Leslie Lynch King, Sr.
| Leslie Lynch King Sr. | |
|---|---|
Leslie Lynch King Sr., circa 1900
|
|
| Born |
Leslie Lynch King July 25, 1884 Chadron, Nebraska, United States |
| Died | February 18, 1941 (aged 56) Tucson, Arizona, United States |
| Resting place |
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, United States |
| Known for | Biological father of Gerald Ford |
| Spouse(s) |
Dorothy Ayer Gardner (1912–1913) Margaret Atwood (1919–1941) |
| Children |
Gerald Ford (1913–2006) Marjorie B. King (1921–1993) Leslie Henry King (1923–1976) Patricia Jane King (1925-1980) |
| Parent(s) |
Charles Henry King Martha Porter King |
Leslie Lynch King Sr. (July 25, 1884 – February 18, 1941) was the biological father of U.S. President Gerald Ford. Because of his alcoholism and abusive behavior, his wife, Dorothy Gardner, left him sixteen days after Ford's birth. King is believed to have seen Ford only once while he was in high school.
King was born in Chadron, Nebraska, the son of businessman Charles Henry King and Martha Alicia (née Porter) King. His father founded several small trading towns in Nebraska and Wyoming along the railroad. He also became a banker and was very successful. In 1908, the family moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where his parents commissioned the construction of a large Victorian mansion. He became a wool trader, probably working with his father.
While one of his sisters was at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, King met and courted her roommate, Dorothy Ayer Gardner of Harvard, Illinois. They were married on September 7, 1912. Dorothy and King returned to Omaha where King was working.
They lived with his parents at 3202 Woolworth in the Hanscom Park neighborhood, a central part of the city. Their son, Leslie Jr., was born on July 14, 1913. Dorothy had quickly learned that King was abusive, short-tempered and had trouble with alcohol. A few days after their son's birth, King gestured at his wife and son with a knife and threatened to kill them. Dorothy quickly completed plans to leave her husband; she would not tolerate the abuse nor threats to their son's safety.
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