GERALD R. FORD, Funeral Materials, ca. 2006-2007

Former President Gerald R. Ford died peacefully at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, on December 26, 2006. The following day, President George W. Bush issued a proclamation announcing President Ford’s death and directing US flags on all federal facilities be flown at half-staff. On December 28, 2006, President Bush issued Executive Order 13421 proclaiming January 2, 2007, a day of respect and remembrance for the former President and ordered the closing of federal offices and agencies.

The first funeral service for Gerald Ford took place at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, California, on December 30, 2006. Following the service, President Ford's casket was flown to Washington, DC, for the state funeral service at the US Capitol Rotunda, which preceded his lying in state. The national funeral service followed on January 2, 2007, at Washington National Cathedral. The next day, Mrs. Ford and the family accompanied President Ford’s casket on his final flight home to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for a funeral service at Grace Episcopal Church and interment at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.

The Gerald R. Ford Funeral Materials contain a wide array of condolence messages and expressions of sympathy sent to Betty Ford and family following the death of President Ford. A large portion of the collection consists of condolence books collected by American embassies overseas; foreign embassies in Washington, DC; the United Nations headquarters in New York City; US Supreme Court; US House of Representatives; Blair House; US Department of Interior’s White House Visitors Office; Presidential Libraries; and funeral homes across the US. There are also numerous official tributes to Gerald R. Ford from foreign dignitaries, such as King Albert II of Belgium, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Emperor Akihito of Japan, and Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. In addition, the collection contains proclamations and resolutions issued by state and municipal governments, public and private universities, police departments, state troopers, state national guard, and other local organizations.

On a more personal level are the cards, letters, emails, and tokens of sympathy sent to Betty Ford and the family following Gerald Ford’s passing. In general terms, these messages share remembrances of the Ford presidency, including the impact of the Watergate scandal, Nixon pardon, Bicentennial celebration, and Betty Ford’s breast cancer surgery, and the Ford children. Of particular note are letters from past acquaintances sharing anecdotal information from President Ford’s early years about his football accomplishments, park ranger experience, Yale Law School years, and WWII service, as well as Mrs. Ford’s modeling career and employment at Herpolsheimer's department store. The tokens of sympathy run the gamut from children’s drawings to photos, prayer cards, mass enrollment cards, poems, and musical compositions.

In addition, the collection contains a small of amount of material relating to the funeral ceremonies, but these materials are rather selective and fragmentary.

Related Materials (January 2022)
Related materials can be found in the Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers A series (General and Case Files) and J series (Special Files), especially letters from constituents alongside their corresponding letters in the funeral materials. Likewise, the Gerald R. Ford Scrapbooks contain material related to Ford and football, Yale law school, Park Ranger experience in the Grand Tetons Wyoming, WWII service, and congressional career. Lastly, the Gerald R. Ford Post-Presidential Office Files and Betty Ford Post-White House Papers may be of some use because of their connection to the Betty Ford Center as well as the continuous letters Ford received from the general public.