The President Gerald R. Ford Jr. Boyhood Home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th President of the United States from August 1974 to January 1977. Prior to his accession to the presidency he served as the 40th Vice President of the United States from December 1973 to August 1974. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he attended the University of Michigan and Yale Law School. After the Attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1942 to 1946 leaving as lieutenant commander. Ford began his political career in 1949 as the U.S. Representative from Michigan’s 5th congressional district. He served in this capacity for 25 years, the final nine of them as the House Minority Leader. Following the resignation of Spiro Agnew, he was the first person appointed to the vice presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment. After the resignation of Richard Nixon, he was appointed president. One of his most controversial acts was to grant a presidential pardon to President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal. In the Republican presidential primary campaign of 1976, Ford defeated former California Governor Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination. He narrowly lost the presidential election to the Democratic challenger, former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. Following his years as president, Ford remained active in the Republican Party. After experiencing a series of health problems, he died at home on December 26, 2006. At the time of his death, Ford—at the age of 93 years and 165 days—was the longest-lived of all U.S. presidents (a mark surpassed by George H. W. Bush in 2017). Ford is the only person to have served as both vice president and president without being elected to either office. His 895 day-long presidency is the shortest in American history for any president who did not die in office. Go to Domustoria.com/signup/ and get posts like this every week!
