- Thirty-Eighth President (1974-1977)
- Birthday: July 14, 1913 (Monday)
- Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska
- Zodiac Sign: Cancer
- Date of Death: December 26, 2006 (Tuesday)
- Place of Death: Rancho Mirage, California
- Place of Burial: Gerald R. Ford Museum, Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Cause of Death: arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease, diffuse arteriosclerosis, and other issues
- Age: 93 years old
- Length of Retirement: 10932 days
- Religion: Episcopal
- Party: Republican
Gerald Ford Offices Held
- Vice President of the United States (1973-1974)
- US House Minority Leader (1965-1973)
- US House of Representatives from Michigan (1949-1973)
Gerald Ford Nicknames
- Jerry
- Mr. Nice Guy
- Accidental President
Gerald Ford Pets
- Dogs (some were named: Liberty, Lucky, and Misty)
- Cat (Shan)
Gerald Ford Personal Traits
- Height: 6 feet – 0 inches
Gerald Ford Quotes
I know I am getting better at golf because I am hitting fewer spectators.
Things are more like today than they have ever been before.
I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, “I hear you spoke here tonight.” “Oh, it was nothing,” I replied. “Yes,” the little old lady nodded, “that’s what I heard.”
If Lincoln were alive today, he’d be turning over in his grave.
Tell the truth, work hard, and come to dinner on time.
Truth is the glue that holds government together.
You don’t need to have the pool at the White House to get in deep water.
I love sports. Whenever I can, I always watch the Detroit Tigers on the radio.
When a man is asked to make a speech, the first thing he has to decide is what to say.
A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.
History and experience tell us that moral progress comes not in comfortable and complacent times, but out of trial and confusion.
There are no adequate substitutes for father, mother, and children bound together in a loving commitment to nurture and protect. No government, no matter how well-intended, can take the place of the family in the scheme of things.
I have not sought this enormous responsibility, but I will not shirk it.
My fellow Americans, our long nightmare is over.
It is not the ultimate fate of Richard Nixon that most concerns me, though surely it deeply troubles every decent and every compassionate person. My concern is the immediate future of his great country.
America now is stumbling through the darkness of hatred and divisiveness. Our values, our principles and out determination to succeed as a free and democratic people will give us a torch to light the way. And we will survive and become the stronger – not only because of a patriotism that stands for love of country, but a patriotism that stands for love of people.
The political lesson of Watergate is this: Never again must America allow an arrogant, elite guard of political adolescents to by-pass the regular party organization and dictate the terms of a national election.
It can go 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. (on his pardon of Richard Nixon)
I am a Ford, not a Lincoln.
Teddy Roosevelt… once said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Jimmy Carter wants to speak loudly and carry a fly swatter.
Gerald Ford Timeline – Family
- July 25, 1884 Leslie Lynch King Sr. (Father) born in Chadron, Nebraska.
- July 23, 1890 Margaret Atwood King Mather (Step-Mother) born.
- December 9, 1890 Gerald Rudolph Ford Sr. (Step-Father) born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- February 27, 1892 Dorothy Ayer Gardner King Ford (Mother) born in Harvard, Illinois.
- September 7, 1912 Leslie Lynch King Sr. (Father) marries Dorothy Ayer Gardner King Ford (Mother).
- July 14, 1913 Leslie Lynch King Jr. {Gerald “Jerry” Rudolph Ford} born in Omaha, Nebraska.
- December 19, 1913 Leslie Lynch King Sr. (Father) and Dorothy Ayer Gardner King (Mother) divorce.
- February 1, 1917 Dorothy Ayer Gardner King (Mother) marries Gerald Rudolph Ford Sr. (Step-Father).
- April 8, 1918 Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Bloomer Warren Ford (Wife) born in Chicago, Illinois.
- July 5, 1918 Thomas Gardner Ford (1/2 Brother) born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- 1919 Leslie Lynch King Sr. (Father) marries Margaret Atwood King Mather (Step-Mother) in Reno, Nevada.
- 1921 Marjorie B. King Werner (1/2 Sister) born.
- March 28, 1923 Leslie “Bud” Henry King (1/2 Brother) born in Glendale, California.
- June 3, 1924 Richard Addison Ford (1/2 Brother) born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- 1925 Patricia Jane King (1/2 Sister) born.
- August 11, 1927 James Francis Ford (1/2 Brother) born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- February 18, 1941 Leslie Lynch King Sr. (Father) dies in Tucson, Arizona.
- 1942 Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Bloomer (Mother) marries William C. Warren at her mother’s house.
- September 22, 1947 Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Bloomer (Mother) divorces William C. Warren.
- October 15, 1948 Leslie Lynch King Jr. {Gerald “Jerry” Rudolph Ford} marries Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Bloomer Warren (Mother).
- March 14, 1950 Michael Gerald Ford (Son) born in Washington DC.
- March 16, 1952 John “Jack” Gardner Ford (Son) born in Washington DC.
- May 19, 1956 Steven Meigs Ford (Son) born in East Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- July 6, 1957 Susan Elizabeth Ford Bales (Daughter) born in Washington DC.
- Jan 26, 1962 Gerald Rudolph Ford Sr. (Step-Father) dies in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- September 17, 1967 Dorothy Ayer Gardner King Ford (Mother) dies in.
- December 2, 1976 Leslie “Bud” Henry King (1/2 Brother) dies in Cookeville, Tennessee.
- December 1, 1985 Margaret Atwood King Mather (Step-Mother) dies in Topeka, Kansas.
- April 8, 1993 Marjorie B. King Werner (1/2 Sister) dies.
- August 28, 1995 Thomas Gardner Ford (1/2 Brother) dies in Johns Island, South Carolina.
- January 23, 2001 James Francis Ford (1/2 Brother) dies in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- December 26, 2006 Leslie Lynch King Jr. {Gerald “Jerry” Rudolph Ford} dies in Rancho Mirage, California.
- July 8, 2011 Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Bloomer Warren Ford (Mother) dies in Rancho Mirage, California.
Gerald Ford Links
Gerald Ford’s Birthplace
Gerald Ford’s Boyhood Home
Gerald Ford’s Ski Chalet (Colorado)
Gerald Ford’s Home (Virginia)
Gerald Ford’s Home (Rancho Mirage)
Gerald Ford’s Grave
Gerald Ford’s Presidential Library
Gerald Ford on Wikipedia