Signature of Gerald Rudolph Ford

Gerald Rudolph Ford

At a Glance

Term: 38th President of the United States (1974-1977)

Born: July 14, 1913, in Omaha, NE

Nickname: "Jerry"

Education: University of Michigan (1935); Yale University Law School (1941)

Religion: Episcopalian

Marriage: Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer Warren (1918- ), on October 15, 1948

Children: Michael Gerald (1950- ); John Gardner (1952- ); Steven Meigs (1956- ); Susan Elizabeth (1957- )

Career: Lawyer, Public Official

Political Party: Republican

Writings: Portrait of the Assassin with John R. Stiles (1965), A Time to Heal (1979), Humor and the Presidency (1987)

Died: December 26, 2006, in Rancho Mirage, California

Buried: Grand Rapids, Michigan

A Life in Brief: Gerald Rudolph Ford became President of the United States on August 9, 1974, under extraordinary circumstances. More....

Essays on Gerald Rudolph Ford and His Administration


Gerald Rudolph Ford
A Life in BriefLife Before the PresidencyCampaigns and ElectionsDomestic AffairsForeign AffairsLife After the PresidencyFamily LifeThe American FranchiseImpact and LegacyKey Events
First Lady
Elizabeth "Betty" Ford
Vice President
Nelson A. Rockefeller
Secretary of State
Henry A. Kissinger (1974 - 1977)
Secretary of Defense
James R. Schlesinger (1974 - 1975)Donald Rumsfeld (1975 - 1977)
Secretary of the Interior
Rogers C. B. Morton (1974 - 1975)Thomas S. Kleppe (1975 - 1977)Stanley K. Hathaway (1975)
Secretary of Commerce
Frederick B. Dent (1974 - 1975)Rogers C. B. Morton (1975 - 1976)Elliot L. Richardson (1976 - 1977)
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
Caspar W. Weinberger (1974 - 1975)F. David Matthews (1975 - 1977)
Secretary of Transportation
Claude S. Brinegar (1974 - 1975)William T. Coleman, Jr. (1975 - 1977)
Secretary of the Treasury
William E. Simon (1974 - 1977)
Attorney General
William B. Saxbe (1974 - 1975)Edward H. Levi (1975 - 1977)
Secretary of Agriculture
Earl Butz (1974 - 1976)John A. Knebel (1976 - 1977)
Secretary of Labor
Peter J. Brennan (1974 - 1975)John T. Dunlop (1975 - 1976)W. J. Usery, Jr. (1976 - 1977)
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
James T. Lynn (1974 - 1975)Carla Anderson Hills (1975 - 1977)

Consulting Editor:John Robert Greene

Professor Greene is the Paul J. Schupf Professor of History and Humanities at Cazenovia College. His writings include:

Presidential Profiles: The Nixon-Ford Years (Facts-0n-File, 2006)

Betty Ford: Candor and Courage in the White House (University Press of Kansas, 2004)

The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford (University Press of Kansas, 1995)

Gerald R. Ford: A Bibliography (Greenwood Press, 1994)


Presidential Speeches

Below are selections from the Miller Center's Gerald Rudolph Ford speech collection. To view the Miller Center's other speeches by Gerald Rudolph Ford or by another President, please click the link below.

 August 4, 1974 - Remarks on Taking the Oath of Office

 October 8, 1974 - "Whip Inflation Now" Speech

 April 23, 1975 - Remarks at Tulane University

Miller Center Scholarship and Speakers

The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Gerald Rudolph Ford.

 Listen to Dick Cheney's 1986 presentation at the Miller Center on the Ford White House. Cheney served as Ford’s Chief of Staff.

Click here to learn more about the Center’s National Commission on Federal Election Reform and its relationship to Ford.

Scripps Library Reference Resources

Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center's Scripps Library that are designed to help students and scholars quickly conduct their research.

Information on Gerald Rudolph Ford's Private and Public Papers

Presidential Speeches
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Policy Programs
Presidential Bibliographies | Presidential Papers
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