=Gerald+R.+Ford |name=Gerald Ford}}.
*[http://www.usa-Presidents.info/union/ford-1.html First State of the Union Address].
*[http://www.usa-Presidents.info/union/ford-2.html Second State of the Union Address].
*[http://www.usa-Presidents.info/union/ford-3.html Third State of the Union Address].

===Libraries and museums===
*[http://geraldrfordfoundation.org/ Gerald R. Ford Foundation].
*[http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov Ford Library and Museum].
*[http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/topics/presidents/ford.html National Archives materials].
*[http://www.allpresidents.org/ Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies in President Ford's hometown].

===Biographies===
*[http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/ford Extensive essay on Gerald Ford and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the Miller Center of Public Affairs]
*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gf38.html White House biography]
*{{CongBio|F000260}}
*[http://www.gvsu.edu/hauenstein/index.cfm?id=556F6C11-C0EC-60C7-0252ADB2CE80A3C4 Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies]
*[http://www.ford.utexas.edu/avproj/hseries/homes.htm Collection of photographs of President Ford's homes throughout his life]

===Obituaries===
*[http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/obituaries/2003496588_fordobit270.html @ Seattle Times]
*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1978937,00.html] @ [[The Guardian]]
*[http://www.boston.com/news/specials/gerald_ford/ @ The Boston Globe]

===Multimedia and other===
*[http://vvl.lib.msu.edu/showfindingaid.cfm?findaidid=FordGR Audio recordings of Ford's speeches]
*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/04/20060423-2.html April 23, 2006, Gerald Ford's visit with George W. Bush, the last known public photos, video footage and voice recording taken of Ford alive]
*[http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/12/27/washington/20061227_FORDOBIT_FEATURE.html Gerald R. Ford: His Life and Presidency], ([[31 December]], [[2006]]). New York Times/Associated Press multimedia (registration required)
*[http://dcpages.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Gerald-R-Ford-State-Funeral Gerald R. Gerald R. Ford State Funeral], ([[31 December]], [[2006]]). Photo Gallery of the State Funeral at the U.S. Capitol Building

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{{USPresidents}}
{{USRepPresNominees}}
{{USVicePresidents}}
{{USHouseMinLead}}
{{WarrenCommission}}
{{Cold War}}
{{MIHistory}}
{{Wolverines Football Retired Numbers}}

{{featured article}}

{{Persondata
|NAME=Ford, Gerald Rudolph
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Ford, Gerry
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=38th [[President of the United States]]
|DATE OF BIRTH=[[July 14]] [[1913]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Omaha, Nebraska]], [[United States]]
|DATE OF DEATH=[[December 26]] [[2006]]
|PLACE OF DEATH=[[Rancho Mirage, California]], [[United States]]
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Gerald Rudolph Jr.}}
[[Category:Gerald Ford]]
[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]
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[[Category:United States presidential candidates, 1976]]
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[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from cardiovascular disease]]

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