"[34] This reflects a common trend of American first ladies often being more popular than the presidents to which they are married. [3] Ford also volunteered for local charitable organizations, including serving as the program director of the Alexandria Cancer Fund Drive. "[29] She was regarded to be the most politically outspoken first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt. With Betty Ford you had a progressive woman . Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States when her husband, Gerald Ford, assumed the office following President Richard Nixon's resignation. "[7], Betty and Gerald Ford had four children together: Michael Gerald Ford (born 1950), John Gardner Ford (nicknamed Jack; born 1952), Steven Meigs Ford (born 1956), and Susan Elizabeth Ford (born 1957). [102] After the service, Betty Ford was buried next to her husband on the museum grounds. [37][33] In January 1976, the editors of the New York News Service wrote that Ford was, "one of the most charming and popular First Ladies ever to occupy the White House". [3][16] The speech was delivered on the day after the election. ", Tobin, Leesa E. "Betty Ford as first lady: A woman for women.". [3] Ford also broke from the administration in giving her support to federally-funded child daycare, which the Nixon administration opposed. [53], In Good Housekeeping's annual readers' poll of most admired women, Ford placed second in 1974[60] and first in 1975. As first lady, she was active in social policy and set a precedent as a politically active presidential spouse. [40], In 1985, Ford received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an annual award given by the Jefferson Awards. At 8:49 p.m. local time, President Ford's wife of 58 years, Betty Ford, issued a statement that confirmed his death: "My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather . She worked a production line for a frozen food company in Fulton, New York. Betty was 93 years old at the time of death. President Obama noted how Betty Ford "distinguished herself through her courage and compassion. 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. We were proud to call her a friend.". Ford died Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., ABC News has learned. As a young girl, Betty took up dancing, which quickly became her passion. This prospect elated Ford. By the time Betty Ford became first lady in August 1974the month her husband, Gerald Ford, succeeded Richard Nixon the former dancer had already been taking prescription pills for years to. The IMDb credits for the May 1 episode, "Please Allow Me," show that Thomas E. Sullivan an actor who has had recurring parts on . After graduating from high school in 1936 she attended the Bennington School of Dance in Vermont for two summers, where she met choreographer Martha Graham. Penn State World Campus (2013). This is the only time that a major United States presidential candidate's spouse has delivered their concession on their behalf. From a young age, she had a passion for dancing. [3], Ford filmed an interview with the television news program 60 Minutes which was broadcast on August 10, 1975. Betty Ford Biography Betty Ford, the United States' first lady, was born on April 8, 1918. [32], Repeatedly speaking out on women's issues, Ford was a leader in the changing status of women in American society. 12/26/2018 05:25 AM EST. [21] Ford became overwhelmed by the media attention she received and became somewhat reclusive for a period early into her time as second lady. Phyllis Schlafly accused Ford of acting improperly by intervening in state affairs. [53] The poll gauges Americans' most admired men and women without providing respondents any pre-arranged list of names. It was not until 2016 that a Michigan wine would again be served at a White House state dinner. [19] In her 1987 memoir she reflected on these addictions, writing, "I liked alcohol, it made me feel warm. Betty Ford was portrayed as an ideal patient within a success narrative that presented the key sequences of her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in a progressive, linear fashion that inspired optimism. She paused her divorce, and supported him, living at Warren's family's home for the next two years as his health recovered. [3], Campaign button in support of President Ford's 1976 presidential campaign with the phrase "Keep Betty in the White House", Betty and Gerald Ford onstage at the 1976 Republican National Convention. But the main point was, it was best for the country.". ", Hummer, Jill Abraham. On April 1, 1978, her family staged an intervention which forced her to acknowledge the negative impact that her addiction was having on her health and family relationships. "But the fact that I was the wife of the President put it in headlines and brought before the public this particular experience I was going through. She joined Graham's auxiliary troupe and eventually performed with the company at Carnegie Hall. Live July 9, 2011 -- Former first lady Betty Ford, whose candor about her own battles with substance abuse helped erase much of the stigma attached to addiction, has died. She worked with children with disabilities at the Mary Free Bed Home for Crippled Children. "And if they'd asked me that I would have told them," she said, adding that her response would be, "As often as possible. [78] In June 1977, Ford was a speaker at the Arthritis Association Convention. Ford with other U.S. First Ladies at the November 1991 opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. [3], Ford did not take any solo trips aboad as first lady. [3][19] Ford registered herself at the hospital on April 11, 1978. [3], Ford accompanied her husband on a trip to mainland China in 1972. "Issues of Openness and Privacy: Press and Public Response to Betty Ford's Breast Cancer. During his testimony, Gerald Ford was questioned about attending psychiatric care. During the general election, her busy campaign activity saw the reigniting of her pinched nerve. As a supporter of abortion rights and a leader in the women's rights movement, she gained fame as one of the most candid first ladies in history, commenting on the hot-button issues of the time, such as feminism, equal pay, the Equal Rights Amendment, sex, drugs, abortion, and gun control. [5], Growing up, she was subject to teasing about her surname, with other kids in school calling her "Betty Pants" (a play on "bloomers" being a name for a type of lower-body garment). [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. Because of her grief, there will be more joy. [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. She continued to strongly advocate and lobby politicians and state legislatures for passage of the ERA. It amounted to as aestheticization of breast cancer and her coverage became the major discursive model for looking at all breast cancer survivors. She also was completely unpretentious. The American public ranked Ford as the eighth-greatest among these first ladies. She died peacefully, surrounded by her family, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. Shortly after they married, he began to sell insurance for another company. That is why I loved this stuff so much. In public, she was one of the most visible and outspoken first ladies in history. 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. [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. [7] Early into her time in the White House, during a televised tour of the White House she once again noted that she and her husband shared the same bed. Murray Close/SHOWTIME. [3][24] Ford was the only individual in attendance at the funeral not directly ingrained in the civil rights movement, with the exception of Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. 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. White House photographer David Hume Kennerly took a photo of her on the table. Betty underwent a radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital and inadvertently destigmatized breast cancer by addressing her illness publicly during a White House press conference. [14] The Fords would ultimately be married for the next 58 years, until Gerald Ford's death. The week she entered rehab, Ford disclosed her addiction to prescription medication. 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. However, she abused these prescriptions, regularly taking many more pills than prescribed. Gerald Ford was in the middle of his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. Article continues below advertisement. [19], In March 1977, Ford signed with NBC News to appear in two news specials within the following two years along with contributing to Today,[77] and jointly signed with her husband to write their memoirs. I took that first hit and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced. [87] She served as chair of the board of directors. [7][36] While President Ford never attempted to silence his wife, some of his senior staff resented her independent candor. 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. For years after leaving the White House, Ford continued to enjoy great influence and popularity, continuing to rank in the top-ten of Gallup's annual most admired woman poll every year through 1991. Gerald R. Ford, the nation's 38th president, died on this day in 2006. Everyone recognizes the namethanks in large part to the Betty Ford Clinic she co-founded in 1982 . She agreed, that day, to detox from her medicine. One day in 1934, when she was 16, Betty came home and her father, a traveling salesman who had recently lost his job, had. [84] In 1991, Ford was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. Bush[3][97] She and President Ford jointly received a Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. In contrast, there was tremendous organic excitement for Betty Ford among supporters of the campaign. This meant that Gerald Ford was away from home for roughly half the year, placing a great burden on Ford to raise their children. [105] In terms of cumulative assessment, Ford has been ranked: The 2008 Siena Research Institute survey ranked Ford the 5th-highest of the twenty 20th and 21st century First Ladies. White's death was confirmed Friday by Jeff Witjas, her longtime agent and friend. 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. She was working in a fashion job in Grand Rapids where Gerald lived. Betty Ford began taking prescription pain killers in the 1960s for a pinched nerve. At one point, they lived in Toledo, Ohio, where Elizabeth was employed at the department store Lasalle & Koch as a demonstrator, a job that entailed being a model and saleswoman. [3], Between Labor Day and election day, for the general election campaign, Ford conducted multi-stop speaking tours, during which she visited western states (including California, Colorado, Texas, and Utah) as well was northern midwest states including Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. In another instance, she commented, "it's just impossible for me to lie and look someone in the eyes and talk to them. The march was led by prominent feminist leaders, including Ford, Bella Abzug, Elizabeth Chittick, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. Betty White died from a stroke suffered on Dec. 25, 2021, six days before her Dec. 31 death at age 99, according to her death certificate, the Associated Press reports. 4 Mrs. Ford later reasoned, "I thought that there are women all over the country like me. She wrote about it in her book, "A Glad Awakening." She suffered from severe arthritic pain in her neck and muscle spasms. He died of a heart attack just four years after leaving office. [95], Ford tackled the stigmatized issue of HIV/AIDS during the HIV/AIDS crisis. Weeks after Ford became first lady, she underwent a mastectomy for breast cancer on September 28, 1974, after having been diagnosed with the disease. [69] At the state dinners of the Ford presidency, the president and first lady always led off the dancing, and dancing often lasted beyond midnight. [107][108] In the 2014 Siena Research Institute survey, historians ranked Ford 3rd-highest among 20th and 21st century First Ladies in the greatness of post-White House service, 3rd-highest in advancement of women's issues, and 4th-highest in creating a lasting legacy. Fellow first lady Nancy Reagan also was "deeply saddened" by the news. She was married to Gerald Ford for 58 years. [24] On May 31, 1973, Ford made her first major speech when she gave a commencement address to the graduates of the Westminster Choir College. [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. [3][5], Bloomer's mother was opposed to her pursuing a career in dance and insisted that she return home, and, as a compromise, they agreed that Bloomer would return home for six months and, if she still wanted to return to New York City at the end of that time, her mother would not protest further. Elizabeth Anne Ford (ne Bloomer; formerly Warren;[2] April 8, 1918 July 8, 2011) was the first lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of President Gerald Ford. Soon after leaving office, she raised awareness of addiction when she sought help for and publicly disclosed her long-running struggle with alcoholism and substance abuse. She involved herself in the Los Angeles AIDS Project. Stay tuned to our website for additional information. [35] In a 1975 interview with McCall's, Ford remarked that she was asked just about everything, except for how often she and the president had sex. The must-watch series is accompanied by the likes of Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey. During her time in the White House, she also admitted to taking Valium. Betty developed a passion for dance at an early age. Seated (lr): Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Rosalynn Carter, Ford; Standing (lr): Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, President Bill Clinton speaks with the Fords at the White House ceremony awarding the at a 1999 Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony, Ford with other U.S. First Ladies at the 1994 National Garden Gala, which was themed "A Tribune to America's First Ladies". Betty Ford, the former First Lady of the United States who died on July 8 aged 93, exemplified the American virtue of positive thinking to overcome illness and addiction, and used her . John Robert Greene. "She has been an inspiration to so many through her efforts to educate women about breast cancer and her wonderful work at the Betty Ford Center," Reagan said. Leadership: Theory and Practice. Surveys of historians conducted by the Siena College Research Institute have shown that historians regard Ford to be among the best and most courageous American first ladies. On Aug. 9, 1974, Nixon stepped down following the Watergate scandal. [106] In both the 1993 and 2003 Siena Research Institute surveys, Ford was similarly ranked the 5th-highest in historians' assessment of first ladies' courage. The 2008 survey also ranked Ford the 5th-highest in their assessment of first ladies who were their own women as well as 5th-highest in courage. She successfully lobbied her husband to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to choreographer and dancer Martha Graham in 1976. Ford took these stances despite recognizing that they created a political risk of conservative backlash against her husband. [36], During her time as first lady, Ford was an outspoken advocate of women's rights and was a prominent force in the Women's Movement of the 1970s. Best known for her leadership in the founding of the Betty Ford Clinic in California to treat addiction. Warters, T. Alissa. In private, she triumphed over serious personal adversity. She was 99. (National Archives Identifier 187012) In private, she triumphed over serious personal adversity. [101], In July 2018, a statue of Ford was unveiled outside of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 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. In attendance were former president Bill Clinton, former vice president Dick Cheney and former first lady Barbara Bush. [3] Ford also held active membership in groups such as the 81st Congress Club and National Federation of Republican Women. In 1964, a pinched nerve on the left side of Ford's neck sent her to the hospital for two weeks. "[88], Ford continued to be an active leader and activist of the feminist movement after the Ford administration. She also traveled to Iowa before its caucus, and delivered a speech on behalf of the president (who had been unable to make his planned appearance) in which she labeled herself as being his political partner. "[66] Her openness about her cancer and treatment raised the visibility of a disease that Americans had previously been reluctant to talk about. During her stay at the White House, her dependency on these drugs seemingly dissipated. [7][34][37] However, polling would show that her comments were accepted by many Americans. [3], After Gerald Ford's defeat by Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election she delivered her husband's concession speech because he had lost his voice while campaigning. [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. 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