Gerald Ford Politician

Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.; July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006) was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and, prior to this, was the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974 under President Richard Nixon. He was the first person appointed to the Vice Presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment, after Spiro Agnew resigned. When he became president upon Richard Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974, he became the first and to date only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected by the Electoral College. Before ascending to the Vice Presidency, Ford served nearly 25 years as the Representative from Michigan's 5th congressional district, eight of them as the Republican Minority Leader.As President, Ford signed the Helsinki Accords, marking a move toward détente in the Cold War. With the conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam nine months into his presidency, U.S. involvement in Vietnam essentially ended. Domestically, Ford presided over the worst economy in the four decades since the Great Depression, with growing inflation and a recession during his tenure. One of his more controversial acts was to grant a presidential pardon to President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal. During Ford's incumbency, foreign policy was characterized in procedural terms by the increased role Congress began to play, and by the corresponding curb on the powers of the President. In 1976, Ford defeated Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination, but he narrowly lost the presidential election to Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter.Following his years as president, Ford remained active in the Republican Party. After experiencing health problems, Ford died in his home on December 26, 2006. Ford lived longer than any other U.S. president, living 93 years and 165 days, while his 895-day presidency remains the shortest of all presidents who did not die in office.

Personal facts

Gerald Ford
Alias (AKA)Ford Gerry
Birth dateJuly 14, 1913
Birth place
Omaha Nebraska
Religion
Episcopal Church (United States)
Date of deathDecember 26, 2006
Place of death
Rancho Mirage California
Education
Yale Law School
University of Michigan
Spouse
Children
Steven Ford
John Gardner Ford
Michael Gerald Ford

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Office holder

awards
World War II Victory Medal (United States)
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
military operations
World War II
deputy
military branch
United States Navy
military rank
Lieutenant commander (United States)
office
House Minority Leader
38th President of the United States
40th Vice President of the United States
party
Republican Party (United States)
president
region
Michigan
Michigan's 5th congressional district
service end1946
service start1942
successor
John Jacob Rhodes
Richard Vander Veen
vice president

Gerald Ford on Wikipedia

External resources

  1. http://americanpresidents.org/presidents/president.asp?PresidentNumber=37
  2. http://geraldrfordfoundation.org
  3. http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov
  4. http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/presidents/ford/index.html
  5. http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/ford
  6. http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/geraldford