Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford
Ford in August 1975
38th President of the United States
In office August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977
Vice President	None (Aug–Dec. 1974) Nelson Rockefeller (1974–77)
Preceded by	Richard Nixon
Succeeded by	Jimmy Carter
40th Vice President of the United States
In office December 6, 1973 – August 9, 1974
President	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Spiro Agnew
Succeeded by	Nelson Rockefeller
House Minority Leader
In office January 3, 1965 – December 6, 1973
Whip	Leslie C. Arends
Preceded by	Charles A. Halleck
Succeeded by	John Jacob Rhodes
Chairman of the House Republican Conference
In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1965
Leader	Charles A. Halleck
Preceded by	Charles B. Hoeven
Succeeded by	Melvin Laird
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 5th district
In office January 3, 1949 – December 6, 1973
Preceded by	Bartel J. Jonkman
Succeeded by	Richard Vander Veen
Personal details
Born	Leslie Lynch King Jr. (1913-07-14)July 14, 1913 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Died	December 26, 2006(2006-12-26) (aged 93) Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Cerebrovascular disease and Coronary heart disease
Resting place	Gerald R. Ford Museum Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Betty Bloomer (m. 1948)
Children	Michael, John, Steven, and Susan
Education	University of Michigan Yale University
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Christianity (Episcopalian)
Signature
Military service
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1942–46
Rank	Lieutenant commander
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	American Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 9 campaign stars World War II Victory Medal

Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.; July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th President of the United States from 1974 to 1977. Prior to this he was the 40th Vice President of the United States, serving from 1973 until President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974. He was the first person appointed to the vice presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment, following the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew on October 10, 1973. Becoming president upon Richard Nixon's departure on August 9, 1974, he claimed the distinction as the first and to date only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected to either office. Before ascending to the vice presidency, Ford served 25 years as U.S. Representative from Michigan's 5th congressional district, the final nine of them as the House Minority Leader.

As President, Ford signed the Helsinki Accords, marking a move toward détente in the Cold War. With the conquest of South Vietnam by North Vietnam nine months into his presidency, U.S. involvement in Vietnam essentially ended. Domestically, Ford presided over the worst economy in the four decades since the Great Depression, with growing inflation and a recession during his tenure. One of his more controversial acts was to grant a presidential pardon to President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal. During Ford's presidency, foreign policy was characterized in procedural terms by the increased role Congress began to play, and by the corresponding curb on the powers of the President. In the Republican presidential primary campaign of 1976, Ford defeated then-former California Governor Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination. He narrowly lost the presidential election to the Democratic challenger, then-former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter, on November 2.