Online


Exhibit Introduction

On the evening of Monday, November 1, 1976, Air Force One, dubbed The Spirit of ’76 in the nation’s Bicentennial year, touched down at Kent County Airport. Following a hard day of campaigning in Ohio and Detroit, the President of the United States and the First Lady had returned home to cast their votes the next day in an election that would decide whether he would continue serving as President for the next four years. As recently as three years before, it was an election neither had contemplated.

The next day, President and Mrs. Ford joined over 39 million of their fellow citizens by casting their ballots for the man from Grand Rapids. Then they returned to the airport. But before leaving for Washington, they paused for a small ceremony to dedicate a mural to the city’s favorite son. Standing before the canvas that offered images of his youth, his family, and his career, President Ford’s eyes were drawn to the portraits of his mother and stepfather. “It really made me just get goose bumps all over,” he recalled. “I couldn’t help but look at their faces in the mural and wonder how they would have felt, the thrill they would have gotten out of it. Without a question, they would have been overwhelmed.”

Ford had returned to the town of his youth, looked upon the faces of the parents who raised him, and memories of growing up in Michigan rushed to meet him. This online exhibit uncovers the early life of Gerald R. Ford in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Gerald R. Ford's Life


The 38th President of the United States was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. Though born in a different state, he was thoroughly a product of the city he grew up in: Grand Rapids.

Through the caring community and ethics of his hometown, the honest and hardworking values of his parents, and the discipline and support offered to him by academic and athletic opportunities, Gerald R. Ford's boyhood was formed, ready to meet the challenges that life would lay before him. Gerald Ford drew from the values and lessons of his youth as he restored the presidency in the wake of a scandal that left the nation reeling.

Jerry Ford's boyhood was marked by strong family ties, extracurricular activities, civic involvement, appreciation of nature, and eventually the competitive world of football and the gridiron. Each of these characteristics had a profound impression on the man that would eventually be president. Explore these aspects of the early life of Gerald R. Ford through the tabs and their submenus on the left, and see how Grand Rapids, and later the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, formed the man.

Grand Rapids


The city that developed Ford's character has a long history of work ethic, moral demeanor, and sense of community. Founded on the banks of the Grand River in 1838, the small fur trading village quickly grew into the largest urban center in Western Michigan.

Today, Grand Rapids is the second largest city in the state of Michigan and is home to a diverse economy and a vibrant downtown. In Ford's day, however, the city had a different feel. Like many midwestern cities of the time, Grand Rapids thrived on industry, specifically the manufacture of furniture, warranting its nickname, "Furniture City." Browse the tabs below to learn more about Grand Rapids during Gerald Ford's youth.

Photo Gallery

Explore the photo gallery to view family photographs from Gerald R. Ford's early years.