|
|
| |
| |
Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient President Gerald Ford
Gerald R. Ford is sworn in as the 38th President of the United States by
Chief Justice Warren Burger as Mrs. Betty Ford looks on. August 9, 1974.
Gerald R. Ford. Thirty-eighth President of the United States, Gerald Ford was elected to 13 terms in Congress before he was chosen by Richard Nixon to be his Vice President. As President, he brought the Vietnam War to a close. Recognized for his honesty and integrity, he worked to restore confidence in government and the Presidency.
Ford, Clinton said, as 38th President of the United States ended the "long national nightmare," of Watergate. America was "stronger, calmer and more self confident" as a result of Ford's Presidency, Clinton said.
The citation reads:
"Gerald R. Ford assumed the Presidency and led America during a time of unprecedented challenge. Building on bonds of trust forged during 25 years of exemplary public service in the United States Congress, he guided our Nation toward reconciliation and a reestablished confidence in our government. A leader of character, courage, decency, and integrity, he earned the Nation's enduring respect and gratitude. America is forever indebted to Gerald R. Ford -- 38th President of the United States -- for his legacy of healing and restored hope."
President Bill Clinton helps former President Gerald Ford affix the Medal of Freedom around his neck at the White House August 11. The awards were established by President Kennedy in 1963 for outstanding service to the United States.
Gerald R. Ford Biography
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.
Fords receive congressional gold medal
October 27, 1999
Web posted at: 5:50 p.m. EDT (2150 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Fifty-one years after being sworn in as a congressman, Former President Gerald R. Ford and his wife Betty Ford were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday for helping heal "a nation in torment."
The medal is the highest honor Congress can bestow on an American citizen. Ford became the 38th president when former president Richard Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal. Ford inherited a country still driven by the fallout of the Vietnam War and the trauma of the Watergate scandal.
Ford downplayed his role, both as president and as a long-time congressman from Michigan.
"I feel good that I had a small part, both in the legislative branch and in the White House, in providing that freedom and liberty would prevail against communism and Marxism," he said.
Ford took the oath of office as president August 9, 1974, saying that "the long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works."
Before becoming president, he served from January 3, 1949 to December 6, 1973 in the House, re-elected twelve times, each time with more than 60 percent of the vote being appointed vice president by Nixon to replace Spiro Agnew, who resigned.
Speaker after speaker at the ceremony in the Capital Rotunda said that Ford, in the 2 1/2 years he was in the White House, helped heal the nation's wounds after Vietnam and Watergate.
Rep. Vernon Ehlers, the Michigan Republican who currently occupies which he called the "Jerry Ford seat" -- said Ford had a "well-earned reputation for personal integrity and principled leadership."
"You and Mrs. Ford healed a nation in torment," he said.
All the speakers noted that Mrs. Ford made many contributions to America, included her well-publicized battles with substance abuse and breast cancer, successfully battling both diseases.
House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt said doctors speak of the "Betty Ford effect," a surge in diagnosed cancers after Mrs. Ford spoke out about her battle with breast cancer and urged women to have yearly mammograms and seek out early treatment of the disease.
"Her courage was not only inspiration to women struggling with the disease, it saved the lives of countless women who would have never received the care they need had she remained silent and not led on this important issue." he said.
President Bill Clinton said Ford made many tough and controversial decisions during his administration and were criticized by people, like himself, who were caught up in the moment.
"You didn't get caught up in the moment and you were right. You were right for the controversial decisions you made the keep the country together and I thank you for that," he said to much applause.
Several speakers noted Ford's push for civility in public life and in his remarks, Ford reminded the audience of that.
"Some people equate civility with weakness and compromise with surrender. I strongly disagree," he said.
Gephardt said when he arrived in the House of Representatives clearly bore the mark of Ford's leadership where Republicans and Democrats worked together and where politics stopped at the water's edge "That legacy needs to be revived," he said.
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said Ford encouraged him to run for Congress when he was a young staff member for a Mississippi congressman who was retiring and gave him his first campaign contribution.
"Thank you, Mr. President, for what trouble you've gotten me into over all these years," Lott said to much laughter.
Lott and Gephardt both recalled Ford's first speech to the nation after he assumed the presidency in which he told Americans that he was "just a Ford, not a Lincoln."
"Well, he wasn't a Lincoln, but he was a Ford and he was just what America needed at that moment in our history. We're indebted to President Ford," Lott said. Ford took the oath of office as president August 9, 1974, stating that "the long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works." Betty Ford - Awards and Honors Received
Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award - 1978
Scopus Award - Friends of Hebrew University - 1981
Hubert Humphrey Inspirational Award - The American Cancer Society - 1982
Komen Foundation Award - The Susan G. Komen Foundation - 1983 (this award, given for support of breast cancer research and education is now called the Betty Ford Award)
Harding Award - National Arthritis Foundation - 1984 (the highest award from the Foundation for volunteer services)
Commitment to Life Award - AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) - 1985
Gold Key Award - National Council on Alcoholism - 1986
Freedom of Human Spirit Award - International Center for the Disabled - 1987
McGovern Distinguished Leadership Award - College of Communication at the University of Texas - 1988
Citation of Layman for Distinguished Service - American Medical Association - 1989
Hall of Fame Award - International Women's Forum - 1991
Presidential Medal of Freedom - awarded by President Bush - 1991
National Samaritan Award - The Samaritan Institute, Denver, CO - 1995
Breast Cancer Awareness Lifetime Achievement Award - Columbia Hospital for Women, Washington, D.C. - 1995
Distinguished Service Award from the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, New York City (presented in Los Angeles) - 1995
Awardee - Bob Hope Classic Ball, Rancho Mirage, CA - 1996
American Health for Women, Women's Health Heo Award - 1997
American Institute for Public Service, Jefferson Award - 1997
The Michigan Women's Foundation, Women of Achievement & Courage - 1997
Women's International Center, Living Legacy Award - 1998
Common Wealth Award for Public Service - 1998
Ronald McDonald House Charities Award of Excellence - 1998
American Hospital Association, C. Everett Koop Health Award - 1999
Congressional Gold Medal - 1999
OTHER HONORS INCLUDE:
The Betty Ford Cancer Research Center at Cedars Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles, CA - 1978
The Betty Ford Center for Comprehensive Breast Diagnosis at Columbia Hospital for Women, Washington, D.C. - 1980
The Betty Ford Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening at Blodgett Memorial Medical Center, Grand Rapids, MI - 1987
The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, Colorado - 1989
Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient First Lady Betty Ford
President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford are also recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal
Gerald Ford Museum
|
|
|
|
|
|
Medal History
