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{{Officeholder| bordername=Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.|image=Gerald Ford by Kinstler.jpg|party=[[Republican]]|spouse=[[Betty Ford]]|religion=[[Episcopalian]]|offices= {{Officeholder/president |country=the United States |number=38th |terms=August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977 |vp=[[Nelson Rockefeller]] |preceded=[[Richard Nixon]] |former=y |succeeded=[[Jimmy Carter]] }} {{Officeholder/vice president |country=the United States |number=40th |terms=December 6, 1973 – August 9, 1974 |president=[[Richard Nixon]] |preceded=[[Spiro Agnew]] |former=(y or n) |succeeded=[[Nelson Rockefeller]] }} {{Officeholder/representative |state=Michigan |district=5th |terms=January 3, 1949 – December 6, 1973 |preceded=Bartel J. Jonkman |former=y |succeeded=Richard F. Vander Veen }}}} '''Gerald Rudolph “Jerry” Ford, Jr.''' (b. Leslie Lynch King, Jr., July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006) was the 38th [[President of the United States of America]], serving from August 9, 1974, to January 20, 1977. He was the first president not elected to either the presidency or vice-presidency. A Republican, Ford served as U.S. [[Representative]], 1948–73, and was the House Minority Leader from 1965 to 1973. His most famous and daring decision was to pardon former President [[Richard Nixon]] of any crimes for the good of the nation. Nixon appointed Ford as Vice President on the resignation of [[Spiro Agnew]]. When Nixon subsequently resigned as President, Ford succeeded him.  President Ford received heavy criticism for pardoning Nixon. Ford watched helplessly as [[South Vietnam]] fell to a Communist invasion, after all American forces had been removed. He promoted [[détente]] with the [[Soviet Union]], incurring the wrath of the conservatives, led by [[Ronald Reagan]]. He narrowly defeated Reagan for renomination in 1976 in the [[Republican Party]] primaries, then lost narrowly to Democrat [[Jimmy Carter]].  Ford was pro-business and a local activist, and was known as a decent person and good family man; in his three years in office, he did much to heal the deep national wounds he had inherited from Nixon. However, Ford nominated [[John Paul Stevens]] to the Supreme Court – Stevens became one of its most left-wing justices.<ref>Watkins, William J. (July 29, 2019). [https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jul/29/how-misstep-can-shape-supreme-court/ How a misstep can shape the Supreme Court]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved July 29, 2019.</ref> ==Early life==Ford was born on July 14, 1913, in [[Omaha]], [[Nebraska]], and was named Leslie King after his father, a wool trader. When Ford was two years old his parents were divorced because of abuse. His mother, Dorothy Gardner King, moved to [[Grand Rapids]], Michigan. There she met and married Gerald R. Ford, owner of a small paint factory. Ford adopted her son, and the boy's name was changed to Gerald R. Ford, Jr. Gerald Ford, Sr., described by biographers as a dominant athletic man and strong believer in self-discipline, later fathered three sons. He never told young Gerald that he was adopted until years later. At South High School in Grand Rapids, the younger Ford was all-city football center for three years and also made the all-state team. He played football career at the [[University of Michigan]]; in 1934 he was the Wolverines' most valuable member. He graduated in 1935 with a bachelor of arts degree. Ford declined bids from professional football teams in order to attend [[Yale Law School]]. He alternated semesters at study with work as an assistant football and freshman [[boxing]] coach. Ford graduated in 1941 in the top third of his class and returned to Grand Rapids to practice law.  In 1942 he joined the Navy as an ensign. He served 47 months, including 18 months aboard the light aircraft carrier ''USS Monterey'' in the South Pacific. He served as athletic director, then gunnery division officer, an assistant navigator with major operations in the South Pacific, and then a lieutenant commander. He encountered a near death experience in December 1944 during a vicious typhoon. He came close to being swept overboard from his ship. After the war was over in 1946 he returned to his law firm in Grand Rapids. Three weeks before his first election, on Oct. 15, 1948, Ford married Elizabeth "1Betty" align=Bloomer, a former model and aspiring dancer. Born in Chicago, she had lived most of her life in Grand Rapids and had been married and divorced. Jerry and Betty Ford had three sons and a daughter. She became a vocal and effective spokeswoman for important social and women's issues during and after her years in the White House, appearing somewhat less conservative than Ford himself.<ref>Maryanne Borrelli, "rightCompeting Conceptions of the First Ladyship: Public Responses to Betty Ford's ''60 Minutes'' Interview." cellpadding''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' 2001 31(3): 397-414. ISSN 0360-4918.</ref> ==Congressional career==[[Image:Fordcampaign.gif‎|right|thumb|250px|Gerald R. Ford, Jr., Republican primary campaign billboard, 1948.]] Both his father, a Republican leader in Grand Rapids, and the late Republican Senator [[Arthur H. Vandenberg]] urged young Ford to run for Congress. Vandenberg, who was an internationalist, wanted to oust the isolationist Republican congressman from the Grand Rapids area district, Bartel Jonkman. Ford won the primary, defeating incumbent Congressman Bartel J. Jonkman by more than 9,000 votes and went on to an easy victory in the general election. At this stage his basic political outlook was influenced by [[Wendell Willkie]], by service in World War II, and by hostility to the dominant local machine. Ford ran as a minority reformer. Ford's view of himself as a minority reformer willing to stand up and oppose what he saw as corruption.<ref>William A. Syers, "2The Political Beginnings of Gerald R. Ford: Anti-bossism, Internationalism, and the Congressional Campaign of 1948." cellspacing''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' 1990 20(1): 127-142. ISSN 0360-4918.</ref> In 1949, the year he entered Congress, Ford was selected by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce as one of the country's ten outstanding young men. Ford's rise in the House was steady, assured by his repeated reelection from the strongly Republican district in a conservative region. ===Communism and ideological subversion===After two years in the House, Ford won a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and soon became the top Republican on its defense subcommittee. He became an expert on defense and military affairs and emerged as a strong anti-Soviet hawk in the [[Cold War]] years. Ford headed a group of 15 House Republicans who produced an exhaustive study endorsing the Cold War policies of President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. However, Ford voted on July 27, 1953 against the congressional re-enactment of a House select committee to investigate subversion among tax-exempt organizations.<ref>[https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/83-1953/h61 H RES 217. RESOLUTION CREATING A SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO CON- DUCT A FULL AND COMPLETE INVESTIGATION AND STUDY OF EDUCA- TIONAL AND PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATIONS AND OTHER COMPARABLE ORGANIZATIONS WHICH ARE EXEMPT FROM FED. INCOME TAXATION.]. ''GovTrack.us''. Retrieved August 8, 2021.</ref> The [[Cox Committee|committee in the previous Congress]] was headed by Georgia Democrat segregationist [[Edward E. Cox]], who conducted a poor investigation and released insufficient findings.<ref>FascinatingPolitics (December 22, 2019). [https://fascinatingpolitics.com/2019/12/22/the-reece-committee-on-foundations-conspiratorial-nonsense-or-an-expose-of-a-threat-to-the-nation/comment-page-1/ The Reece Committee on Foundations: Conspiratorial Nonsense or an Expose of a Threat to the Nation?]. ''Mad Politics: The Bizarre, Fascinating, and Unknown of American Political History''. Retrieved August 8, 2021.</ref> Advocating for its re-approval during the 83rd Congress was Tennessee [[conservative]] Republican [[B. Carroll Reece]], who became the chairman. It was thus known as the '''[[Reece Committee]]'''. ===House leader===In 1961, Ford became chairman of the House Republican Conference, making him the third most powerful Republican in the House of Representatives.  In 1963 Ford took over as chairman of the House Republican Caucus. Two years later, with the help of young Turk House colleagues Melvin Laird of Wisconsin, Robert Griffin of Michigan, and Charles Goodell of New York, Ford became House Minority Leader, ousting incumbent [[Charles Halleck]] of Indiana by a 73-67 vote.<ref>Wildstein, David (August 27, 2019). [https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/another-frelinghuysen-story/ Another Frelinghuysen story]. ''New Jersey Globe''. Retrieved August 9, 2021.</ref> His weekly press conferences with [[Everett Dirksen]], the GOP Senate leader, made them the national voice of the Republican party. He supported Kennedy and Johnson's involvement in the [[Vietnam War]]. ====Warren Commission appointment====Ford was appointed by the new president [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in 1963 to the [[Earl Warren|Warren Commission]], which investigated the assassination of President [[John F. Kennedy]]. Ford was known to have changed autopsy reports regarding JFK's assassination, changing notes to "0clarify meaning" width=, in his own words.<ref>[http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/JFK/ford.html Gerald Ford forced to admit the Warren Report fictionalized]</ref> Despite his own claims of only intending "250to be more precise" style, it is apparent that Ford intentionally changed the reports to support the single bullet theory.<ref>[http://www.jfklancer.com/Ford-Rankin.html Gerald Ford's Terrible Fiction]</ref> ====Tenure====Domestically, he was consistently conservative, and led the fight against Johnson's [[Great Society]]. As long as the [[Conservative Coalition]] was intact he usually won; Johnson's landslide in 1964 over [[Barry Goldwater]] brought in scores of new Democrats and opened the door for liberal legislation and Ford was usually on the losing side. Ford's conservatism was endorsed by the voters in 1966, as the [[New Deal Coalition]] started unraveling because of voter disgust with Johnson's inept handling of the Vietnam war and the violent outbreaks in large American cities.  Ideologically Ford was flexible. He once described himself as "margin-left:5pxa moderate in domestic affairs, an internationalist in foreign affairs, and a [[conservative]] in fiscal policy."Ford had a good television persona, which he needed as the main spokesman for his party. He showed a knack for wooing more liberal congressmen, especially within his own party. His easygoing amiability made him widely popular. Ford's leadership of an effort in 1970 to impeach liberal Supreme court Justice [[William O. Douglas]] was attributed to soldierly loyalty to the White House. Ford had harbored only one further ambition - to become speaker of the House - but he became discouraged when the Republican Party could not gain a majority. |align==Vice-President==In October 1973, Vice-President [[Spiro T. Agnew]] resigned in the wake of disclosures that he had accepted illegal bribes. President Nixon, empowered by the [[25th Amendment]] to nominate a successor, was said to favor [[John Connally]], former secretary of the treasury. But, Laird, then a White House adviser, convinced Nixon that Connally would be unacceptable to Congress, which had to confirm the nomination, and recommended Ford. Nixon nominated Ford on Oct. 12, 1973. Ford then underwent an intensive investigation of his personal life by the FBI and by Congress.<ref>A microscopic audit of his taxes showed only one mistake - he had deducted the cost of renting a tuxedo for inauguration ceremonies.</ref> Charges by a lobbyist that Ford had done political favors for contributors were found to be fabricated. Ford was confirmed by Congress and was sworn in as vice-president on Dec. 6, 1973. As vice-president, Ford called inflation "centerPublic Enemy Number One," colspanpromoted the "WIN: Whip Inflation Now" slogan, and urged budget cuts. He was an ardent foe of busing to achieve racial integration. He repeatedly defended President Nixon's innocence in the [[Watergate affair]] and its cover-up. Ford dropped that defense only when Nixon, on August 5, 1974, released tapes that showed his complicity in the cover-up and made his impeachment and conviction inevitable. Nixon then resigned, and Ford became president on Aug. 9, 1974. ==Presidency (1974–1977)== Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office as President of the United States on August 9, 1974. Responding to the Watergate affair, he focused his inaugural address on integrity. ''If you have not chosen me by secret ballot, neither have I gained office by any secret promises. I have not campaigned either for the Presidency or the Vice Presidency. I have not subscribed to any partisan platform. I am indebted to no man, and only to one woman--my dear wife--as I begin this very difficult job.'' ''My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over."2''<ref>http://www.ford.utexas.edu/LIBRARY/speeches/740001.htm</ref> By telling the American people that he was "|a Ford, not a Lincoln," he not only lowered public expectations about what he might accomplish, he also reassured the American people that the days of the imperial presidency in the style of Johnson and Nixon had ended.  [[Image:FordA4256-04-thm.jpg|180pxright|thumb|250px|President Ford chats with Chief of Staff [[Donald Rumsfeld]]and Rumsfeld's assistant [[Richard Cheney]] in the Oval Office, 04/28/75]]  ===Administration=== {| class="wikitable"

!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: indigo no-repeat scroll top left;"|Gerald Ford;OfficeThirty-eighth President of the United States ! Name! Term

|Born[[President]]|July 14, 1913Gerald Ford| 1974-1977

|Died[[Vice President of the United States of America|Vice President]]| [[Nelson Rockefeller]]|December, 20061974-1977

|Term[[Secretary of State]]| [[Henry Kissinger]]|1974-1977|-| [[Secretary of Treasury]]| [[William E. Simon]]| 1974-1977|-| [[Secretary of Defense]]| [[James R. Schlesinger]]| 1974-1975|-| | [[Donald Rumsfeld]]| 1975-1977|-| [[Attorney General]]| [[William Saxbe]]| 1974-1975|-| | [[Edward Levi]]| 1975-1977|-| [[Secretary of Interior]]| [[Rogers Morton]]| 1974–1975|-| | [[Stanley K. Hathaway]]| 1975|-| | [[Thomas S. Kleppe]]| 1975-1977|-| [[Secretary of Agriculture]]| [[Earl Butz]]| 1974-1976|-| | [[John Albert Knebel]]| 1976-1977|-| [[Secretary of Commerce]]| [[Frederick B. Dent]]| 1974-1975|-| | [[Rogers Morton]]| 1975|-| | [[Elliot Richardson]]| 1975-1977|-| [[Secretary of Labor]]| [[Peter J. Brennan]]| 1974-1975|-| | [[John Thomas Dunlop]]| 1975–1976|-| | [[William Usery, Jr.]]| 1976-1977|-| [[Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare]]| [[Caspar Weinberger]]| 1974–1975|-| | [[F. David Mathews]]| 1975–1977|-| [[Secretary of Housing and Urban Development]]| [[James Thomas Lynn]]| 1974–1975|-| | [[Carla Anderson Hills]]| 1975-1977|-| [[Secretary of Transportation]]| [[Claude Brinegar]]| 1974–1975|-| | [[William Thaddeus Coleman, Jr.]]| 1975–1977

Ford kept some of the original cabinet members from Nixon's Presidency, such as Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]]. He replaced Nixon's Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Commerce and Attorney General would resign. He chose liberal Republican [[Nelson Rockefeller]], governor of New York, as his Vice President. After a bruising hearing. Rockefeller was born confirmed in OmahaDecember 1974, over the opposition of some conservatives like [[NebraskaBarry Goldwater]]. Rockefeller was ineffective and unhappy in the new role.<ref>http://205.188.238.109/time/magazine/article/0, but did not live there long9171, 917422,00.html</ref>  In the "Sunday Morning Massacre" of November 2, 1975, Ford replaced Kissinger as [[National Security adviser]] (but kept him as secretary of state) with Brent Scowcroft; fired Defense Secretary James Schlesinger, a leftover from the Nixon administration whom Ford personally disliked, and replaced him with his mother fled chief-of-staff [[Donald Rumsfeld]]; replaced another Nixon appointee, CIA Director William Colby, with Gerald within [[George H. W. Bush]], the ambassador to China; and informed Vice President Rockefeller that he would be dropped from the ticket in 1976. ===Pardon===Ford's honeymoon suddenly ended on September 8, 1974, when he gave Nixon an unconditional pardon for all federal crimes he might have committed in office. The timing was bad, and the Democrats had an issue they used to score massive gains in the November Congressional elections.<ref>Soon after, Ford offered [[Vietnam War]] military deserters and draft dodgers a month due conditional amnesty, with penalties. Most war resisters in exile ignored the offer.</ref> The Watergate tragedy had dragged on for two years and grievously undermined public confidence in core national institutions, as both the president and vice president, and many top aides, had been forced to domestic abuseresign. Many went to prison. Ford's role was to start fresh again, but the pardon cost him desperately needed momentum. He handled the pardon issue maladroitly, failing even to insist that Nixon give up his presidential papers and tapes or issue a statement of contrition before granting him a pardon, and timing it just before the midterm elections, allowing it to do maximum damage to the GOP candidates. Ford was raised the target of two unsuccessful assassination attempts. One in Sacramento, California on September 5, 1975 was attempted by Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. Then in San Francisco, Sara Jane Moore pointed a pistol at him, but a bystander grabbed the gun.<ref>Both were sentenced to life in prison, but Moore was paroled on December 31, 2007. [http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local&id=4900159 report]</ref>===Economy===[Michigan[Image:Ford1976.JPG|left|thumb|250px|President Ford at work in the Oval Office, 08/12/76]]Ford's vision for America were grounded in conservative principles that emphasized fiscal responsibility, decreased federal involvement in the economy, lower taxes, and long-term sustainable growth with low inflation. Rampant inflation was the economic terror of the 1970s, and its reduction was Ford's overriding domestic priority. But growth rates were also low—the combination was new and unexpected and was called "stagflation." Mus of the problem came from international economic trends, as oil prices skyrocketed and Japanese and German imports for the first time became an Eagle Scoutmajor threats to American factories.  Ford's favored means for combating inflation was the conservative stand-by: a combination of fiscal [[Ascesis|austerity]] and a tight federal monetary policy. He attended attacked the University heavily Democratic 94th Congress for wasteful spending, and 66 times wielded the presidential veto to kill costly congressional bills. His refusal to help New York City's financial crisis was briefly popular in the hinterland.<ref>Yanek Mieczkowski, ''Gerald Ford And The Challenges Of The 1970s'' (2005).</ref>  The weak economy was a major concern during the Ford administration. Inflation was in the double digits, unemployment was rising and the gross domestic product was in decline.<ref>Henry F. Graff, "Gerald R. Ford," ''The Presidents, P. 538</ref> Ford proposed a tight lid of Michigan$300 billion on the federal budget and asked for a $5 billion surtax (additional income tax) on corporations and families in the higher income bracket. These were part of his "whip inflation now" (WIN) program; they proved ineffective.  Ford fought constantly with Congress, where especially when Democrats made major gains after attacking his pardon in the 1974 elections. Sixty-six times he exercised his veto power. ''Congressional Quarterly'' reported that Ford won only 58% of congressional votes that he took a position on, the lowest level of support from any president. Ford's press secretary, Ron Nessen, was incompetent and repeatedly blamed the news media for reporting on Ford's failures.  Oil prices were also a football starmajor concern. Congress turned down Ford's proposals for phasing out the federal ceilings on the price of most domestic oil. Senate Majority Whip, the [[Exalted Cyclops]] [[Robert Byrd]] (D-West Virginia) explained why Democrats rejected Ford's plans: "After thisall, he attended graduate school at Yaledoesn't have a national constituency, his is an inherited Presidency." Ford and Congressional Democrats finally reached a compromise with the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975. "Half a loaf was better then served none, so I decided to sign it," Ford explained.  The initial goodwill toward Ford steadily eroded as the numbers turned sour. Unemployment went from 4.8% in 1972 to 8.0% when he took office; consumer price inflation jumped from 3.4% to 11.0%. Unexpectedly high inflation, fueled by soaring oil prices, made it difficult to plan for the future; cheap imports from Germany and Japan for the first time became a threat to autos and electronics; high unemployment troubled industrial areas. By early 1975 the jobless rate was the worst since the Navy during [[World War IIGreat Depression]]. Ford insisted that inflation was the greater problem. He sought to slow it, as Nixon had, by severe restraints on government spending for social programs. He also tried to curb private spending by asking Congress to raise the taxes on personal incomes. But the Democratic majority refused, and in congressional elections in November 1974 Democrats increased their majorities to three-fifths in the Senate and two-thirds in the House. In January 1975 Ford finally yielded to liberals' demands for a program to stop the economic slump and promote hiring. He proposed personal [[income tax]] rebates, especially to higher-income people, who might spend extra money on durable goods such as automobiles. Liberals criticized Ford's proposal for offering little relief for the poor, so they pushed through Congress a modified, though modest, tax rebate bill favoring lower-income people. Ford signed it reluctantly. He continued to resist liberal demands for massive public works spending to employ the jobless, and vetoed many bills. Ford also wanted to make the domestic energy industry more profitable, even at the cost of inflation, in order to encourage more private investment in it and thereby reduce the dependence on oil from abroad. He proposed huge public subsidies for developing new energy sources.  Deregulation - that is, the removal of the old [[New Deal]] controls on transportation, communications, finance and other businesses - began under Ford (Nixon was more of a New Dealer who liked federal regulations), and continued under Carter and Reagan until most of the New Deal controls on business had ended. ===Supreme Court===When an opening occurred in the Supreme Court in 1975, Ford was determined to use the appointment not as a vehicle for his own political or ideological goals, but to help restore confidence in government. He did this by placing a premium on professional considerations and relying on his attorney general, Edward Levi.  Ford nominated Circuit Judge [[John Paul Stevens]] as an Associate Justice of the [[Supreme Court]] in 1975 to replace Justice [[William O. Douglas]], who had recently retired. Stevens was unanimously confirmed in December. In nominating [[John Paul Stevens]], Ford chose someone he saw as a nonpolitical choice, someone he could allow independence from White House supervision, and someone who reflected a non-ideological, nonpartisan selection process, although Stevens over the years emerged as the most liberal justice, though less so than Douglas, who was one of the last new Dealers in power. <ref>httpDavid M. O'Brien, "The Politics of Professionalism://wwwPresident Gerald R.whitehouseFord's Appointment of Justice John Paul Stevens.gov/history/presidents/gf38" ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' (1991) 21(1): 103-126. ISSN 0360-4918.html</ref>===Foreign policy===[[Image:Ford1974.JPG|right|thumb|250px|President Ford and Soviet General Secretary Leonid I. Brezhnev sign a joint communique on the limitation of strategic offensive arms in the Conference Hall of the Okeansky Sanitarium, Vladivostok, USSR, 11/24/74]] In foreign affairs, Ford preserved the détente forged by Nixon and Kissinger. The [[Helsinki Treaty]], ratifying the postwar borders in Europe and supposedly committing the Soviets to human rights, was signed in August 1975. Republican conservatives, led by [[Ronald Reagan]], bemoaned détente as another indicator of the slippage of American power and prestige, and laid plans to defeat Ford's bid for reelection. On November 23, 1974, President Ford and Soviet General Secretary [[Leonid Brezhnev]] reached an agreement by signing the SALT treaty, which froze the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers at existing levels.  ===Vietnam===Ford blamed Congress for Communist North Vietnam's conquest of American ally South Vietnam in April 1975, because it had banned the renewed use of U.S. military forces there and refused his request for more aid to the crumbling resistance.  Historians are sharply critical of Ford's handling of the Mayaguez incident in which fifteen Marines were killed and eight helicopters downed. They were rescuing the crew of the merchant ship ''Mayageuz'', captured by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia when the ship allegedly sailed into Cambodian waters. More American rescuers died than crewmen were saved.

Gerald In 1975-1976 Ford sanctioned secret U.S. aid to the anti-Soviet factions in his own words:the civil war in [[Angola]], which ended in a leftist victory.

''I am acutely aware that you have By late 1976 the United States was not elected me as your President by your ballotsinvolved in any war, but the détente policy was rapidly losing political support, and so I ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers. And I hope that such prayers will also be the first of many .Kissinger a scapegoat.Inflation had moderated.Business had recovered from the deep slump, though unemployment was still high.''

''Our Ford, after overcoming a strong challenge for the Republican nomination from conservative [[ConstitutionRonald Reagan]] works; our great , replaced liberal Rockefeller with conservative Senator [[RepublicRobert Dole]] is of Kansas, as his running mate. He campaigned on his record of having blocked expensive social programs and thereby slowed inflation. Ford-the-insider was challenged by a Government complete outsider, [[Jimmy Carter]], a former Georgia governor who promised to restore trust in government, reduce unemployment, and shrink the federal bureaucracy. Ford accused Carter of laws being fuzzy on issues and not of menlacking experience in foreign affairs. Here However he agreed to nationally televised debates - the people rule. But first between presidential candidates since 1960 and in one debate Ford blundered badly by insisting falsely that "there is a Higher Powerno Soviet domination of Eastern Europe." Although Carter was expected to win easily, Ford almost wiped out his lead by whatever name we honor Himthe end of the campaign. Carter won on November 2, who ordains not narrowly defeating Ford 50%-48%. Ford is the only righteousness but lovepresident who never won a national election. Carter paid tribute to Ford in his inaugural address. "For myself and for our Nation, not only justice but mercyI want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land.''"

''As we bind up Historians generally agree with the internal wounds ... let us restore verdict: the [[Golden Rule]] to our Ford presidency showed indecisive leadership, repeated political processmiscalculation, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and of hate. In the beginningpoor judgment, I asked you to pray for me. Before closing, I ask again your prayers, for Richard Nixon and his family. May our former President, who brought peace to millions, find it for himself. May [[God]] bless and comfort his wonderful wife and daughters, whose love and loyalty will forever be a shining legacy to all who bear the lonely burdens lack of the White House ..vision.''

''I now solemnly reaffirm my promise I made to you last December 6; to uphold the Constitution==Post-Presidency==[[Image:20061226-2_g8o6137-1-515h.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Gerald Ford and Betty Ford with President [[George W. Bush]], to do what is right 04/23/06]] Ford remained active in politics after his Presidency through lecturers at hundreds of colleges and universities over current issues. There was serious consideration in 1980 that Ronald Reagan would select Ford as God gives me his Vice Presidential running mate; it proved impossible to see broker a deal giving Ford the rightpowers he wanted, and to do the very best I can for Americaso Reagan instead chose [[George H. God helping me, I will not let you downW. Bush]].''

Upon announcing his decision Ford attended the annual Public Policy Week Conferences of the American Enterprise Institute, and in 1982 established the AEI World Forum, which was a gathering of international former and current world leaders to pardon Richard Nixondiscuss political and business policies. On August 11, 1999, President [[Bill Clinton]] awarded Ford the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor.<ref>http://www.ford.utexas.edu/avproj/post-presidential.asp</ref> In 2001, Ford was also awarded the Profiles in Courage Award. After the 2000 Presidential election, he and his former rival Jimmy Carter co-chaired the National Commission on Federal Election Reform.<ref>http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/grf/timeline.asp#post</ref>

''To procrastinatePresident Ford died on December 26, to agonize2006 at his home in Rancho Mirage, and California due to wait for a more favorable turn of events that may never come or more compelling external pressures that may as well be wrong as right, is itself a decision of sorts and a weak and potentially dangerous course for a arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease. Ford was 93 years old. President Ford's body was taken to follow. I have promised to uphold Eisenhower Medical Center where it remained until the Constitution, to do what is right as God gives me to see the right, and to do the very best that I can for Americastart of State Funeral Services. I have asked your help and your prayers, not only when I became President but many times since.''

''==Trivia==*The Constitution is 1976 Presidential Election was the supreme law of our land and it governs our actions as citizensonly campaign Gerald Ford had ever lost. Only the laws of God, which govern our consciences, are superior to it. As we are a Nation under God, so I am sworn to uphold our laws with the help of God. And I have sought such guidance and searched my own conscience with special diligence to determine the right thing for me to do ....''

''I do believe, with all my heart and mind and spirit, that I, not as *Gerald Ford is the only President, but as a humble servant of God, will receive justice without mercy if I fail to show mercyserve in office with out having been elected to the Presidency or Vice Presidency.''

A Christmas message delivered by President *Ford: was the longest-lived president in U.S. history, living to age 93, until [[George H.W. Bush]] surpassed him at age 94.

''As our Bicentennial Year comes to a close, it is especially appropriate to gather once more around * He was the traditional symbol of family ties and friendly reunions, our Nation's [[Christmas tree]]. In doing so, we combine our year-long celebration of historical events with a personal rededication only President to timeless valueshave been an Eagle Scout.''

==References==* Abramowitz, Alan I. "The Impact of a Presidential Debate on Voter Rationality, " ''But true peace is more than an absence American Journal of battlePolitical Science,'' Vol. It is also 22, No. 3 (Aug., 1978), pp.&nbsp;680–690, advanced analysis of debate with Carter on unemployment, showing voters shifter their opinion to agree with Ford or Carter. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0092-5853(197808)22%3A3%3C680%3ATIOAPD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-I in JSTOR]* Brinkley, Douglas. ''Gerald R. Ford'' (2007), short biography by scholar [https://www.amazon.com/Gerald-R-Ford-Douglas-Brinkley/dp/0805069097/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240184246&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]* Cannon, James. ''Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment With History'' (1998), 528pp; the absence major biography* Greene, John Robert. ''The Presidency of prejudice Gerald R. Ford'' (1995), 272pp, the standard scholarly survey. [https://www.amazon.com/Presidency-Gerald-R-Ford-American/dp/0700606386/ref=sr_1_1/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194388147&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]* Greene, John Robert. ''The Limits of Power: The Nixon and Ford Administrations'' (1992) * Greene, John Robert. ''Betty Ford: Candor And Courage In The White House'' (2004) [https://www.amazon.com/Betty-Ford-Candor-Courage-Modern/dp/0700613544/ref=sr_1_10/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194388147&sr=8-10 excerpt and text search]* Hayes, Stephen F. ''Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President'' (2007). pp 70–122 on role as senior aide to Ford; [https://www.amazon.com/Cheney-Americas-Powerful-Controversial-President/dp/0060723467/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194424418&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search] * Mieczkowski, Yanek. ''Gerald Ford And The Challenges Of The 1970s'' (2005), 455pp; [https://www.amazon.com/Gerald-Challenges-1970s-Yanek-Mieczkowski/dp/0813123496/ref=sr_1_7/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194388147&sr=8-7 excerpt and text search]* Schapsmeier, Edward L. and Frederick H. Schapsmeier. ''Gerald R. Ford's Date With Destiny: A Political Biography'' (1989), strongest on Congressional years. * Suri, Jeremi. ''Henry Kissinger and the triumph American Century'' (2007) * Werth, Barry. ''31 Days: Gerald Ford, the Nixon Pardon and A Government in Crisis'' (2007), 416pp ===Primary sources===* [http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/publications/ERP/ Council of understandingEconomic Advisors, ''Economic Report of the President'' (annual 1947- )], complete series online; important analysis of current trends and policies, plus statistcial tables* Ford, Gerald R. Brotherhood among all peoples must be ''A time to heal: the solid cornerstone autobiography of lasting peaceGerald R. It has been Ford'' (1979)* Greenspan, Alan. ''The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a sustaining force for our NationNew World'' (2007), memoir by senior economics advisor * Kissinger, Henry. ''Years of Renewal'' (2000). 1152pp; in-depth memoirs of the Ford years; [https://www.amazon.com/Years-Renewal-Henry-Kissinger/dp/1842120425/ref=sr_1_1/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194399605&sr=1-1 excerpt and it remains text search] **Zelikow, Philip. "The Statesman in Winter: Kissinger on the Ford Years" ''Foreign Affairs'' (1999) 78(3): 123–128. Issn: 0015-7120 Fulltext: [[Ebsco]]* Laird, Melvin R. "A Strong Start in a guiding light for our futureDifficult Decade: Defense Policy in the Nixon-Ford Years." ''International Security'' (1985) 10(2): 5-26. Issn: 0162-2889 Fulltext: [http://www.jstor.org.proxy.cc.uic.edu/view/01622889/di008112/00p00147/0 in Jstor]

==See also==* [[Gerald Ford''The celebration of the birth of s 1976 Republican National Convention Speech]]* [[JesusConservative Coalition]] is observed on every continent* [[Henry Kissinger]]* [[Richard M. The customs and traditions are not always the same, but feelings that are generated between friends and family members are equally strong and equally warm.''Nixon]]

''In a few moments I will turn the switch that lights up our national Christmas tree==External links==*[http://geraldrfordfoundation. As beautiful as that tree is, it will be only a symbol if its light is not matched by the glow of love in our heartsorg/ Gerald R. It is my personal prayer on this Christmas of 1976 that the tree which I light tonight is only the beginning, that each of you will also light a flame of love-love that is reflected in the eyes of all our brothers and sisters across the Nation and around the worldFord Foundation]*[http://www. Now, Betty joins me in wishing you all a very, very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Yearford. Thank you, utexas.edu/ Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and God bless youMuseum]* [https://librivox.''org/author/11303 Works by Gerald Ford - text and free audio] - [[LibriVox]]

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