Biography
Gerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th President of the United States, was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., the son of Leslie Lynch King and Dorothy Ayer Gardner King, on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Bibliography
Review a selection of published biographies and memoirs concerning President Ford's career, especially his presidency.
Loading timeline: Timeline of President Ford's Life and Career
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Gerald R. Ford, Jr., is Born
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Move to Grand Rapids, MI
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Birth of Brother Thomas
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Elementary School
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Birth of Brother Richard
Thomas Ford holds infant Richard Ford on his lap. The boys are seated on a wicker chair in front of their boyhood home at 649 Union Street, SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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Joins the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America Merit Badge sash owned and worn by Gerald R. Ford, Jr., as a scout. It contains 26 merit badges and two rank advancements. Dates to the 1920s.
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Becomes an Eagle Scout
Photograph of Gerald R. Ford, Jr., with other Eagle Scouts and Michigan Governor Fred Green, during a photo opportunity on Mackinac Island, Michigan, in August 1929.
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Birth of Brother James
Gerald R. Ford, Jr., with his mother Dorothy Gardner Ford and half-brothers Tom, Dick, and Jim Ford in front of their home in September 1927.
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High School
Photograph of Grand Rapids' South High School 1930 football team. Gerald R. Ford, Jr., is in the second row, fifth in from left.
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Enters college at the University of Michigan
Ford poses with his University of Michigan Football Teammate Herman Everhardus, holding a trophy he was awarded for for being the best freshman in the University of Michigan's 1932 spring football practice.
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Plays in the East-West College All-Star Game
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Move to New Haven, Connecticut
Photograph of Gerald R. Ford, Jr. and his fellow football Coaches getting Ready for practice at Yale University (Ford pictured far right)
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Yellowstone Park Ranger
Photograph of Gerald R. Ford, Jr., with Fellow Rangers at Canyon Station, Yellowstone National Park, in 1936. From left to right: Frank Anderson, Robert Jennison, Ford, Wayne Replogle, William Hart, John Moore, John Thune, Alvin Raume, and Trusten Peery
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Look Magazine
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USS Monterey
Ford (left, holding a glass) poses with a naval officer at a farewell party for Air Group Thirty at the Ford Island Tennis Club, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
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Congressional Campaign
Photograph of a Billboard for Congressional Candidate Gerald R. Ford, Jr.'s Republican Primary Campaign
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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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Sworn into Congressional office
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Second Term
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Ford endorses General Dwight D. Eisenhower for the Presidential race.
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Warren Commission Report
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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: Legislation passed
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Vice President Nomination
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Sworn-in as Vice President
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Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention
President Gerlad Ford, waving from the podium
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Nomination of Rockefeller
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Nixon Pardon
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Whip Inflation Now
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Trip to Japan
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Muhammad Ali visits the Oval Office
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First State of the Union Address
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Visit to West Germany
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Visit to Poland
President Ford at a wreath laying ceremony at the tomb of the unkown solider in Poland
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Helsinki Accords
President Ford before the CSCE.
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Second State of the Union Address
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New Hampshire Republican Primary
President Ford and Mrs. Ford eating Ice Cream in Portsmouth New Hampshire
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Train Campaign
President Ford and Betty Ford at the 47th annual tulip festival in Holland Michigan
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U.S. Embassy in Beirut
President Ford meets with National Security Council to discuss evacuations of Americans currently in Bieruit
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Bicentennial
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Republican National Convention
President Ford shakes the hand of Ronald Regan. Also shown in the photo is Vice President Rockefeller and 1976 Vice President Canidate Bod Dole
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First Presidential Debate
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Concession
Catalog Reference Link
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"A Time to Heal"
A Time to Heal (book cover)
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Dedication of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
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All-Democracies Conference
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Gerald Ford attends the opening of the Saigon Staircase Exhibit at the Gerald Ford Museum in Grand Rapids.
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Presidential Medal of Freedom
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Profile in Courage Award
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Funeral in Washington, D.C
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Funeral in Grand Rapids, Michigan
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Photographs
Quotes
The Library has compiled a list of President Ford's most notable quotes.