Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford Jr.
Republican Party
Basic Info:
- Republican Party
- 38th President
- Serving in office from 1974-1977
- Nelson Rockefeller as VP (no VP for Ford's first 5 months in office)
Five Ford Fun Facts:
- Gerald Ford was born Leslie Lynch King Jr.
- Ford played center and linebacker for the University of Michigan and was nominated MVP.
- Ford joined the U.S. Naval Reserve, was sent to the USS Monterey, and after service was awarded the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal and Lone Sailor Award.
- Gerald married Elizabeth Bloomer Warren in 1948 and had 4 children: Michael Gerald, John Gardner, Steven Meigs, and Susan Elizabeth.
- Gerald Rudolph Ford was the first and only Eagle Scout to become President
Leslie Lynch King (Gerald Ford) Age 3
#48 Gerald Ford, a Michigan Wolverine
Lieutenant Commander Gerald Ford 1945
Qualifications:
- Ford served as VP from 1973-1974 before becoming President.
- Ford turned down Detroit Lion and Green Bay Packer contracts to study law at Michigan University at which he earned his L.L.B. degree and graduated in the top 25% of his class.
- Although it may not be a necessity or qualification, Ford served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1942-1946.
Gerald Ford as VP
Ford in law school of Michigan
Gerald Ford in the U.S. Naval Reserve
Ford Presidency Facts:
- Ford was the only person to assume the presidency without having been previously voted into either the presidential or vice presidential office.
- On September 8, 1974, Ford issued Proclamation 4311, that gave Nixon a full pardon for any crimes he committed against the U.S. while President.
- Ford introduced a conditional amnesty program for Vietnam War draft dodgers who had fled to different countries.
- Ford appointed William Coleman as Secretary of Transportation, the second black man to serve in a presidential cabinet and the first appointed in a Republican administration.
- Ford went before the American public in October 1974 and said "Whip Inflation Now". He urged people to wear "WIN" buttons as a response to rising inflation.
- Ford signed the Helsinki Accords, marking a move toward détente in the Cold War and officially ended US involvement in the Vietnam War after North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam.