Dorothy Ayer Gardner
| Dorothy Ayer Gardner Ford | |
|---|---|
Dorothy Ayer Gardner King (at the time Dorothy Ayer Gardner) in 1912.
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| Born |
Dorothy Ayer Gardner February 27, 1892 Harvard, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | September 17, 1967 (aged 75) Grand Rapids, Michigan |
| Spouse(s) |
Leslie Lynch King, Sr. (1912–1913, separated) Gerald Rudolff Ford (1917–1962, his death) |
| Children |
Gerald Ford Thomas Gardner Ford Richard Addison Ford James Francis Ford |
| Parent(s) | Levi Addison Gardner Adele Augusta "Ayer" Gardner |
Dorothy Ayer Gardner King Ford (February 27, 1892 – September 17, 1967) was the mother of U.S. President Gerald Ford.
Dorothy Ayer Gardner was born in the small town of Harvard, Illinois to Levi Addison Gardner, a businessman and one-time mayor, and Adele Augusta (Ayer) Gardner.
There she married her first husband, wool trader Leslie Lynch King of Omaha, Nebraska, on September 7, 1912. She met him while she was in college, as he was the charming brother of her roommate.
The couple returned to Omaha, King's home. They lived at first with his parents at their Victorian mansion at 3202 Woolworth Avenue. His parents were wealthy banker and businessman Charles Henry King and the former Martha Alicia Porter, both from Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
Dorothy and Leslie King's son was born on July 14, 1913. They named him Leslie Lynch King, Jr. Soon after her marriage, Dorothy discovered that her husband was abusive. In Omaha she further discovered he was a liar and alcoholic, but she was soon pregnant. With the support of his parents, she stayed with them and her husband until the birth of their son. After Leslie threatened her and the child with a knife a few days after the birth, Gardner King completed her plans to leave her husband.
Sixteen days after the birth of her son, Dorothy Gardner King left her husband. Divorce was unusual then, but she refused to continue to risk her son's safety or her own. She took Leslie, Jr. with her to the Oak Park, Illinois home of her sister Tannisse and her husband, Clarence Haskins James. From there she moved to the home of her parents, who had relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan. That was where her son grew up.
Dorothy Gardner King quickly filed for formal separation and divorce. On December 19, 1913, an Omaha court granted a divorce to the Kings. Leslie King refused to pay child support. His father Charles Henry King paid it until shortly before his death in 1930.
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