Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford was the 38th President of the United States, taking over for Richard Nixon after his resignation amidst the Watergate Scandal. He was the fifth president to take office without having been directly elected, and the first president to assume office without having won a national election. He had become Nixon's Vice-President after Spiro Agnew's resignation on October 10, 1973.

1. Born on July 13, 1914 as Leslie Lynch King, Jr.
2. Was a star football player at the University of Michigan, won 2 national titles
3. Received pro football offers from the Lions and Packers
4. Veteran of World War II
5. Spouse: Betty Ford
6. Member of the Warren Commission investigating the JFK Assassination
7. Officially ended the Vietnam War
8. His cabinet included: Donald Rumsfeld, George H. W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, and Dick Cheney
9. Pardoned the man he replaced, Richard Nixon
10. Died December 26, 2006

Ford was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on January 3, 1949, representing Michigan's Fifth District, and became the Minority Leader of the House in 1965. During his time in the House, he served on the Warren Commission, investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Ford's job had primarily been to prepare an extensive biography of suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

Ford's ascension to the Vice-Presidency after Agnew's departure marked the first time the 25th Amendment's directions on replacing the position had ever been enacted. Ford nominated Nelson Rockefeller to his old position. Less than one year later, on August 9, 1974, Nixon resigned, leaving Ford the nation's new President. One month after Nixon's resignation, Ford controversially offered him a full pardon.

During his brief administration, his cabinet was mainly made up of former Nixon appointees. His major policies while in office included support for the Equal Rights Amendment, initiating the final withdrawl of American forces from South Vietnam and entering into the Helsinki Accords with the Soviet Union.

Ford developed a reputation as an ineffectual or even comic figure. Chevy Chase mocked him as delusional and klutzy each week on Saturday Night Live. His anti-inflation campaign, known as "Whip Inflation Now" and featuring "WIN" buttons people were encouraged to wear, was regarded as a financial as well as a marketing blunder. As well, his administration's campaign against swine flu, once seen as a dire threat, eventually became a debacle, with the government advising that every citizen be vaccinated and then failing to provide the resources to make this possible. Eventually, the threat of swine flu was shown to be overblown, and it has been estimated that more Americans died from the vaccine than the illness.

• The Following Are All From YouTube:

• President Ford Assassination Attempt

• Gerald Ford In His Own Words

• A Video Tribute to Gerald Ford

• YouTube: Nixon Resigns, Ford Introduced - 1974 Part 1 of 8 (Time 8:12)

• Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 |

• Pt 5 |

• Pt 6 |

• Pt 7 |

• Pt 8

• July 13, 1914: Born as Leslie Lynch King Jr. in Nebraska

• 1916: His mother marries Gerald Ford, Sr. in Michigan

• 1931-1935: Attends the University of Michigan

• 1934: Named MVP of Michigan's football team

• 1935: Legally changes his name to Gerald R. Ford, Jr.

• 1938-1941: Attends Yale Law School

• 1942-1946: Serves in the U.S. Navy

• 1948 - 1973: Serves as a member of the U.S. Congress

• 1948: Marries Betty Warren Bloomer in Michigan

• 1965: Becomes House Minority Leader

• 1973: Becomes Vice President of the U.S. after Spiro Agnew resigns

• August 8, 1974: Richard Nixon resigns as President of the United States

• August 9, 1974: Mr. Ford is sworn in as the 38th President

• Sepetember 4, 1974: Pardons Nixon

• April 1975: Orders the evacuation of American personnel officially ending the Vietnam War

• September 5, 1975: A Charles Manson follower attempts to assassinate President Ford

• September 22, 1975: Another attempted assassination on President Ford

• 1976: Runs for re-election, loses to Jimmy Carter

• 1982: Betty Ford Center is dedicated

• 1994: Football jersey number is retired by the University of Michigan

• 1999: Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton

• 2000: University of Michigan names its Public Policy school after Ford

• December 26, 2006: Dies at age 93

• YouTube: Homer Simpson and Gerald Ford

• SNL Transcripts: Transcript: Chevy Chase as President Ford

• Google Video: SNL - The Death of Gerald Ford

• YouTube: Who Will You Miss More, Gerald Ford or James Brown?

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