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01
As a child, Ford was adopted by his stepfather, making him the only U.S. president who was adopted.
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02
In 1984, Ford was reported as the wealthiest living president, with a net worth between $6 million and $7 million.
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03
Ford was left-handed only when sitting down; he signed documents with his left hand but threw a softball and wrote on a chalkboard with his right hand while standing.
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04
Ford was born Leslie Lynch King Jr., but his parents separated two weeks after his birth; his mother remarried when he was two, and his name was changed to Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. He did not know until age seventeen that his stepfather was not his biological father.
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05
Despite their different political ideologies, Ford was a close friend of Jimmy Carter, who defeated him in the 1976 presidential election.
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06
Ford’s wife, Betty, suffered from alcoholism and later founded the Betty Ford Clinic for alcohol and drug rehabilitation.
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07
Ford held the record for the most assassination attempts on a sitting president: Lynette Squeaky Fromme on September 5, 1975, and Sara Jane Moore on September 22, 1975. He escaped injury both times.
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08
As of 2008, Ford is the only person to have served as both Vice President and President without being elected to either office, ascending through the resignations of Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon.
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09
Ford pardoned Nixon for his involvement in Watergate, a decision widely unpopular with the public and believed to have cost Ford the 1976 election. In 2001, Senator Ted Kennedy admitted the pardon was the right decision.
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10
As of July 14, 2003, Ford was one of only four U.S. presidents to live into their nineties, alongside John Adams, Herbert Hoover, and Ronald Reagan.
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11
Ford was chosen as Nixon’s vice president after Spiro Agnew’s resignation and later succeeded Nixon, making him the first president without a vote of the people.
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12
Ford was sworn in as Vice President on December 6, 1973.
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13
Ford served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1973.
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14
In 1963, President Johnson appointed Ford to the Warren Commission, which investigated JFK’s assassination; Ford was the commission’s longest-lived member.
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15
On two separate trips to California in September 1975, Ford was targeted by female assassins Lynette Squeaky Fromme and Sara Jane Moore, both associated with Charles Manson.
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16
After college, Ford was offered positions with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers but declined to coach boxing and football at Yale University.
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17
Ford graduated from the University of Michigan and Yale Law School.
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18
On August 2, 2000, Ford was hospitalized after suffering two mild strokes at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.
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19
Although not an All-American, Ford’s University of Michigan jersey number 48 was retired in a stadium ceremony on October 8, 1994.
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20
Ford was a member of the Warren Commission.
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21
Ford was a close friend and golfing partner of Bob Hope.
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22
Ford served as honorary chairman of the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame from its founding in 1994 until his death.
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23
Ford made an appearance on the game show What’s My Line? in 1969 while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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24
Ford was featured on a USA 41-cent memorial stamp issued on August 31, 2007.
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25
In 1939, Ford co-owned Conover Model Agency with Harry Conover, investing $1,000 from his modeling earnings; the agency became one of the most successful in the country.
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26
Ford briefly worked as a male model for John Robert Powers’ agency, appearing in a 21-picture ski resort feature in Look Magazine in 1940 and on the cover of Cosmopolitan in 1942, both times with model Phyllis Brown.
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27
Ford was inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Honor in 1978 as part of the inaugural class.
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28
Ford was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1977.
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29
Ford was inducted into the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.
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30
Ford was portrayed on Saturday Night Live by Chevy Chase.
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31
On May 18, 2003, Ford was hospitalized after suffering dizzy spells during a golf game in 96-degree heat in Rancho Mirage.
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32
Ford’s children and their birth dates: Michael Gerald March 14, 1950, John Gardner March 16, 1952, Steven Meigs May 19, 1956, and Susan Elizabeth July 6, 1957.
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33
Ford earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 1927.
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34
Ford served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
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35
After Ronald Reagan’s death, Ford became the oldest living former president, living 34,133 days, just 45 days longer than Reagan. This record was later surpassed by George H.W. Bush.
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36
Ford was hospitalized with shortness of breath in July 2006.
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37
Ford was hospitalized with a severe case of pneumonia.
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38
President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush visited Ford and his wife at their home in Rancho Mirage, marking Ford’s first public appearance after pneumonia.
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39
Ford was an avid golfer.
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40
In Tip O’Neill’s memoir Man of the House, Ford confided that he considered running for president in 1980.
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41
Ford was inducted into the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2001 in the builder/inspiration category.
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42
The NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award has been presented annually since 2004 to an individual who has provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics.
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43
During the 1980 Republican Convention, there was an 11th-hour attempt to draft Ford as Ronald Reagan’s running mate, with Ford wanting the vice president to function as chief of staff; talks broke down and Reagan chose George H.W. Bush.
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44
Ford is mentioned in the film Daydreams 1981.
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45
Ford was inducted into the Michigan Military and Veterans Hall of Honor in 2020.
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46
Ford’s mother Dorothy was a victim of domestic violence during her first marriage to Leslie King, who threatened her with a butcher knife, prompting her to flee with the infant Ford.
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47
Ford is the only person to date who has served as Vice President and President without being elected to either office, taking each office after resignations of Spiro Agnew and Richard Nixon.
