Happy Birthday Gerald Ford
On July 14, 1913 (101 years ago today) Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr., the 38th President of the United States, was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His birth name was Leslie Lynch King, Jr., but he changed his name when his mother remarried Gerald Rudolph Ford Sr. because his birth father had been an abusive bully. Ford served from August 9, 1974 to January 20, 1977, and prior to this, was the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974 under President Richard Nixon.
Ford was the first person appointed to the Vice Presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment, after Spiro Agnew resigned. He became president following Richard Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974, earning him the distinction of being the first and to date the only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected to either office. Before becoming Vice President, 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 is best remembered for his controversial pardon of Richard Nixon for Nixon's role in the Watergate scandal. But there was more to his presidency than this. Ford signed the Helsinki Accords with the Soviet Union, continuing Nixon's policy of détente in the Cold War. With the conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam nine months into his presidency, U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War ended on his watch. Domestically, Ford presided over the worst economy in the four decades since the Great Depression, with growing inflation and a recession during his tenure. He also survived two assassination attempts, occurring 17 days apart.
In 1976, Ford ran for election to the presidency in his own right, but first he had to fend off a challenge for for the Republican nomination from Ronald Reagan. Despite this challenge and lingering dissatisfaction over his pardoning of Nixon, Ford narrowly lost the 1976 presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter, 297 to 240 in the electoral college and 50.1% to 48% in the popular vote.
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.
Gerald Ford's Presidential Library and Presidential Museum are located in different cities. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is located on the north campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The library houses archival materials on Ford's life, career, and presidency. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is a part of the National Archives and Records Administration's presidential library system. While still a member of the United States Congress, Ford began donating his congressional papers to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, his alma mater, in 1965. As his presidency drew to a close, Ford offered to donate his presidential materials to a presidential library that would be built on the university's campus and administered by the National Archives. Construction of the library started on January 15, 1979, and it was opened to the public on April 27, 1981.
The Ford Library is currently the only National Archives presidential library that is physically separate from its presidential museum, although both sites share a common director. The majority of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library collection is made up of presidential and White House staff papers from 1974-1977. Papers from Betty Ford, research interviews and various Federal records are also included in the collection. In total, there are 3,500 hours of audio, 25 million pages of documents, 3,500 hours of motion picture film, 450,000 photographs, and 3,500 hours of video housed in the collection
The Gerald R. Ford Museum is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Ford's old congressional district and hometown, 130 miles west of Ann Arbor. It is located at 303 Pearl Street NW (at Scribner Street), near Grand Valley State University's Pew Campus in Grand Rapids, on the banks of the Grand River. The main floor contains exhibits on President Ford's life and career and the Office of President. It exhibits candid photographs of Ford interacting with his family and colleagues and a full-scale replica of the Oval Office furnished as it was during Ford's presidency. Special exhibits highlight the 1976 Bicentennial celebration and Mrs. Ford's role as first lady. Other exhibits include one in which visitors travel by video with President Ford and Secretary Kissinger to various hot-spots around the globe; take a holographic tour of the Ford White House; and experience a day in the Oval Office through a sound and light show. A Watergate gallery includes a six minute, multi-screen history beginning with the June 1972 break-in and a display the actual burglary tools. An interactive Cabinet Room allows visitors to take part in presidential decision making. Visitors can see gifts presented by heads of state and other foreign dignitaries, as well as personal gifts to President Ford from the American people. The award-winning film, "A Time To Heal," is shown hourly in the museum auditorium. A section of the Berlin Wall stands in the museum's Meijer Lobby. The Museum Collections houses approximately 20,000 artifacts from the life and career of President Ford.
Here is more information on the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum:
Website: http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/
Museum Address: 303 Pearl Street, NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Museum Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm Daily (Closed New Year's, Thanksgiving, & Christmas Days)
Museum Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FordPresidentialMuseum
Library Address: 1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Library Hours: 8:45am-4:45pm (M-F) (Closed Federal Holidays)
Library Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FordPresidentialLibrary
Ford was the first person appointed to the Vice Presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment, after Spiro Agnew resigned. He became president following Richard Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974, earning him the distinction of being the first and to date the only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected to either office. Before becoming Vice President, 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 is best remembered for his controversial pardon of Richard Nixon for Nixon's role in the Watergate scandal. But there was more to his presidency than this. Ford signed the Helsinki Accords with the Soviet Union, continuing Nixon's policy of détente in the Cold War. With the conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam nine months into his presidency, U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War ended on his watch. Domestically, Ford presided over the worst economy in the four decades since the Great Depression, with growing inflation and a recession during his tenure. He also survived two assassination attempts, occurring 17 days apart.
In 1976, Ford ran for election to the presidency in his own right, but first he had to fend off a challenge for for the Republican nomination from Ronald Reagan. Despite this challenge and lingering dissatisfaction over his pardoning of Nixon, Ford narrowly lost the 1976 presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter, 297 to 240 in the electoral college and 50.1% to 48% in the popular vote.
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.
Gerald Ford's Presidential Library and Presidential Museum are located in different cities. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is located on the north campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The library houses archival materials on Ford's life, career, and presidency. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is a part of the National Archives and Records Administration's presidential library system. While still a member of the United States Congress, Ford began donating his congressional papers to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, his alma mater, in 1965. As his presidency drew to a close, Ford offered to donate his presidential materials to a presidential library that would be built on the university's campus and administered by the National Archives. Construction of the library started on January 15, 1979, and it was opened to the public on April 27, 1981.
The Ford Library is currently the only National Archives presidential library that is physically separate from its presidential museum, although both sites share a common director. The majority of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library collection is made up of presidential and White House staff papers from 1974-1977. Papers from Betty Ford, research interviews and various Federal records are also included in the collection. In total, there are 3,500 hours of audio, 25 million pages of documents, 3,500 hours of motion picture film, 450,000 photographs, and 3,500 hours of video housed in the collection
The Gerald R. Ford Museum is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Ford's old congressional district and hometown, 130 miles west of Ann Arbor. It is located at 303 Pearl Street NW (at Scribner Street), near Grand Valley State University's Pew Campus in Grand Rapids, on the banks of the Grand River. The main floor contains exhibits on President Ford's life and career and the Office of President. It exhibits candid photographs of Ford interacting with his family and colleagues and a full-scale replica of the Oval Office furnished as it was during Ford's presidency. Special exhibits highlight the 1976 Bicentennial celebration and Mrs. Ford's role as first lady. Other exhibits include one in which visitors travel by video with President Ford and Secretary Kissinger to various hot-spots around the globe; take a holographic tour of the Ford White House; and experience a day in the Oval Office through a sound and light show. A Watergate gallery includes a six minute, multi-screen history beginning with the June 1972 break-in and a display the actual burglary tools. An interactive Cabinet Room allows visitors to take part in presidential decision making. Visitors can see gifts presented by heads of state and other foreign dignitaries, as well as personal gifts to President Ford from the American people. The award-winning film, "A Time To Heal," is shown hourly in the museum auditorium. A section of the Berlin Wall stands in the museum's Meijer Lobby. The Museum Collections houses approximately 20,000 artifacts from the life and career of President Ford.
Here is more information on the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum:
Website: http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/
Museum Address: 303 Pearl Street, NW, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Museum Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm Daily (Closed New Year's, Thanksgiving, & Christmas Days)
Museum Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FordPresidentialMuseum
Library Address: 1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Library Hours: 8:45am-4:45pm (M-F) (Closed Federal Holidays)
Library Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FordPresidentialLibrary