When
Gerald R. Ford took the oath of office on August 9, 1974, he
declared, "I assume the Presidency under extraordinary
circumstances.... This is an hour of history that troubles our
minds and hurts our hearts."
It was
indeed an unprecedented time. He had been the first Vice
President chosen under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment
and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, was succeeding
the first President ever to resign.
Ford
was confronted with almost insuperable tasks. There were the
challenges of mastering inflation, reviving a depressed
economy, solving chronic energy shortages, and trying to
ensure world peace.
The
President acted to curb the trend toward Government
intervention and spending as a means of solving the problems
of American society and the economy. In the long run, he
believed, this shift would bring a better life for all
Americans.
Ford's
reputation for integrity and openness had made him popular
during his 25 years in Congress. From 1965 to 1973, he was
House Minority Leader. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1913, he
grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He starred on the
University of Michigan football team, then went to Yale, where
he served as assistant coach while earning his law degree.
During World War II he attained the rank of lieutenant
commander in the Navy. After the war he returned to Grand
Rapids, where he began the practice of law, and entered
Republican politics. A few weeks before his election to
Congress in 1948, he married Elizabeth Bloomer. They have four
children: Michael, John, Steven, and Susan.
As
President, Ford tried to calm earlier controversies by
granting former President Nixon a full pardon. His nominee for
Vice President, former Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New
York, was the second person to fill that office by
appointment. Gradually, Ford selected a cabinet of his own.
Ford
established his policies during his first year in office,
despite opposition from a heavily Democratic Congress. His
first goal was to curb inflation. Then, when recession became
the Nation's most serious domestic problem, he shifted to
measures aimed at stimulating the economy. But, still fearing
inflation, Ford vetoed a number of non-military appropriations
bills that would have further increased the already heavy
budgetary deficit. During his first 14 months as President he
vetoed 39 measures. His vetoes were usually sustained.
Ford
continued as he had in his Congressional days to view himself
as "a moderate in domestic affairs, a conservative in
fiscal affairs, and a dyed-in-the-wool internationalist in
foreign affairs." A major goal was to help business
operate more freely by reducing taxes upon it and easing the
controls exercised by regulatory agencies. "We...declared
our independence 200 years ago, and we are not about to lose
it now to paper shufflers and computers," he said.
In
foreign affairs Ford acted vigorously to maintain U. S. power
and prestige after the collapse of Cambodia and South Viet
Nam. Preventing a new war in the Middle East remained a major
objective; by providing aid to both Israel and Egypt, the Ford
Administration helped persuade the two countries to accept an
interim truce agreement. Detente with the Soviet Union
continued. President Ford and Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev
set new limitations upon nuclear weapons.
President
Ford won the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 1976,
but lost the election to his Democratic opponent, former
Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia.
On
Inauguration Day, President Carter began his speech: "For
myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for
all he has done to heal our land." A grateful people
concurred.
-
Gerald
Ford