Remembering Gerald R. Ford, 1913-2006

By now there is likely no one who is not aware that former President Gerald Ford died December 26, 2006, at his home in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 93 years old and in November 2006, became the oldest ex-president ever, surpassing the record set by Ronald Reagan in 2004.

Ford held many titles and distinctions in his long life and career in public service. He was the only president to be adopted, born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. When his mother moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, after Leslie, Sr. walked out, she met and married Gerald R. Ford, Sr., who gave the future president his name. Ford was the only Eagle Scout to become President, but wouldn't it be nice to have more of those in the Oval Office?

Ford went to the University of Michigan and became a star football player for the school. He turned down offers from the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions to play professional football to attend Yale Law School.

When war came, Ford joined the Navy, seeing service in the Pacific aboard the USS Monterrey. Ford's closest brush with death came not from enemy fire, but during a typhoon, when he was nearly swept overboard.

Ford returned home to Grand Rapids and in 1948, did two major things. He got married to Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer and was elected to Congress from Michigan's 5th District. "The Gentleman from Michigan" was likely the title he liked best, although he coveted the position of Speaker of the House. Ford served 12 terms in the House, rising within the leadership of the Republican minority.

When Ford arrived for the convening of the 81st Congress in 1948, his office was next to another young congressman from Massachusetts, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. In that Congress were four future presidents, Ford and Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon.

In 1963, as a stunned nation mourned the loss of their president, Gerald Ford was selected to serve on the Warren Commission. Ford was the last surviving member of the Warren Commission.

Shortly after Richard Nixon's landslide victory in 1972 (over George McGovern - see below), scandal came calling at the White House. Nixon accepted the resignation of his vice president, Spiro Agnew, who left office under several clouds of financial impropriety. Nixon's first choice to replace Agnew was his Secretary of the Treasury, John Connally. However, conservatives in Congress threatened Nixon, as Connally was a former Democrat, and they would not support him. They pressured him to turn to the "Gentleman from Michigan." Although Nixon's second choice, Ford became Vice President of the United States on December 6, 1973 after an extensive and exhaustive investigation.

Less than a year later, as Nixon sank deeper into the Watergate scandal, Nixon stunned the nation when he announced that he would resign the presidency. On August 9, 1974, Gerald R. Ford was sworn in as the nation's 38th President, a position he was never elected to, becoming the only President to have never been elected as part of a national ticket.

In separate trips to California in September 1975, Ford set another record, surviving two assassination attempts on his life. In the first, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme attempted to shoot Ford, but the gun did not fire. Later that month, Sarah Jane Moore, did manage to fire her gun, but the shot was deflected and Ford was not in danger.

Ford would serve out the remainder of Nixon's term and lost his election bid in 1976 to Democrat Jimmy Carter. His decision to pardon Richard Nixon was a huge factor in his defeat coupled with his decision to drop Vice President Nelson Rockefeller from the ticket in favor of Senator Bob Dole.

In retirement, Ford enjoyed life as an elder statesman. He and Jimmy Carter became very close, and being an ex-president began to look pretty good to a lot of people. Ford is one of the first presidents I remember. I remember watching Nixon announce he was resigning. I remember the bicentennial celebrations in 1976 with President Ford watching the Tall Ships in New York Harbor. Jerry Ford was an everyman. The Gentleman from Michigan was just that a gentleman in every sense of the word. The world is a little worse off with his absence.

A postscript to all of the accolades showered on Ford and his family (from the Washington Post): "George McGovern, the liberal 1972 Democratic presidential nominee, dropped a little bombshell to Larry King the other night. He voted Republican in 1976, for Gerald Ford. McGovern said he finally told his wife, Eleanor, that Thanksgiving. Her reply: So did I."