Gerald Ford Bio (Biography)
Real name:
Leslie Lynch King Jr.
Date of birth:
July 14. 1913
Place of birth:
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Astrology Sign:
Cancer
Height:
6' (1.83 m)
Tags:
Biography
The 38th president of the United States knew what it was like to come from a broken home at a very early age.
At only 16 days old, Ford's parents were separated and divorced the following December. His mother who had full custody of him moved with him to Grand Rapids, Michigan, a place he got to know well during his childhood.
Sources say Ford had no regret about his parents' divorce as he recalled that his biological father was an abusive man who had a history of hitting his mother. This behavior was documented in a book later on and highlighted incidences like the couple's honeymoon when King Sr. apparently hit his wife because she smiled at another man.
The two did well on their own and weren't alone for long as in 1916, Ford's mother remarried salesman Gerald Rudolff Ford who later became president of the family-owned paint and varnish company he worked for.
In 1933, Ford attended the University of Michigan where he played football.
Two years later, he was attending law classes and by 1938 he was going to Yale Law School where he earned his law degree in 1941 and graduated in the top 25 per cent of his class.
Upon graduation, Ford opened a Grand Rapids law practice of his own but plans were changed when he decided to enlist in the navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
On April 20,1942, he reported for active duty and on June 28, 1946, the Secretary of the Navy accepted Ford's resignation from the naval reserve.
It was his return from war that marked an active period in Ford's life both personally and professionally.
In October of 1948, he married Elizabeth Bloomer Warren who ended up giving birth to his four children Michael, John, Steven and Susan, during the 1950s.
It was also during this time he got heavily involved in politics.
For 13 terms, he served as member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
For one term, he served as Vice President of the Country.
And for three years, from 1974 to 1977, he served as president, a time that saw the withdrawal of American forces from the Vietnam War and recessive economic troubles. During this time, Ford was criticized a great deal for granting a preemptive pardon to President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate Scandal. Critics believe this was what brought his presidential downfall when he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter in the 1976 election.
At only 16 days old, Ford's parents were separated and divorced the following December. His mother who had full custody of him moved with him to Grand Rapids, Michigan, a place he got to know well during his childhood.
Sources say Ford had no regret about his parents' divorce as he recalled that his biological father was an abusive man who had a history of hitting his mother. This behavior was documented in a book later on and highlighted incidences like the couple's honeymoon when King Sr. apparently hit his wife because she smiled at another man.
The two did well on their own and weren't alone for long as in 1916, Ford's mother remarried salesman Gerald Rudolff Ford who later became president of the family-owned paint and varnish company he worked for.
In 1933, Ford attended the University of Michigan where he played football.
Two years later, he was attending law classes and by 1938 he was going to Yale Law School where he earned his law degree in 1941 and graduated in the top 25 per cent of his class.
Upon graduation, Ford opened a Grand Rapids law practice of his own but plans were changed when he decided to enlist in the navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
On April 20,1942, he reported for active duty and on June 28, 1946, the Secretary of the Navy accepted Ford's resignation from the naval reserve.
It was his return from war that marked an active period in Ford's life both personally and professionally.
In October of 1948, he married Elizabeth Bloomer Warren who ended up giving birth to his four children Michael, John, Steven and Susan, during the 1950s.
It was also during this time he got heavily involved in politics.
For 13 terms, he served as member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
For one term, he served as Vice President of the Country.
And for three years, from 1974 to 1977, he served as president, a time that saw the withdrawal of American forces from the Vietnam War and recessive economic troubles. During this time, Ford was criticized a great deal for granting a preemptive pardon to President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate Scandal. Critics believe this was what brought his presidential downfall when he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter in the 1976 election.