Loading timeline: Timeline of Elizabeth (Betty) Bloomer Ford's Life and Career
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High School Graduate
Photograph of High School senior Betty Bloomer, age 18, that appeared in the Grand Rapids Central High School yearbook.
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Gerald R. Ford and Betty Bloomer Warren marry
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald R. Ford in front of the Ambo in Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids, MI, following their marriage.
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Birth of John Gardner Ford
Photo of Betty Ford helping Representative Gerald R. Ford with his overcoat as their two sons look on taken in 1953.
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The Fords Move to New Home
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Betty Ford Raises Her Four Children
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Betty Ford stands while a young Susan Ford is seated on a small chair in front of her. This photo was created in 1961
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The Fords skiing with their sons John "Jack" and Michael "Mike" at Boyne Mountain, Michigan.
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Betty Ford becomes the Second Lady
President Richard Nixon, Pat Nixon, Vice President Gerald Ford, and Betty Ford Walking from the White House to the President's Helicopter.
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Gerald Ford becomes President
The official portrait of First Lady Betty Ford, taken on October 2, 1974.
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State Dinner honoring King Hussein I
Photograph of President Gerald R. Ford Offering a Toast to King Hussein of Jordan during a State Dinner Held in His Majesty's Honor.
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First visit to Camp David
President Ford, along with Betty and Susan Ford, engaged in family fun at Camp David on March 2, 1975.
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Betty Ford holds her first press conference
Betty Ford during her first press conference as First Lady in the White House State Dining Room on September 4, 1974.
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State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel
Photograph of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel Offering a Toast to President Gerald R. Ford at a State Dinner Held in his Honor.
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State Dinner honoring President Giovanni Leone of Italy
Italian President Giovanni Leone speaks at a State Dinner held in his honor on September 25, 1977.
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State Dinner honoring Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky
Photograph of President Gerald R. Ford Offering a Toast during a State Dinner Honoring Chancellor Bruno Kreisky of Austria.
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International Women's Year
First Lady Betty Ford congratulates President Gerald Ford upon his signing of an executive order establishing a National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. January 9, 1975
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State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Harold Wilson of Great Britain
Photograph of President Gerald R. Ford and First Lady Betty Ford Congratulating Opera Singer Beverly Sills after Her Performance during the Entertainment Portion of a State Dinner Honoring Prime Minister Harold Wilson of Great Britain
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State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan
Photograph of President Gerald R. Ford, First Lady Betty Ford, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan, Nusrat Bhutto, and Other Guests Seated in the East Room for the Entertainment Portion of a State Dinner Honoring the Prime Minister of Pakistan
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State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia
Photograph of President Gerald R. Ford, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and Chief of Protocol Henry Catto Greeting President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia in the Oval Office
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State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Hedi Nouira of Tunisia
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State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore
Photograph of President Gerald R. Ford, Mrs. Lee Kuan Yew, Arnold Palmer, Eva Gabor and other Guests Seated in the State Dining Room During a State Dinner Honoring Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore
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State Dinner honoring Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran
First Lady Betty Ford fulfills a lifelong dream of dancing with Fred Astaire at the State Dinner honoring the Shah of Iran
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Trip to Germany
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First Lady Betty Ford's gown designed by Frankie Welch that she wore during a State Dinner in Germany and the Rhine River Cruise
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Trip to Finland
First Lady Betty Ford waving from a ferry as it docks at Katajanoka Pier during her tour of Helsinki, Finland. July 31, 1975.
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Trip to Romania
President Ford, First Lady Betty Ford, Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, and Mrs. Ceausescu dancing with folk dancers in Bucharest, Romania. August 2, 1975
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Puppies in the White House
First Lady Betty Ford greets President Gerald R. Ford inside Air Force One on a trip back to Washington, unaware of the assassination attempt that was just made on the President's life. Taken on September 22, 1975
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State Dinner honoring President Alfonso Lopez Michelsen of Colombia
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State Dinner honoring the Emperor and Empress of Japan
First Lady Betty Ford Greets Empress Nagako as she arrives at the White House with Emperor Hirohito of Japan for a State Dinner on October 2, 1975
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State Dinner honoring President Anwar Sadat of Egypt
President Ford and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat look out the window of the Yellow Oval Room during a pre-State Dinner reception on October 27, 1975
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American Cancer Society Dinner
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State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Gaston Thorn of Luxembourg
Photograph of Ambassador Adrien Meisch of Luxembourg Delivering Remarks to President Gerald R. Ford and Guests at a State Dinner Honoring Prime Minister Gaston Thorn of Luxembourg
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State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel
Photograph of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel Delivering a Toast at a State Dinner Held in His Honor
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State Dinner honoring Prime Minister Liam Cosgrave of Ireland
Photograph of President Gerald R. Ford, First Lady Betty Ford, and Prime Minister and Mrs. Liam Cosgrave of Ireland Admiring the Bicentennial Waterford Crystal Vase the Cosgraves Presented to the Fords in the Yellow Oval Room Prior to a State Dinner Hono
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State Dinner honoring King Hussein I
Photograph of King Hussein of Jordan Making a Toast at a State Dinner Held in His Honor
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State Dinner honoring President Valery Giscard d'Estaing of France
First Lady Betty Ford's dress designed by Albert Capraro that she wore during the arrival ceremony for President Valery Giscard d’Estaing of France.
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State Dinner honoring King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia of Spain
Queen Sofia, First Lady Betty Ford, King Juan Carlos, and President Gerald R. Ford Greeting Guests in the Receiving Line at a State Dinner Honoring the King and Queen of Spain
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State Dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh of Great Britain
First Lady Betty Ford dances with Prince Philip at the July 7, 1976 State Dinner
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State Dinner honoring President Urho Kekkonen of Finland
First Lady Betty Ford, President Gerald R. Ford, and Susan and Jack Ford sing along with Tony Orlando following a State Dinner honoring President Kekkonen of Finland
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Republican National Convention
President Ford, as the Republican nominee, shakes hands with the nomination for Ronald Reagan on the closing night of the Republican National Convention. August 19, 1976
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Betty Ford speaks out publicly about her substance abuse
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Betty Ford Center
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Presidential Medal of Freedom
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Testifies before Congress in support of the inclusion of mental health and substance abuse treatment benefits in the national health care reform plan.
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Congressional Gold Medal
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Woodrow Wilson Award
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"Healing and Hope: Six Women from the Betty Ford Center Share Their Powerful Journeys of Addiction and Recovery"
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Passes Away
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Funeral Service
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Memorial Service in Grand Rapids
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Betty Ford Center
The Betty Ford Center was established in 1982. When she opened the Rancho Mirage, Calif., treatment center, Mrs. Ford patterned the drug and alcohol rehab approach after the Hazelden Foundation's Minnesota Model of care. In 2014, the Betty Ford Clinic and Hazelden merged, forming the nation’s largest nonprofit addiction treatment center, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.