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Grade Level:       Type of Work           Subject/Topic is on:
 [ ]6-8                 [ ]Class Notes    [Report on President     ]
 [x]9-10                [ ]Cliff Notes    [Gerald Ford.            ]
 [ ]11-12               [x]Essay/Report   [                        ]
 [ ]College             [ ]Misc           [                        ]

 Date: 06/94  # of Words:1437  School: Private Co-Ed  State: NY
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                           Outline


     I.  Introduction

    II.  Early Life

   III.  Presidency

    IV.  Conclusion

     V.  Bibliography

                         Introduction

     Ford may not be the most important president during his time, but he
did more than some presidents did for the people.  One of them was raising
their spirits and hopes for the people to the government.  He helped people
gain confidence in their president again after losing confidence with
Nixon.  He set new records and started getting the United States on its
feet again after having a very hard time in the past.  He started his
presidency with an oath on August 9, 1974 which he said - "Our long
national nightmare is over (4, page 422)" which started his presidency.


                          Early Life

     Ford had a more interesting early life than he had during his
presidency.  He was born in Omaha Nebraska on July 14, 1913.  He wasn't
always called Gerald Ford, his original name was Leslie Lynch King Jr.  His
parents were Leslie and Dorothy King.  When his parents got divorced while
he was two, his mother married a man named Gerald R. Ford from whom he got
his most widely known name.  Together, they moved to Grand Rapids Michigan
(1, Page 1).  During his High School years, he was the most popular Senior
having been a great athlete and competing within 5 sports, his best being
Football.  Being  good at Football, he got a M.V.P, a scholarship to
Michigan with a Football scholarship and was offered a contract by the
Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions.  He finally took a job as
assistant Football coach at Yale.

     While at Yale,  he became interested in law and asked to take courses.
He was soon invited to learn law in the college and didn't graduate till he
was 27 because of his late start.  1941, he set up a practice in Grand
Rapids Michigan which closed after World War II (4, page 145).  He joined
the Navy and was discharged as lieutenant commander.

     He married Elizabeth Bloomer Warren and entered the Republican primary
in Michigan during 1948.  November, he was elected to the House of
Representatives and was reelected every two years till 1973. In the House,
he was know to be a moderately conservative, hardworking member of the
Republican Party.  In 1965, he was the Republican House leader.(1,page1)
While in the House of Representatives, he announced:

     "A Republican of the President's domestic policies...It's going to be
      rough going for him around here.  Congress will write the laws, not
      the executive branch." (3, page 29)

                          Presidency

     After Agnew resigned, Ford was then nominated as Vice President from
the House of Representatives.  About six months later, The Watergate
scandal forced Nixon to resign.  Ford set records as the 1st president in
history who had not been chosen in a national election as President or
Vice-President.  He soon pardoned Nixon for the crimes he might of commited
during office.  Ford wanted people to look ahead and stop worrying about
Nixon and Watergate.  As soon as he got in office, the country had an
economic slump which had a recession combined with inflation causing a
stagflation. He had other problems too, he had a running battle with the
Democratic Congress.  He had vetoed 61 bills and had 12 vetoes overridden.
The government was pretty much deadlocked.
     
     The government had some things happen while he was in office. South
Vietnam collapsed to North Vietnam in 1975 ending the 'war' there.  Ford
offered a conditional amnesty to Vietnam draft evaders. There was the
overthrow of the Lon Nol regime in Cambodia Kampuchea by Communist forces.
There was a successful rescue attempt for the recapture of the U.S.
Freighter Mayaguez and its crew which were seized by Cambodian forces.  We
got the people back safe (1, Page 2).

     His economic plan was initialed W.I.P.  This meant Wip Inflation Now.
This said that average people could beat inflation if we all worked
together.  This plan was meant to include everyone in fighting the rising
economic problems.  He even received personal mail which said that people
were listening about what he had said to them about the W.I.P.  idea and
what it stood for.

     Ford was know during these years as someone who brought new openness
to the White House and how he turned the United States around for the
better (4, Page 146).  He was also known to let things work themselves out
and how he made a firm and an instant decision.  He was a great leader.
It's not easy to be classified as a great leader. You must have some
important elements in you.  One of them being an element of ruthlessness
and toughness.  You also must have a cold- bloodedless that sacrifices dear
friendship so you don't get caught up with the past and do move on.  The
last and probably most important element is the element of iron
determination which means the person is determined to reach something and
will get it done no matter what is the cost.

     Ford by no doubt turned the government around by fixing the
duplicities of Vietnam, the deceptions of Watergate, and a general loss in
confidence within elected leaders in Washington.  He didn't accomplish this
by being special, or rich, or using special abilities or people.  He was
just a regular guy who changed the country.  He was best know to be decent,
honest, hard-working, and was even known as "too nice a guy."  He boasted
he had adversaries and no enemies.  He was a good Christian who hated to
hurt people.  Known as "Good old Jerry",  he was a good, polite politician.
(2, page 422)

     Ford's family life helped him gain acceptance to the people of
America.  One of the more famous Ford's (probably more famous) was Betty
Ford.  Betty had her problems but she was not afraid to share them with the
public.  She had several troubles during Ford's presidency such as a
nervous breakdown.  She was overdosing on pills and alcohol causing it.
When she told the public, they didn't hate her for her problem, no, they
understood what stress a wife of the president must give a woman.  Betty
Ford also had another problem. This being Breast Cancer, she also told the
public.  The public admired her honesty with them as well as Gerald's.
Reporters followed the family everywhere they went and covered news on
anything new that was happening within this ordinary family.  The reporters
followed the Ford's while they were on vacation in Vail, Colorado and the
reporters were present when Gerald's golden retriever had puppies.

     Ford didn't act president as he was in office.  He acted like an
ordinary person, too.  He loved to ski and he often swam twice a day. He
golfed while in office and was very good.  He never liked reading. Instead,
he watched Football on T.V.  He always was a sporting person and even went
to that section of the newspaper first.  He liked strange food making him
unique.  His favorite dish was cottage cheese smothered in catsup.  For
dessert, he liked Pecan Ice Cream with peach slices (4, Page 146).

                       Election of 1978

     Ford was God-Fearing and very patriotic.  He was a proud American.
These things made him run in the upcoming election.  He wanted to be
elected on his own to prove to himself that he had done a good job and the
public had thought so, too.  He often said such things to people:

    "I don't care what the polls say, it's the right thing to do.  Whatever
     the election outcome, I think it is best for the country" (2, Page
     421)

     He lost the election, unfortunately, to Carter because during the
campaign the Halloween Massacre came about around Halloween and turned many
people against him causing a very close election which showed how separated
Americans were at this time.

                             Now

     Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. now spends the remaining years of his life in
California and is an active Republican Member. (4, Page 147)
     
                          Conclusion

     As you have read in the above pages, Ford was an important man who has
changed history for the good.  He might not of done much to make him as
famous as other presidents such as Kennedy, Reagan or Good 'ole Abe
Lincoln, but he did raise the spirits and sights of many millions of
Americans for the Good.


                              Bibliography

1.  Prodigy "Ford, Gerald"
    Grolier Encyclopedia
    1992, pp. 1-3

2.  Hartmann, Robert T.
    Palace Politics
    New York - Robert T. Hartmann Press
    1980

3.  Carter, Douglas
    "Power in Washington"
    Newsweek, November 21, 1966
    pp. 29

4.  Bumann, Joan and Patterson, John
    40 President's Facts
    Ohio, Willowsip Press
    1981

