Gerald Ford: Unelected

01VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

02Today we are talking about Gerald Ford.

03Ford was the 38th president, but he was never elected to the position.

04Instead, an unusual series of events brought him there.

05Many historians have described Ford as a good man facing a difficult situation.

06He tried to fix a troubled economy, end United States' involvement in Vietnam, and show people that the U.S.

07government could continue to operate after a crisis.

08Critics from the two main political parties had problems with Ford's efforts, and voters did not elect him president when they had the chance in 1976.

09But he is remembered in American history for making many voters feel better about their elected officials.

10When he was born, the future president was given his father's name, Leslie Lynch King.

11But the boy's father was abusive.

12His mother separated from him a short time after their son was born.

13She asked a court for permission to cancel their marriage.

14Her request was quickly approved.

15She and the boy moved from the Midwestern state of Nebraska to Michigan.

16In a few years, the mother married a man named Gerald Ford.

17The couple had three sons together.

18The new family was warm and loving.

19In time, the oldest boy officially took his stepfather's name and became Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.

20He was called Jerry for short.

21Growing up, Jerry Ford was a well-liked person and a good student.

22He was also a top football player.

23He was named the most valuable player on his team at the University of Michigan.

24After finishing college, he was offered work with professional football teams.

25But Ford wanted to continue his education instead.

26He accepted coaching positions for the football and boxing teams at Yale University in Connecticut.

27In time, he attended the law school there.

28Ford's path to politics was similar to that of other presidents during that period.

29He worked at a law office in his home state.

30He fought in World War II.

31He married.

32Ford's wife was Elizabeth Bloomer.

33Her friends called her Betty.

34She had been a dancer and worked as a fashion model.

35The Fords went on to have four children.

36When Gerald Ford was 35 years old, he launched his political career.

37The Republican Party chose him as its candidate for a seat in the U.S.

38House of Representatives.

39Ford was elected to represent his home area of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

40But unlike many other politicians, he did not move on to the Senate or become governor of a state.

41Instead, he stayed in the House of Representatives for 25 years.

42The job of congressman was, in many ways, a good choice for Ford.

43He was well-liked by many voters and other lawmakers.

44He could help different groups come to agreement.

45He took increasingly important positions on political issues and, in time, became the top person in his party in the House.

46Ford was a strong supporter of Republican presidents.

47In the 1968 election, Ford advocated for Richard Nixon.

48Ford liked Nixon's plans for the United States, as well as his efforts to improve relations with China and the Soviet Union.

49Both Ford and Nixon were re-elected to their positions in 1972.

50But by then, major problems had come to light in Nixon's administration.

51One problem in the early 1970s related to Nixon's vice president, Spiro Agnew.

52Agnew had been vice president since 1969.

53Five years later, officials found evidence that he had accepted money from contractors, both while Maryland's governor and as vice president.

54In answer, Agnew resigned from the presidency.

55Normally, voters elect a vice president along with a president every four years.

56But by coincidence, the U.S.

57Constitution had recently been updated to say what happens if the country needs a vice president unexpectedly.

58It states that the president has to nominate someone for the position.

59Then, a majority of lawmakers in Congress must agree.

60So, in 1973, Nixon nominated Gerald Ford to take Agnew's position.

61Nixon was not especially close to Ford, but he knew a majority of lawmakers would likely accept him as vice president.

62They did.

63However, Ford did not serve in the position long.

64In eight months, another unexpected event put him in the Oval Office.

65In August 1974, President Richard Nixon resigned from office.

66He was the first president to do so.

67As a result, the vice president, Gerald Ford, became president.

68Ford was sworn in as president on August 9, 1974.

69Then he spoke to the nation on television.

70He said, My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.

71He told people, Our Constitution works.

72Our great republic is a government of laws and not men.

73The public had, understandably, lost a good deal of faith in government officials, and especially in Richard Nixon.

74Ford wanted to reestablish their trust.

75But, a few weeks after taking office, Ford used his presidential powers to pardon Nixon.

76The pardon meant that Nixon would never face a criminal trial, or, if found guilty, punishment for his actions.

77Ford said he believed pardoning Nixon would help Americans begin to recover from their painful experience with the former president.

78But instead, the move angered many people.

79They believed that Nixon should be held responsible.

80They also lost some of their trust in Ford.

81In addition to these political troubles, Ford faced other difficult issues.

82The American economy was struggling.

83His administration had to deal with unemployment, inflation, and the lasting effects of an energy crisis.

84The high price of oil imports came at a time when Americans were using more and more gasoline.

85Ford took steps aimed at improving the economy.

86But critics said he was not consistent.

87Some criticized him for increasing government spending and cutting taxes.

88Others criticized him for reducing government spending and raising taxes.

89Ford also oversaw the withdrawal of Americans from Vietnam.

90An earlier agreement had brought a ceasefire to groups in South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and Communist forces.

91The U.S.

92officially withdrew its combat troops in 1973.

93But the fighting restarted.

94Ford asked Congress to approve military and humanitarian aid for the area.

95But U.S.

96lawmakers did not approve the full amount.

97And in time, they cut military aid.

98In 1975, Communist forces began to take control of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam.

99Ford ordered all remaining Americans in the country to leave, along with any South Vietnamese who were connected to the United States.

100He said that, as far as Americans were concerned, the Vietnam War was finished.

101Americans did not appear to blame Ford for the troubling end of the country's involvement in Vietnam.

102And some recognized that the country's economic and energy problems had started long before he became president.

103But in general, Ford did not have the support of Congress.

104And many voters did not forgive him for pardoning Nixon.

105In 1976, Ford officially campaigned for president for the first time.

106He won his party's nomination in a close race against Ronald Reagan, the former governor of California.

107But he lost the general election to the Democratic candidate, who said one of his best qualities was that he did not have experience in the federal government.

108The argument appeared persuasive to many voters, who still did not appear to be enthusiastic about the government.

109In the 1976 election, nearly half of all people who were legally able to vote chose not to.

110Ford left the presidency graciously.

111He said that, because he had not planned to be president, he was thankful for the unexpected opportunity.

112Although Ford said he was ready to retire from politics, he continued to be active in public life.

113He advised others on government affairs, published books, and sat on boards and committees.

114His wife, Betty Ford, also left a lasting effect on the public.

115As first lady, she had spoken about her experience with breast cancer.

116After her husband left the presidency, she also spoke openly about her battle with alcohol and drug abuse.

117In 1982, Betty Ford co-founded the Betty Ford Center in California to help people get treatment for drug addiction.

118She announced her husband's death in 2006.

119Gerald Ford died of heart disease at the age of 93.

120By that time, most of the public had accepted that one of Ford's biggest achievements was to help the country recover after Nixon resigned.

121President Bill Clinton gave Ford a Presidential Medal of Freedom for his efforts.

122And even Jimmy Carter, who beat Ford in the 1976 presidential election, began his inauguration speech by thanking Ford.

123Carter said, For myself and for our nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land.

124I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

125I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

126I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

127I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

128I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

129I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

130I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.