American President
Gerald Ford (1913–2006)
Facts at a Glance
- Term
- 38th President of the United States (1974–1977)
- Born
- July 14, 1913, in Omaha, NE
- Nickname
- “Jerry”
- Full Name
- Gerald Rudolph Ford
- Education
- University of Michigan (1935); Yale University Law School (1941)
- Religion
- Episcopalian
- Marriage
- Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer Warren (1918–2011), on October 15, 1948
- Children
- Michael Gerald (1950– ); John Gardner (1952– ); Steven Meigs (1956– ); Susan Elizabeth (1957– )
- Career
- Lawyer, Public Official
- Political Party
- Republican
- Writings
- Portrait of the Assassin with John R. Stiles (1965), A Time to Heal (1979), Humor and the Presidency (1987)
- Died
- December 26, 2006, in Rancho Mirage, California
- Buried
- Grand Rapids, Michigan
- A Life in Brief
- Gerald Rudolph Ford became President of the United States on August 9, 1974, under extraordinary circumstances. More »
Explore
Ford’s Presidential Daily Diary
from the Gerald R. Ford Presidential
Library.
Ford Multimedia Gallery
Selected Ford Speeches
Remarks on Taking the Oath of Office (8/9/1974)
Pardoning Richard Nixon (9/8/2974)
Vietnam Era Draft Evaders (9/16/1974)
"Whip Inflation Now" (10/8/1974)
State of the Union Address (1/15/1975)
Remarks at Tulane University (4/23/1975)
Address on Energy Policy (5/27/1975)
RNC (8/19/1976)
Essays on Gerald Ford and His Administration
- Gerald Rudolph Ford
- A Life in Brief
- Life Before the Presidency
- Campaigns and Elections
- Domestic Affairs
- Foreign Affairs
- Life After the Presidency
- Family Life
- The American Franchise
- Impact and Legacy
- Key Events
- First Lady
- Elizabeth "Betty" Ford
- Vice President
- Nelson A. Rockefeller
- Secretary of State
- Henry A. Kissinger (1974–1977)
- Secretary of Defense
- James R. Schlesinger (1974–1975)
- Donald Rumsfeld (1975–1977)
- Secretary of the Interior
- Rogers C. B. Morton (1974–1975)
- Thomas S. Kleppe (1975–1977)
- Stanley K. Hathaway (1975)
- Secretary of Commerce
- Frederick B. Dent (1974–1975)
- Rogers C. B. Morton (1975–1976)
- Elliot L. Richardson (1976–1977)
- Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
- Caspar W. Weinberger (1974–1975)
- F. David Matthews (1975–1977)
- Secretary of Transportation
- Claude S. Brinegar (1974–1975)
- William T. Coleman, Jr. (1975–1977)
- Secretary of the Treasury
- William E. Simon (1974–1977)
- Attorney General
- William B. Saxbe (1974–1975)
- Edward H. Levi (1975–1977)
- Secretary of Agriculture
- Earl Butz (1974–1976)
- John A. Knebel (1976–1977)
- Secretary of Labor
- Peter J. Brennan (1974–1975)
- John T. Dunlop (1975–1976)
- W. J. Usery, Jr. (1976–1977)
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- James T. Lynn (1974–1975)
- Carla Anderson Hills (1975–1977)
Miller Center Presentations About Ford
The Ford Presidency (3/10/1986)
The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath3 (11/10/2008)
Ford’s Political Realism in Conflict (10/3/2003)
The Ford White House, by Dick Cheney (3/21/2086)
Consulting Editor: John Robert Greene
Professor Greene is the Paul J. Schupf Professor of History and Humanities at Cazenovia College. His writings include:
Presidential Profiles: The Nixon-Ford Years (Facts-On-File, 2006)
Betty Ford: Candor and Courage in the White House (University Press of Kansas, 2004)
The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford (University Press of Kansas, 1995)
Gerald R. Ford: A Bibliography (Greenwood Press, 1994)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center’s Gerald Ford speech collection.
August 4, 1974—Remarks on Taking the Oath of Office
Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Gerald Ford.
Listen to Dick
Cheney’s 1986 presentation at the Miller Center on the Ford White House. Cheney served
as Ford’s Chief of Staff.
Learn more about the Center’s National Commission on Federal Election Reform and its relationship to Ford.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center’s Scripps Library, designed to help students and scholars conduct their research quickly.
Information on Gerald Ford’s Private and Public Papers
The Miller Center is committed to presenting the most accurate information on our American Presidents. Please make a gift to the Miller Center Foundation today. Your gift will ensure free access to American President for thousands of students, teachers and individuals who wish to learn more about the leaders whose contributions shaped our great country.