President Richard Nixon selected Gerald Ford to serve as his vice president after the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew. After leaving the White House, Mrs. Ford helped reduce the social stigma surrounding addiction and inspired thousands to seek much-needed treatment. [3] President Ford died, aged 93, of heart failure on December 26, 2006, at their Rancho Mirage home. [37] Ford ultimately played an important role in the 1976 election campaign. Tennessee Ernie Ford, as he came to be known, was an ordinary man but his overwhelming success later led to his downfall. We were proud to know her. I embrace it, not only for me, but all the many others who are here to participate." Betty Ford is awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President George H. W. Bush, 1991. She served as the honorary president of the National Lupus Foundation, regarding lupus as a disease which impacted women, yet received minimal public attention. [84], In 1987, Ford underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery and recovered without complications. [101], On July 14, a second service was held at Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids, with eulogies given by Lynne Cheney, former Ford Museum director Richard Norton Smith, and Ford's son Steven. Emergency responders, including police, showed up at her home Friday morning as a standard procedure. By her second birthday, however, she was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the city she always considered her home. Afterwards, Ford stated she was impressed with the conduct of the refugees. As it turns out, Betty Ford did send a letter to Michelle Obama. Throughout her post-Washington life, she established herself as one of the nation's first public advocates for women's self-examination, a prodigious fund-raiser for arthritis research, and, most important, a tireless campaigner for the rights and dignity of those afflicted with the disease of substance abuse. LR: Nancy Reagan, Ladybird Johnson , Hillary Clinton, Rosalyn Carter, Ford, Barbara Bush, The Fords post for a photograph with three other U.S. first couples (George H. W. and Barbara Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter) during at the 2000 White House Historical Association Dinner, Ford attends a National Press Club event in 2001, The Fords with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the White House in 2003 at a celebration President Ford's 90th birthday, Ford and her husband at a June 2005 Gerald R. Ford Foundation dinner, Betty Ford with her husband and President George W. Bush on April 23, 2006, Ford leans over President Ford's coffin during memorial services for him held December 30, 2006 in the United States Capitol rotunda as part of the his state funeral, Ford being escorted by Army Major General Guy C. Swan III during a portion of the state funeral of her late husband, Betty Ford died of natural causes on July 8, 2011, three months after her 93rd birthday, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. She explained that, while her husband had attended two sessions with a psychiatric doctor, those sessions were for her care, and not care of his own. Read the rest of "Betty Ford, champion of women's rights . She was also involved in her husband's political career by fulfilling the commitments expected of congressional spouses to help elevate her husband's regard among his House colleagues. Betty Ford died in 2011 at age 93, having overcome her addictions and founding the Betty Ford Center in 1982 to help other addicts recover. [25][26] The dinner was held in the John Quincy Adam's Drawing Room, one of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the United States Department of State headquarters at the Harry S Truman Building. While her death is a cause for sadness, we know that organizations such as the Betty Ford Center will honor her legacy by giving countless Americans a new lease on life. "[10], On January 19, 1977, her last full day as first lady, Betty Ford used her training as a Martha Graham dancer to jump up on the Cabinet Room table. [19] Ford lobbied state legislatures to ratify the amendment, and took on opponents of the amendment. [3], Ford did not take any solo trips aboad as first lady. [3], As she became a more active second lady, Ford adopted an objective of promoting the arts. A month after moving into the White House, Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. A mutual friend, Peg Neuman, suggested to Gerald that he should ask her out, so he called her. She had held the top post at the center since its founding. The 10-episode biographical drama, which . I think its time to bring abortion out of the backwoods and put it in the hospitals, where it belongs. Disregarding criticism to her stance, Ford would remark, Maybe I shouldnt have said it, but I couldnt lie. However, not everything Ford did as first lady broke tradition. [19] In her 1987 memoir she reflected on these addictions, writing, "I liked alcohol, it made me feel warm. [3], Despite the brevity of her husband's presidency (roughly two and a half years), he hosted 33 state dinners, the fifth most state dinners of any United States president. [3], In 2013, Ford was posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. [114], In 1975, when Time named "American women" as its "Time Person of the Year",[39] the magazine profiled Ford as one of eleven women selected to represent "American women". As we told you back in 2020, Betty rarely left her home once the COVID-19 pandemic began.. This led her to seek psychiatric assistance. [27], In June 1974, Ford represented the Nixon administration by attending the funeral of Alberta Williams King, the assassinated mother of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Other Nixon administration official figures did not attend, continuing with other obligations. Ford took these stances despite recognizing that they created a political risk of conservative backlash against her husband. They married in 1948, two weeks before he was elected to his first term in Congress. In attendance were former president Bill Clinton, former vice president Dick Cheney and former first lady Barbara Bush. Phyllis Schlafly accused Ford of acting improperly by intervening in state affairs. Shortly after she decided to file for divorce, Warren fell into a coma. "[34] This reflects a common trend of American first ladies often being more popular than the presidents to which they are married. John Robert Greene. The must-watch series is accompanied by the likes of Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey. "[19], Ford avidly supported the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. ", Tobin, Leesa E. "Betty Ford as first lady: A woman for women.". [3] Ford remarked, "I agree with the Supreme Courts ruling. As the First Lady . Murray Close/SHOWTIME. Because she suffered, there will be more healing. [3] Gerald Ford was confirmed as vice president by the United States Congress on December 6, 1973, and Gerald Ford took the oath of office before a joint session of the United States Congress, placing his hand upon a bible which Betty Ford held. [12] Ford felt an obligation to attend her husband's testimony at his confirmation hearings. Betty Ford was a former First Lady of the United States (August 9th, 1974 - January 20th, 1977). Betty Ford. [3][19] Ford registered herself at the hospital on April 11, 1978. [85], In 1982, after recovering from her own addictions, Ford established the Betty Ford Center (initially called the Betty Ford Clinic) in Rancho Mirage, California, for the treatment of chemical dependency,[86] including treating the children of alcoholics. July 8, 2011 — -- Betty Ford, wife of former President Gerald Ford and the founder of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction, has died at age 93. The Washington Post reported that Ford's disclosure of alcoholism came as a surprise to a number of Ford's close friends, who had regarded her as merely a social drinker and were oblivious to her drinking problem. In this statement, Ford disclosed, "I have found I am not only addicted to the medication I have been taking for my arthritis but also to alcohol". [3][16] The speech was delivered on the day after the election. "I just think it's important to say how easy it is to slip into a dependency on pills or alcohol, and how hard it is to admit that dependency.". I did not know at the time what was going on. [7] Due to conservative backlash from Ford's comments on premarital sex, marijuana use, and abortion in a 1975 60 Minutes interview, President Ford initially quipped to her that her comments had lost him a large number of votes. First Lady Barbara Bush holds the medal. Ford did indirectly indicate her willingness to step into the role of first lady by affirming that she would make any sacrifices required for her husband to carry out his constitutional obligations, but also opined that it would be traumatic if the nation had to endure a president being forced from office. Ford would become the 38th president of the United States. Betty Ford saw her role in the White House as official hostess and a goodwill ambassador. As was the case during Gerald Ford's vice presidential swearing-in, Betty Ford held the bible upon which he placed his hand while taking his oath of office. Because the pills were prescribed by a physician, she did not believe that she had a . This is the autobiographical story of the addiction and recovery of former First Lady Betty Bloomer Ford, wife of US President Gerald R. Ford. [16][100] Ford left $500,000 to the Betty Ford Center. Former first lady Betty Ford has died at the age of 93. [33] On June 30, 1976, Ford attended the opening of "Remember the Ladies", a Revolutionary War-era women's exhibit. [7] Weeks later, when the Fords moved from their Virginia residence into the White House[3] their king size bed was photographed being moved into the White House, which prompted Betty to quip that they had been outed for breaking the tradition of first couples keeping separate bedrooms in the White House. This dinner was part of the American bicentennial celebrations, and was held in tents on the South Lawn of the White House. Betty Ford. Actress Betty White died after suffering a stroke six days prior, according to her death certificate. Betty: A Glad Awakening. She was married to Gerald Ford for 58 years. [7][36] While President Ford never attempted to silence his wife, some of his senior staff resented her independent candor. [3] After the interview aired, a number of Ford's remarks in this interview on hot-button issues generated particularly immense media attention. LOS ANGELES, California -- Actress Betty White passed away in her sleep on Friday, her agent has confirmed to ABC News. By not being the "political wife" of self-sacrificing legend, she both reflected and advanced public views about women in politics. [19] Ford said, during her husband's failed 1976 presidential campaign, "I would give my life to have Jerry have my poll numbers. She wrote about it in her book, "A Glad Awakening." "Ford. Gerald Ford was in the middle of his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. [3], During her and President Ford's later years together, they resided in Rancho Mirage and in Beaver Creek, Colorado. In contrast, there was tremendous organic excitement for Betty Ford among supporters of the campaign. In public, she was one of the most visible and outspoken first ladies in history. [3] It was never confirmed whether his death had been accidental or a suicide. [61][33] Ford utilized phone calls, letter-writing, and telegrams as means of lobbying in support of the ERA. Ford, a Rancho Mirage resident who died in July 2011, had told The Desert Sun that she opposed the idea of national expansion. After her pinched nerve, she began suffering several effects, including muscle spasms, periphrasic neuropathy, numbing the left side of her neck, and arthritis on her shoulder and arm. Take a look at images from Betty Ford's years in the White House. After recovering, she founded and served as the first chair of the board of directors of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction. Her philanthropic support additionally placed a specific focus on charities serving children with special needs. "This is not a lack of willpower, this is a disease," she said at the time. Betty Ford "became known for her openness and candor" (Northouse, 2013) and remained true to herself, she did not change who she was, or her core values because of her new position as First Lady. Later that day, President Ford was caught momentarily patting Betty's buttocks before the press gathered outside of their Virginia residence. [53], In Good Housekeeping's annual readers' poll of most admired women, Ford placed second in 1974[60] and first in 1975. [19] Ford also, unsuccessfully, lobbied her husband to appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court of the United States[7][33] or as a running mate in the 1976 election. Ford also served as the second lady of the United States from 1973 to 1974 when her husband was vice president. She briefly continued her studies with Graham in New York City until close family ties took her back to Grand Rapids in 1941. [83] The fact that Ford had, for years, been given tranquilizers to treat a pinched nerve in her neck, was public knowledge as far back as her time as second lady. The cause of Betty Ford's death was never disclosed. We were proud to call her a friend.". [3], Ford campaigned actively both during primary elections and the general election. Bloomer disliked the surname. [42][43][44] Gerald Ford did not know about or see the photo until 1994. Gerald and Betty Ford on their wedding day, October 15, 1948 In 1947 a friend introduced her to Gerald R. Ford, Jr., a young lawyer who had served as Navy lieutenant during World War II. She was never more blunt and open than in 1978 when she revealed to the world her struggle to recover from her addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs. ", This page was last edited on 14 January 2023, at 22:04. Much of this progress began in the 1970s through the voice and advocacy of Betty Ford. What many don't know is that she was also a talented modern dancer. Ford reads her husband's 1976 presidential concession speech to the press. Ford, who died Friday at age 93, was not intimidated by the public spotlight, and used her position to passionately promote causes important to her. [3][14][17] Gerald Ford had ambitions to rise to the rank of speaker of the house, and therefore maintained a busy travel schedule, regularly crisscrossing the United States to fundraise and campaign on behalf of other Republicans in hopes that they would, in turn, provide him with the support he'd eventually need to become speaker. [32], Repeatedly speaking out on women's issues, Ford was a leader in the changing status of women in American society. She became famous for her candor. Ford was noted for raising breast cancer awareness following her 1974 mastectomy. Betty Ford: Abortion is NOT a Partisan Issue - WCLA - Choice Matters Coming of age when Betty Ford and her husband found themselves accidental occupants of the White House, all I knew of Betty Ford was that she had big hair, and, subsequently, breast cancer and addiction issues. No one confronted life's struggles with more fortitude or honesty, and as a result, we all learned from the challenges she faced. Weeks after Ford became first lady, she underwent a mastectomy for breast cancer on September 28, 1974, after having been diagnosed with the disease. Ill health prevented Ford from attending the funeral of former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson's in July 2007, and her daughter Susan Ford Bales instead represented her at the funeral service. Ford will be buried alongside her husband, the former president, at his library in Grand Rapids, Mich., she added. [21] Ford became overwhelmed by the media attention she received and became somewhat reclusive for a period early into her time as second lady. [14] The Fords would ultimately be married for the next 58 years, until Gerald Ford's death. Hortense and William married on November 9, 1904, in Chicago. Ford was credited with rejuvenating the ERA movement and inspiring more women to continue working for the ERA. Bush called her, "a wonderful wife and mother; a great friend; and a courageous first lady. YouTube Betty White showing off her aquarium. Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer was born on April 8, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois, and spent most of her childhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 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