Gerald Ford

Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (born July 14, 1913) (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., renamed after his mother's remarriage) was the fortieth (1973–1974) Vice President and the thirty-eighth (1974–1977) President of the United States. He remains the only individual to serve as President without ever having been elected to either the presidency or vice presidency. Instead, following the resignation of Spiro Agnew in 1973, he was nominated as Vice President by Richard Nixon and approved by both houses of Congress (not just the Senate, as is the procedure for Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, and most other federal officials), in keeping with provisions of the 25th Amendment. When Nixon resigned on noon of August 9, 1974, Ford assumed the presidency.

Early life

Ford was born to Leslie Lynch King and Dorothy Ayer Gardner in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents divorced two years after he was born, and his mother remarried to Gerald Ford, after whom he was renamed despite never being formally adopted by his step-father. He and Democrat Bill Clinton are the only two U.S. Presidents to have been adopted. Ford grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and starred as a center playing American football for the University of Michigan. A three-year letterman, Ford helped the Wolverines to undefeated seasons in 1932 and 1933 and was voted the team's most valuable player in 1934. (His number 48 jersey has since been retired by the school.) At Michigan he joined Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and earned money for expenses by washing dishes at the fraternity house. After graduating the following spring, he turned down contract offers from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. While at the Yale Law School, Ford joined a group of students led by R. Douglas Stuart, Jr. as they signed a petition to enforce the 1939 Neutrality Act. This petition was circulated nationally and was the inspiration for America First, a group determined to keep America out of World War II. Ford graduated from law school in 1941, having coached football and boxing part time to pay for school. Ford joined the Boy Scouts as a child and attained the highest rank of Eagle Scout. He always regarded this as one of his proudest accomplishments even after attaining the White House. He is quoted for saying, "I am the first Eagle Scout President!"

Related Topics:
Omaha, Nebraska - Adopted - Democrat - Bill Clinton - Grand Rapids, Michigan - Center - American football - University of Michigan - Letterman - 1932 - 1933 - 1934 - Delta Kappa Epsilon - Detroit Lions - Green Bay Packers - National Football League - Yale Law School - R. Douglas Stuart, Jr. - 1939 Neutrality Act - America First - World War II - 1941 - Boxing - Boy Scouts - Eagle Scout

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