Timeline
of President Ford's
Life and Career
Below
is a chronology of
significant events
in
the
life and career of
President
Gerald R. Ford. Some
entries
also feature links
to
sample
documents or photographs
from the
Ford
Library's holdings
relevant to the events.
If you are interested
in learning more about
the Library's holdings
on
a
specific topic listed
in the timeline,
please contact the
Library's reference
staff.
Early Life
Law Career
Congress
Vice
President
President
Post-Presidency
Early Life
July
14, 1913
Gerald
R. Ford is born
as Leslie Lynch King, Jr. in Omaha,
Nebraska to Leslie and Dorothy King.
July
30, 1913
Fleeing
an abusive relationship,
Dorothy Gardner King and
her two-week old son leave
Omaha and with her parents
relocate to Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
December
19, 1913
Dorothy
King’s
divorce from Leslie King
is finalized in an Omaha
court.
February
1, 1917
Dorothy
King marries Gerald R.
Ford, Sr., a Grand Rapids
businessman and, although not formally adopted, Leslie Lynch King,
Jr. is renamed Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
1918-1925
Young
Ford attends
elementary school at Madison Elementary
in Grand Rapids, MI.
He briefly attends East
Grand Rapids Elementary
while the family lives
there.
1925-1927
On
his twelfth birthday,
Ford joins the local
Boy Scout Troop 15 of
Trinity Methodist Church
in Grand Rapids and two years later
attains the rank of
Eagle Scout.
1927-1931
Ford
attends
South High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan where
he excels
at football, being named
to the “All-City” and “All-State” teams.
He also works at his
father’s
paint and varnish factory and a
local hamburger stand.
1931-1935
Ford
attends the
University of Michigan and graduates with a B.A. in Economics.
He joins the Delta Kappa Epsilon
fraternity and is a member of Michigamua, an esteeemed senior
honor society. Ford also plays center on the football team, earns
three varsity letters, is named Most Valuable Player on the
1934 team, and plays in the East-West Shrine Game and the College
All-Star Game. Ford receives professional football contract offers
from the Green Bay Packers and the DEtroit Lions, which he declines.
September
1935
Yale
University hires Ford to be an assistant football
and boxing coach.
December
3, 1935
He
legally changes his name
to Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
Summer
1936
Ford
works as an Intern Forest
Ranger at Yellowstone
Park’s
Canyon Station.
Law Career
Summer
1937
Ford
attends law classes at
the University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor.
February
1938
Ford
is accepted to Yale University
Law School. He begins
classes in the fall while
continuing to coach. While
at Yale, Ford supports
the isolationist America
First Committee as America
sees war spread across
Europe.
Summer
1938
Ford
attends law classes at
the University of North
Carolina in Chapel Hill.
March
12, 1940
Ford
appears in a photograph
spread in Look Magazine
with then girlfriend Phyllis
Brown, a model for Cosmopolitan
Magazine.
Fall
1940
Ford
volunteers for the Wendell
Willkie presidential campaign
in New York City. As a
volunteer, he attends
his first Republican convention
in Philadelphia.
Spring
1941
Ford
graduates in the top third
of his law school class
at Yale.
May
1941
Ford
returns to Grand Rapids
and partners with friend
Philip Buchen to open
a law firm located in
Suite 621 of the Michigan
Trust Building. He also
becomes active in local
politics helping launch
a reform group opposed
to the Republican political
machine of Frank D.
McKay
February
1942-May
1942
With
the U.S. entrance into
World War II, Ford volunteers
for the Navy. He is assigned
to the Navy’s
V-5 pre-flight program
in Annapolis, Maryland
to become a physical
training instructor.
Upon completion, he
is sent to Chapel Hill,
North Carolina as an
athletic training officer.
Summer
1943- December 1944
Ford
is assigned to sea duty
aboard the carrier USS
Monterey as the ship’s
athletic
officer and one of the
ship’s
gunnery officers. He
sees action in the
Pacific Theater aboard
the USS Monterey in
the Battle of Makin.
The ship also takes
part in attacks against
Kwajalein and Eniwetok,
New Guinea, Saipan,
Guam, and Formosa.
He also survives a
typhoon
in the Pacific that
batters the Monterey
on December 18, 1944.
Spring
1945
Ford
is promoted to Lieutenant
Commander and assigned
to Glenview, Illinois,
to train new naval officers
for sea duty.
February
1946
Ford
is honorably discharged
from active duty in the
United States Navy. During
his service he is awarded
the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
medal with one silver
star and four bronze
stars, the Philippine
Liberation Ribbon with
two bronze stars, the
American Campaign Medal,
and the World War II
Victory Medal.
1946
Ford
returns to Grand Rapids
and rejoins his friend
Philip Buchen with the
law firm of Butterfield,
Keeney, and Amberg. He
becomes active in many
civic affairs and charities
including chapters of
the Red Cross, the American
Legion, and the VFW. Influenced
by his experience in the
war and the internationalist
views of Senator Arthur
Vandenberg, Ford resumes
his involvement in reforming
Grand Rapids politics.
August
1947
Ford
is introduced to Elizabeth
(Betty) Bloomer Warren
by mutual friends.
Congress
June
14, 1948
Ford
announces his candidacy
for the Republican nomination
for U.S. House of Representatives,
Fifth Congressional District
of Michigan. He challenges
the isolationist foreign
policy approach of incumbent
Bartel Jonkman, a McKay
associate.
September
14, 1948
Ford
defeats Jonkman 23,632
to 14,341 in the Republican
primary.
October
15, 1948
Ford
and Betty Bloomer Warren
wed at Grace Episcopal
Church in Grand Rapids.
Marrying in the middle
of his congressional campaign,
the couple honeymoon briefly
in Ann Arbor, attend the
University of Michigan-Northwestern
football game, and then
drive to Owosso, Michigan
to attend a rally for
Republican Presidential
candidate Thomas Dewey.
November
2, 1948
Ford
is elected to his first
term as a U.S. Congressman
from Grand Rapids, receiving
60.5% of the vote.
January
3, 1949-1950
Ford
is sworn in as a member
of the Eighty-First Congress.
During his first year
in the House, he is assigned
to the Public Works Committee.
As a member he is invited
to tour the White House
by President Harry S. Truman. He
also helps organize the “Chowder
and Marching Club” of
young Republican Congressmen
with fellow House member
Richard Nixon.
March
14, 1950
The
Fords’ first
child, Michael Gerald
Ford is born.
November
7, 1950
Ford
wins his
second term as Congressman from the fifth
district with 66% of the
vote.
January
1951-1952
At
the start of his second
term in the House, Ford
is appointed to the Appropriations
Committee. Ford invites
Richard Nixon to Grand
Rapids to give the annual
Lincoln Day Speech. In
February 1952 he and other
young Republican Congressmen
send a letter urging General
Dwight D. Eisenhower to enter the
Presidential race.
March
16, 1952
The
Fords’ second
son, John Gardner “Jack” Ford
is born.
November
4, 1952
Ford
wins his third term as
Congressman from Grand
Rapids with 66% of the
vote.
1953-1954
Ford
is a member of the
only Republican controlled
House between 1949
and
1995. He is appointed
to the Appropriations
Subcommittee on Defense
Spending, and is made
Chairman of the Army
Panel.
As a member of this
committee
he witnesses test firings
of project NIKE that
developed the first
operational anti-aircraft
missile, the Nike-Ajax.
August
1953
Ford
takes a three week tour
of U.S. military installations
in Asia and the Pacific.
He visits Saigon in French
Indochina, and during
a visit to Korea, witnesses
a POW exchange.
November
4, 1954
After
declining a run for U.S.
Senate, Ford wins his
fourth term as Congressman.
1955-56
Ford
continues to serve on
the Appropriations Committee
in the House, and in 1956
is appointed to the Intelligence
Subcommittee, which oversees
the CIA’s
budget. He serves on this
subcommittee for ten years
and learns of programs
such as U-2 and Bay of
Pigs. He also visits NATO
headquarters in Paris,
and the Allied and Russian
Zones of Berlin. He visits
a Hungarian refugee camp
in Austria.
Spring
1955
The
Fords move into their
newly completed house
in Alexandria, Virginia.
May
19, 1956
The
Fords’ third
son, Steven Meigs Ford
is born.
November
6, 1956
After
declining an opportunity
to run for Michigan Governor,
Ford wins
election to his fifth
term as Congressman.
1957-1958
During
his fifth term, Ford is
appointed to the “Select
Committee on Astronautics
and Space Exploration,” chaired
by Senator Lyndon Johnson,
which would recommend
the creation of NASA.
He also attends an address
of South Vietnamese President
Ngo Dinh Diem to a joint
session of Congress in
May 1957.
July
6, 1957
The
Fords’ youngest
child, daughter Susan
Elizabeth Ford is born.
November
4, 1958
Ford
wins
his sixth term as U.S.
Congressman.
1959-1960
In
January, Ford joins the
Republican colleagues
in replacing their House
leader Joseph Martin with
Charles Halleck. In September
1959 Ford spends 3 days
touring Moscow and 10
days in Poland on fact-finding
missions.
July
1960
The
Michigan delegation at
the Republican Convention
in Chicago supports Ford
as a favorite son candidate
to become Richard Nixon’s
running mate. Ford gives
the nominating speech
for the eventual Vice Presidential
nominee, Ambassador Henry
Cabot Lodge.
November
1960
Ford
is elected
to a seventh term in Congress.
1961-1962
Ford
becomes the ranking Republican
on the Defense Appropriations
Subcommittee. However,
he supports many of President
Kennedy’s
foreign aid initiatives.
He is also awarded the
Congressional Distinguished
Service Award from the
American Political Science
Association.
January
26, 1962
Ford’s
stepfather, Gerald Ford,
Sr., dies in Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
November
6, 1962
Ford
is re-elected to his eighth
term, despite declining
Republican numbers in
the House.
January
2, 1963
In
a Republican caucus revolution
led by Congressmen Charles
Goodell and Robert Griffin,
Ford defeats Charles Hoeven
of Iowa for House Republican
Conference Chairman.
November
29, 1963
A
week after President Kennedy’s
assassination, President
Johnson appoints Ford
to the seven member Warren
Commission to investigate
Kennedy’s
death. On September 27,
1964 they would publish
their conclusion that
there was no evidence
of a conspiracy in the
assassination of President
Kennedy. Ford would later
publish a book about the
assassination, Portrait
of an Assassin,
with friend John R. "Jack" Stiles.
November
3, 1964
Lyndon
Johnson is elected President
in a landslide over Barry
Goldwater. Ford is elected
to his ninth term as
Congressman.
December
19, 1964
After
meeting with fellow Republican
House members Donald Rumsfeld,
Robert Griffin, and Charles
Goodell, Ford announces
that he will challenge
the incumbent, Charles
Halleck of Indiana, for
the post of House Minority
Leader.
January
4, 1965
Ford
unseats Halleck as House
Minority Leader by a vote
of 73-67.
1965-1966
In
his first term as House
Minority Leader, Ford
offers Republican alternatives
to the Great Society legislation
of the Johnson administration.
He appears with Senate
Minority Leader Everett
Dirksen of Illinois in
weekly press conferences
(known as the “Ev
and Jerry Show”)
to offer critiques of
Johnson administration
policies. He also campaigns
on behalf of Republican
candidates during the
1966 midterm elections.
November
8, 1966
Ford
wins his tenth election
as Congressman with 68
percent of the vote. Republicans
make strong gains in the
mid term elections.
1967-1968
Ford
in his second term as
House Minority Leader
begins attacking Johnson’s
position on the war in
Vietnam asking in an August
8, 1967 speech, “Why
are we pulling our best
punches in Vietnam?”
September
17, 1967
Ford’s
mother, Dorothy Gardner
Ford, dies in Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
August
5, 1968
Ford
presides as Permanent
Chairman of the Republican
Convention held in Miami
Beach, Florida. Following
Richard Nixon’s
nomination, Ford supports
New York City Mayor John
Lindsay for running mate
in conversations with
Nixon. Nixon,
however, chooses Maryland
Governor Spiro Agnew.
November
5, 1968
Nixon
is elected President;
Ford is elected
to his eleventh term
as House member.
1969-1970
As
House Minority Leader
under a Republican President,
Ford consistently supports
Nixon’s
polices in the House.
April
15, 1970
In
a speech on the House
floor, Ford
calls for the removal
of Justice William O.
Douglas from the Supreme
Court for
what Ford believes to
be inappropriate judicial
conduct. The matter is
later turned over to the
House Judiciary Committee
where the issue dies.
November
3, 1970
Ford
is elected to his twelfth
term.
June
17, 1972
Five
burglars break into Democratic
National Headquarters
at the Watergate Hotel
in Washington, D.C.
June
23-July 7, 1972
Building
upon President Nixon’s
trip to the People’s
Republic of China in February
1972, Ford and Congressman
Hale Boggs of Louisiana
visit and meet with Premier
Chou En-Lai (Zhou Enlai).
August
19-22, 1972
Ford
chairs the Republican
National Convention in
Miami Beach, Florida,
where President Nixon
and Vice President Agnew
are re-nominated.
November
7, 1972
Ford
is elected
to his thirteenth and
final term as a Congressman from Michigan. Despite
Nixon’s
landslide victory, the
Republicans do not gain
many House seats. Realizing
he may never achieve his
goal to become Speaker
of the House, Ford contemplates
retirement after 1976.
October
10, 1973
Spiro
Agnew, under investigation
for accepting bribes and
income tax evasion while Governor of Maryland, resigns
as Vice President of the
United States.
Vice
President
October
12, 1973
Ford
is nominated to be Vice
President by Richard Nixon.
He is the first Vice President
nominated under the 25th
amendment to the Constitution.
November
1, 1973
The
Senate begins hearings
on Ford’s
nomination as Vice President.
November
15, 1973
The
House Judiciary Committee
begins its hearings on
Ford’s
nomination as Vice President.
November
27, 1973
The
Senate approves Ford’s
nomination by a vote of
92-3.
December
6, 1973
The
House approves Ford’s
nomination by a vote of
387-35. Ford takes the
oath as the fortieth Vice
President of the United
States in front of a joint
session of Congress.
January-July,
1974
With
Nixon embroiled in the
growing Watergate scandal,
Vice President Ford travels
the country speaking on
behalf of the administration’s
policies. Ford remains
an advocate and spokesman
for the Republican Party,
attending fundraisers
and campaign events for
Republican candidates.
April
30, 1974
Nixon
releases edited versions
of the Watergate tapes
containing White House
conversations.
May
9, 1974
The
House Judiciary Committee
begins impeachment proceedings
against President Nixon.
July
24, 1974
The
Supreme Court orders Nixon
to turn over the unedited
versions of the White
House tapes.
July
27-30, 1974
The
House Judiciary Committee
approves three articles
of impeachment against
Richard Nixon.
August
1, 1974
Nixon’s
Chief of Staff, Al Haig,
advises Ford that he should
prepare for a transition
to the Presidency.
August
6, 1974
Ford
attends a cabinet meeting
and tells Nixon that while
he will continue to support
Nixon’s
policies, he can longer
speak on the issue of
Watergate to the media
and the public.
August
8, 1974
Nixon
announces his decision
to resign in a televised
address.
President
August
9, 1974
Ford
is sworn in as the 38th
President of the United
States. In his
swearing-in remarks, Ford announces “Our
long, national nightmare
is over.”
Following the ceremony, President Ford goes immediately to work, meeting
with Congressional leaders, senior White House staff, transition advisers,
senior economic advisers, and foreign emissaries.
August
12, 1974
Ford
addresses a Joint Session
of Congress. He states, “I
do not want a honeymoon
with you. I want a good
marriage.” He
also states his first
priority is to bring inflation
under control, declaring
it “public
enemy number one.”
August
19, 1974
Ford
delivers a major speech
to the Veterans of Foreign
Wars convention in Chicago,
supporting earned clemency
for Vietnam War draft
evaders.
August
20, 1974
Ford
nominates Nelson Rockefeller,
former Governor of New
York, to be Vice President.
August
28, 1974
Ford
holds his first press
conference as President.
Many of the questions
concern unresolved issues
surrounding Watergate.
September
8, 1974
Ford
pardons Richard Nixon for
any crimes he may have
committed as President.
The surprise announcement
stuns the country and
Ford's approval rating
plummets
in
the
polls.
September
26-28, 1974
Betty
Ford is diagnosed with
breast cancer and undergoes
surgery.
September
27-28, 1974
The
White House convenes a “summit
conference” on
inflation and the economy.
October
8, 1974
Ford
announces his Whip Inflation
Now program to a joint
session of Congress.
October
15, 1974
Ford
signs the Federal Election
Campaign Act Amendments
of 1974, which seek to
regulate campaign fundraising
and spending.
October
17, 1974
Ford
appears before the House
Judiciary Subcommittee
on Criminal Justice to
explain the facts and
circumstances that were
the basis for his pardon
of former President Richard
Nixon.
October
17, 1974
Ford
vetoes the Freedom of
Information Act Amendments
believing not enough protection
is given to sensitive
and classified intelligence
documents. Congress overrides
Ford’s
veto on November 21, 1974
making the bill law.
November
1, 1974
Ford
meets with an ailing Richard
Nixon in a Long Beach,
California hospital.
November
5, 1974
Republicans
lose 40 seats in the House
and 4 in the Senate, widening
the Democratic majority
in Congress during the
mid-term elections.
November
17, 1974
Ford
departs for a visit to
Japan -- the first visit
to that country by an
American President --
and to South Korea and
the Soviet Union.
November
23, 1974
Ford
and Leonid Brezhnev, General
Secretary of the Communist
Party of the U.S.S.R.,
meet in Vladivostok, U.S.S.R.
December
19, 1974
Following
Congressional approval,
Nelson Rockefeller is
sworn in as the forty-first
Vice President of the
United States.
January
1, 1975
Ford
signs the Privacy Act
of 1974.
January
4, 1975
Ford
names a Blue Ribbon panel,
chaired by Vice President
Rockefeller, to
review CIA activities
within the United States in
response to allegations
made in a December New
York Times article by
Seymour Hersh.
January
13, 1975
Ford
delivers a “fireside
chat” to
the nation, outlining
his proposals to fight
inflation, the economic
recession, and energy
dependence.
January
15, 1975
In
his first
State of the Union Address, Ford announces
bluntly that “the
state of the Union is
not good. Millions of
Americans are out of work.
Recession and inflation
are eroding the money
of millions more. Prices
are too high, and sales
are too slow.” To
remedy these problems,
Ford proposes tax cuts
for American families
and businesses, and strongly
advocates for the reduction
of government spending.
February
7, 1975
Ed
Levi is sworn in as the
new Attorney General of
the United States replacing
William Saxbe, whom Ford
appoints as U.S. ambassador
to India.
April
10, 1975
As
North Vietnamese Army
Divisions approach Saigon;
Ford
addresses a joint session
of Congress to
request, unsuccessfully,
financial assistance for
South Vietnam and Cambodia.
During the speech two
freshman Democrats, Toby
Moffett of Connecticut
and George Miller of California
walk out in protest.
April
12, 1975
Ford
evacuates the U.S. mission
in Cambodia as the communist
Khmer Rouge advance on
the capital Phnom Penh.
The Khmer Rouge take over
the country on April 17,
1975.
April
23, 1975
In
a
speech at Tulane University,
President Ford declares
that the Vietnam War “is
finished as far as America
is concerned.”
April
28, 1975
Ford
orders the emergency evacuation
of American personnel
and high-risk South Vietnamese
nationals, as Saigon falls
to Communist forces.
May
12, 1975
Newly
Communist Cambodia seizes
the U.S. merchant ship, Mayaguez.
Ford orders Marines to
rescue the ship’s
crew.
May 12-15, 1975
When Communist Cambodia
seizes the U.S. merchant ship Mayaguez in
international waters,
Ford orders Marines to rescue the ship’s
crew. The civilians are safely recovered and a long hostage
crisis averted, but many Marines die. The action signals U.S. resolve
despite defeat in Vietnam.
May
28, 1975
Ford
departs on trip to Europe
for a NATO summit meeting,
to visit Spain and Italy,
and to meet in Austria
with President Sadat of
Egypt.
July
8, 1975
Ford
formally
announces his candidacy for the Republican
presidential nomination
in 1976.
July 26, 1975
Ford departs on a trip to Europe for visits to West Germany, Poland,
Finland, Romania, and Yugoslavia. In Helsinki, Ford joins leaders
of 34 nations in signing the Final Act of the Conference
on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Act’s human
rights provisions greatly help East Europeans seeking an end to their
communist regimes.
September
1, 1975
Ford
announces a joint Egyptian-Israeli
agreement on troop disengagement
in the Sinai Peninsula. The
agreement is the culmination
of 34 days of shuttle
diplomacy by Secretary
of State Henry Kissinger.
September
5, 1975
Charles
Manson follower, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme attempts to assassinate
President Ford in Sacramento,
California.
September
22, 1975
Sara
Jane Moore, a woman with
ties to leftwing radical
groups, attempts to assassinate
President Ford in San
Francisco, California.
October
2-3, 1975
Ford
hosts Japanese Emperor
Hirohito and Empress Nagako
for a state visit. This
is the first state visit
for an Emperor and Empress
of Japan to the United
States.
October
29, 1975
Ford
urges financial restraint
and a financial review
for New York City during
its budget crisis. Ford
refuses to support Federal
help for New York at this
time. He proposes bankruptcy
legislation to ensure
the City undergoes an
orderly default process.
On November 26, 1975,
after he believes city
leaders have begun to
adequately address the
crisis, Ford authorizes
Congress to extend the
City a line of credit.
November
4, 1975
In
what the press dubs the “Halloween
Massacre,” President
Ford orders a reorganization
of his cabinet. He names
Donald Rumsfeld as Defense
Secretary, Elliot Richardson
as Commerce Secretary,
George Bush as CIA Director,
and Richard Cheney as
White House Chief of Staff.
Henry Kissinger remains
Secretary of State; however,
he turns over his duties
as National Security Advisor
to Brent Scowcroft. Under
pressure from Republican
Party Conservatives, Vice President
Nelson Rockefeller withdraws
his name from consideration
as Ford’s
1976 running mate.
November
15-17, 1975
Ford
attends an economic summit
at Rambouillet, France
with President Valery
Giscard d'Estaing of France,
Chancellor Helmut Schmidt
of West Germany, Prime
Minister Aldo Moro of
Italy, Prime Minister
Takeo Miki of Japan, and
Prime Minister Harold
Wilson of the United Kingdom.
November
20, 1975
Former
California Governor Ronald
Reagan announces that
he will challenge Gerald
Ford for the Republican
presidential nomination
in 1976.
November
28, 1975
Ford
nominates Judge John Paul
Stevens of the Seventh
Circuit of the Court of
Appeals in Chicago to
the United States Supreme
Court to replace retiring
Justice William O. Douglas.
The Senate unanimously
approves Stevens by a
98-0 vote. He is sworn
in on December 19, 1975.
November
29, 1975
Ford
departs for visits to
People's Republic of China,
the Philippines, and Indonesia.
In China, Ford meets with Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping and Chariman Mao
Zedong to build momentum toward normalization of relations.
December
19, 1975
Ford
opposes the Tunney Amendments
of the Defense Appropriations
Bill but the Senate passes
them. The amendments prohibit
funding for US activities
aimed at defeating the
Soviet and Cuban backed
MPLA factions in the Angolan
Civil War.
January
2, 1976
Ford
vetoes the Common Situs
Picketing Bill.
February
18, 1976
In
an effort to reform the
U.S. intelligence community,
Ford signs Executive Order
11905 to “establish
policies to improve the
quality of intelligence
needed for national security,
to clarify the authority
and responsibilities of
the intelligence departments
and agencies, and to establish
effective oversight to
assure compliance with
law in the management
and direction of intelligence
agencies and departments
of the national government.” This
executive order also prohibits
the United States from
engaging in political
assassination.
February
26, 1976
Ford
edges Reagan by 1,250
votes in New Hampshire
primary, taking 17 of
21 delegates. This begins
a string of primary victories
for Ford which include
Florida and Illinois before
a series of losses to
challenger Reagan in North
Carolina, Texas, Georgia,
Alabama, and Indiana.
March
25, 1976
Ford
sends a message to Congress
requesting a special appropriation
for the National Swine
Flu Immunization Program.
He signs the measure into
law on August 12, 1976.
May 15, 1976
Ford becomes the first President since Harry Truman to campaign by
train as he crosses southern Michigan prior to the primary there.
June
20, 1976
Ford
orders the evacuation
of the US embassy in Beirut,
Lebanon following the
assassination of embassy
officials on June 16.
July
4, 1976
America’s
Bicentennial of independence.
The year is marked by
numerous head of state
visits and state gifts
to the United States.
On July 4, President Ford
attends events at Valley
Forge, PA; Operation Sail
in New York City; and
in Philadelphia, PA.
July
7, 1976
President
and Mrs. Ford welcome
Queen Elizabeth II to
the White House for a
state dinner as part of
the Bicentennial celebration.
August
18, 1976
When
North Korean soldiers
axe-murder two U.S. soldiers
on a tree-pruning mission
in the Demilitarized Zone,
Ford weighs strong military
action but decides on
other measures.
August
19, 1976
Ford
is nominated
at the Republican Convention edging out
former California Governor
Ronald Reagan. Ford names
Senator Robert Dole of
Kansas as his running
mate. Public opinion polls
following the convention
have Ford trailing the
Democratic nominee Jimmy
Carter by wide margins.
The Gallup poll favors
Carter 56% to 33% and
the Harris poll favors
Carter 61% to 32%.
September
13, 1976
Ford
signs the Government in
the Sunshine Act requiring
that many government regulatory
agencies must give advance
notice of meetings and
hold open meetings. The
new law also amends the
Freedom of Information
Act “by
narrowing the authority
of agencies to withhold
information from the public.”
September
15, 1976
Ford
kicks off his general
election campaign at the
University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor.
September
23, 1976
First
presidential candidate
debate between President Ford
and Governor Jimmy Carter
in Philadelphia. This
is the first presidential
candidate debate since
the Nixon-Kennedy debates
in 1960.
October
6, 1976
Second
presidential candidate
debate, on foreign policy
and defense issues, in
San Francisco. During
the debate Ford comments
that, “there
is no Soviet domination
of Eastern Europe and
there never will be under
a Ford administration.” This
misstatement is fodder
for the press and public for the next several days.
October
22, 1976
Third
and final presidential
candidate debate in Williamsburg,
Virginia.
November
1-2, 1976
President
Ford attends his final
campaign rally in Grand
Rapids, Michigan at the
Pantlind Hotel. He casts
his vote on November 2
and attends the unveiling
of the Gerald R. Ford
mural by artist Paul Collins
at the Kent County Airport
before returning to Washington.
November
3, 1976
Ford
concedes the Presidential
election to Jimmy Carter
of Georgia. Ford loses
the Electoral
College 297-240 and receives 39,147,793
votes (48% of the votes
cast) to Carter’s
40,830,763 (50.1% of the
votes cast).
December
14, 1976
Ford
sends a letter to the
Archivist of the United
States and the President
of the University of Michigan
offering to deposit his
papers in a Presidential
Library to be built on
the University of Michigan
campus.
January
12, 1977
In his final State of the
Union Address, Ford tells
Congress and the American
People, “I
can report that the state
of the union is good.
There is room for improvement,
as always, but today we
have a more perfect Union
than when my stewardship
began.”
January
20, 1977
Carter
is sworn in as the 39th
President of the United
States. In his inaugural
address, Carter states, “For
myself and for our Nation,
I want to thank my predecessor
for all he has done to
heal our land.” Ford
retires to Palm Springs,
California and Vail, Colorado.
During his retirement,
Ford serves on various
corporate boards, participates
in many charitable causes,
remains involved in many
national and international
causes and issues, participates
in many Republican Party
functions, and is called
to service several times
by later Presidents.
Post-Presidency
March
9, 1977
President
and Mrs. Ford sign contracts
to publish their memoirs.
March
24, 1977
Ford
returns to the White House
for the first time since
he left office and meets
with President Carter
in the Oval Office. They
meet for an hour and a
half discussing a range
of national and international
issues.
June
6, 1979
Ford’s
memoir, A
Time to Heal,
is published.
Fall
1979
Ford
considers another run
for the Presidency in
the 1980 election.
March
16, 1980
Ford
officially takes himself
out of consideration for
the Republican Presidential
nomination, stating “…America
needs a new President. I
have determined that I
can best help that cause
by not being a candidate
for President, which might
further divide my party.”
July,
1980
At
the Republican National
Convention in Detroit,
Michigan, representatives
of Ronald Reagan and Gerald
Ford attempt to work out
the details of having
Ford on the ticket as
Vice Presidential nominee,
but to no avail. However,
many newspapers inaccurately
report that Ford has been
selected for the post.
November
1, 1980
Ford
appears on NBC’s
Meet the Press to discuss
the Iranian hostage situation
and stump for candidate
Reagan.
April
27, 1981
Ford
dedicates his Presidential
Library in Ann Arbor,
Michigan.
September
18, 1981
Ford dedicates
his Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
October
10, 1981
At
the request of President
Reagan, Ford joins former
Presidents Richard Nixon
and Jimmy Carter as part
of the official American
delegation attending the
funeral of assassinated
Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat.
October
3, 1982
The
Betty Ford Center is dedicated.
November
10, 1982
Ford
hosts a conference on
the Presidency and the
War Powers Act at the
Ford Library in Ann Arbor,
Michigan.
December
1983
Ford
makes a cameo appearance
with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on
the ABC show Dynasty.
November
15, 1984
Ford
joins President Carter
for a symposium at the
University of Michigan
on “New
Weapons Technologies and
Soviet-American Relations.”
April
25, 1985
About
thirty scholars join
President Ford for a conference at
the
Ford Library in Ann
Arbor to discuss the
state of the presidential
primary system.
The
proceedings of the conference
were later published
in a volume edited by
George Grassmuck entitled Before
Nomination: Our Primary
Problems.
September
17-19, 1986
Ford
hosts the symposium “Humor
and the Presidency” at
the Ford Museum in Grand
Rapids, Michigan.
January-February,
1987
To
mark the bicentennial
of the U.S. Constitution,
Ford participates in conferences
with former President
Carter at both the Carter
and Ford Libraries entitled, “The
Presidency and the Constitution.”
October
1, 1987
Ford
publishes Humor
and the Presidency drawn
from the September 1986
conference at the Ford
Presidential Museum.
November
18, 1988
Former
Presidents Jimmy Carter
and Gerald Ford meet with
President-Elect George
H.W. Bush to present the
recommendations of the
American Agenda Group,
an organization of experts
and former administration
officials who studied
the most critical issues
confronting the United
States.
April
6-8, 1989
Ford
and many members of his
administration participate
in a conference at Hofstra
University that examines
the Ford presidency.
October
8, 1994
The
University of Michigan
retires President Ford’s
football jersey number
48 at halftime of the
Michigan State game. It
is only the fifth football
number to be retired by
the university.
August
12, 1996
Ford
speaks at the Republican
National Convention in
San Diego, California on behalf of his former
running mate and Republican
presidential nominee,
Robert Dole.
December
21, 1998
Following
the House of Representatives’ impeachment
of President Clinton, Ford co-authors a New
York Times Op-Ed piece
with former President
Carter. They argue for
a bipartisan resolution
of censure as an alternative
to an impeachment trial.
August
8, 1999
Ford
writes an Op-Ed
piece in the New York Times
defending the University
of Michigan’s
system of admission standards that uses affirmative
action.
August
11, 1999
President
Ford is awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, the
nation’s
highest civilian award,
by President Clinton.
October
27, 1999
President
Ford receives the Congressional
Gold Medal, the highest
award bestowed by the
Legislative branch.
April
7, 2000
In
conjunction with the
opening of nearly 40,000
pages from the Ford Library’s
holdings on the Vietnam
War, Ford hosts the conference “After
the Fall: Vietnam Plus
Twenty-Five,” at
the University of Michigan.
May
11, 2000
Ford
attends the ceremony
that renames the Kent
County International Airport
after him.
September
12, 2000
Ford
is present as The University
of Michigan’s
School of Public Policy
is renamed for him.
January
30, 2001
Following
the closely contested
2000 Presidential election,
Former
Presidents Ford and Carter
are named as honorary
Co-Chairmen
of the National Commission
on Federal Election Reform.
May
21, 2001
The
John F. Kennedy Foundation
presents Ford with the
Profiles in Courage Award
for putting the nation’s
interest above his own
political future with
the pardon of Richard
Nixon.
June
5, 2001
President
Ford opens public
hearings
of the National Commission
on Federal Election
Reform at the Ford Library
in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The
Commission, which was co-chaired by Former
Presidents Ford and
Carter,
presents
its findings to the
White
House on July 31, 2001.
September
14, 2001
Following
the September 11, 2001
attacks on the United
States, President and
Mrs. Ford attend the National
Day of Prayer and Remembrance
ceremony at the National
Cathedral in Washington,
D.C.
October
2003
The
National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) establishes
the “NCAA
President’s
Gerald R. Ford Award.” The
award honors an individual
who has provided significant
leadership as an advocate
for intercollegiate athletics
on a continuous basis
over the course of their
career. The first recipient
of the award was Father
Theodore Hesburgh, former
President of Notre Dame.
September
20, 2004
The
State Bar of Michigan
honors Ford, recognizing
him as the state’s
twenty-ninth legal milestone.
November
12, 2004
Ford
attends the groundbreaking
for the new Joan and Sanford
Weill building that will
house the Ford School
of Public Policy at the
University of Michigan.
November
26, 2005
An
article Ford writes, reflecting
on passing of journalist
Hugh Sidey, appears
in the Washington Post.
March
2006
The
NCAA names Ford as the
fourteenth most-influential
student-athlete of the
last 100 years.
June
19, 2006
The
National Archives hosts
a tribute to President
Ford, entitled “President
Ford’s
Washington and the World.” The
tribute featured presentations
by former Ford administration
officials including: Henry
Kissinger, David Gergen,
James Cannon, and Carla
Hills.
December
26, 2006
President
Ford dies at his California
home. He is 93 years old.
The nation enters a period
of mourning, and funeral services are held in Palm
Desert, California; Washington,
D.C.; and Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
December
30, 2006
At
the conclusion of funeral
services at St. Margaret's
Church in Palm Desert,
California, President
Ford's body is flown
to Washington, D.C.
to lie in state at the
U.S. Capital Rotunda
and for services at
the National Cathedral.
Before arriving at the
Capital, the funeral
procession drives
to Alexandria,
Virginia and the Ford's
former
home there. The procession also pauses
for a ceremony at
the
World War II Veteran's
Memorial in Washington,
D.C.
January
2, 2007
Funeral
services
are held for President Ford at the National
Cathedral in Washington,
D.C. Eulogies are
given by President
George W. Bush, Former
President George
H.W. Bush, Former
Secretary of State
Henry Kissinger,
and Journalist
Tom
Brokaw. Following
the service, President
Ford's body is flown
back to Grand Rapids
to lie in repose
and for services.
January
3, 2007
Funeral
services are held
for
President Ford at Grace
Episcopal Church in
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
During the service,
eulogies are given by Former
President
Jimmy Carter, Former
Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld, and Historian
Richard
Norton Smith.
Following
the service,
President
Ford is interred
on
the grounds of
his
Presidential
Museum
in Grand Rapids,
Michigan.
Biography
of President Ford
Tributes and Honors
Gerald
R. Ford Quotes
Last
Updated:January 11, 2007
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