The Extraordinary Circumstances of Gerald R. Ford's Path to the Presidency

The oath that I have taken is the same oath that was taken by George Washington and by every President under the Constitution. But I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances never before experienced by Americans.” Gerald R. Ford stated this in 1974, during his first presidential address after the resignation of the 37th President Richard Nixon. President Ford was the 38th president and the only president to assume the Presidency the way he did. President Ford was born July 14, 1913, in Omaha Nebraska. Fords’ parents were divorced just sixteen days after he was born. The divorce was brought on shortly after Gerald’s birth because his biological father had a history of abusing his wife. Gerald’s father threatened to kill his wife, his newborn son, and the nursemaid with a butcher knife. Both Fords father and mother would remarry. Fords stepfather treated Ford like his own son raising him in church and teaching him to be a respectable young man. Gerald Fords biological name was Leslie Lynch King, Jr. sharing the same name as his biological father. Fords name would be changed February 1, 1916 when his mother remarried. She married Gerald R. Ford, a painter and varnish salesmen living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ford Sr. never legally adopted the Gerald and his name was never legally changed until 1935. Gerald Ford attended Grand Rapids High where he was a star athlete, becoming the captain of the football team in 1930. He was a high achieving Eagle Scout, reaching the highest rank possible. In addition to reaching this goal, Ford is the only United States president to have achieved this rank of Eagle Scout. Ford played football for the University of Michigan where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1934 in a game against...

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...t to aid the administration in finding the best fit for the new vice president. 2 days later, on October 12, 1973, the speaker of the house Carl Albert nominated Ford for the Vice Presidency. “Nixon looked to his senior congress for advice on the nominee but the decision had already been decided, it was Ford or bust.” Speaker of the House Carl Albert in the New York Times reported to the New York Times in November that the Senate voted Ford into office with the majority vote of 92 to 3 in favor of Ford. Followed by the December 6, vote by the House of Representatives in favor of Ford, 387 to 35. Ford took the Vice Presidential oath the same day. He was vice president from president, Ford was like a breath of fresh air to the public. He wanted to share any information he could on political subjects and how the county was moving forward with foreign affairs.