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. [3], Ford did not take any solo trips aboad as first lady. [61], Ford successfully lobbied her husband to, in 1975, sign an executive order to establish the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. [22] Two days later, on October 12, 1973, President Richard Nixon nominated Gerald Ford to serve as vice president. [25] The first of these came only a week into Ford's presidency, hosting King Hussein of Jordan on August 16, 1974. ", This page was last edited on 14 January 2023, at 22:04. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ford to the second National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year (the first had been appointed by President Ford). I embrace it, not only for me, but all the many others who are here to participate." Her own battle with breast cancer led to her advocacy for early breast cancer detection. [61][33] Ford utilized phone calls, letter-writing, and telegrams as means of lobbying in support of the ERA. Become a member and. Ford with other U.S. First Ladies at the November 1991 opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. ", Tasha N. Dubriwny, "Constructing breast cancer in the news: Betty Ford and the evolution of the breast cancer patient.". Ford died Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., ABC News has learned. Betty Ford, whose husband, Gerald, died in December 2006, had undergone surgery for an undisclosed ailment in April 2007. [3][21] Her candor on this trip received a positive reception by the news media..[21] Among those she met on the two-day trip was Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. I think its time to bring abortion out of the backwoods and put it in the hospitals, where it belongs. Disregarding criticism to her stance, Ford would remark, Maybe I shouldnt have said it, but I couldnt lie. [45] A Ford family friend said that he "about fell off his chair" when he saw the photo for the first time. [3], Ford's busy life took a toll. "Ford. 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. Ford surprised the media and the public by explicitly supporting a woman's right to an abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and grass roots activism. [36] As first lady, remarking on her honest candor and the sometimes-controversial remarks it resulted in, Ford declared, "I am not very good at making up stories." Gerald and Betty Ford with Richard and Pat Nixon as the latter depart the White House in disgrace on August 9, 1974. Los Angeles: Sage Publications. White whose full . Days later, Ford also disclosed to the public that she had come to realize that she was additionally an alcoholic. 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. The union did not last, and they divorced amicably several years later. A month after moving into the White House, Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. [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. CNN . She visited states, including Illinois, where ratification was believed to have the most realistic chance of passing. [3], Before the end of December, Ford played a role in establishing the Republican Women's Federal Forum, partnering with Barbara Bush, whose husband George H. W. Bush was chairman of the Republican National Committee at the time. During her time in the White House, she also admitted to taking Valium. 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. 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. [63], Ford's involvement in political issues received some conservative criticism. This large number of state dinners was, in part, due to great interest from foreign dignitaries in visiting the United States for a state dinner amid the United States bicentennial celebrations. Shortly after leaving the White House in 1977, at a time when alcoholism was considered a shameful topic which should never be discussed or even mentioned, the Ford family held . During his testimony, Gerald Ford was questioned about attending psychiatric care. [96], On November 18, 1991, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. Betty: A Glad Awakening. 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. Betty had a history of taking opioid painkillers for a pinched nerve since the 1960s (which is also alluded to in episode 1 of 'The First Lady'). She involved herself in the Los Angeles AIDS Project. [40], In 1985, Ford received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an annual award given by the Jefferson Awards. She died peacefully, surrounded by her family, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. Betty was 93 years old at the time of death. They married in 1948, two weeks before he was elected to his first term in Congress. But the approach was almost unheard of decades ago when the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation came to be. Thus, Michelle Obama did, in fact, receive a letter from Betty Ford soon after she moved into the White House. She studied dance under Martha Graham in New York, working as a fashion model to finance her studies. Betty White in her kitchen in Carmel, California. Bette Ford came to New York City from a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA, with big dreams . Betty Ford, whose husband, Gerald, died in December 2006, had undergone surgery for an undisclosed ailment in April 2007. Ford made the decision that year to erect a tent in the White House Rose Garden to host dinners outside. [5] At the time they married, Warren worked for his own father in insurance sales. [117], Second Lady of the United States (19731974), First Lady of the United States (19741977), Ranking in Gallup's annual poll of "Most Admired Women", Recovery from alcoholism and prescription drug addiction, Steinhauer, Jennifer (December 31, 2006). [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. [69], Among the most notable state dinners the Fords hosted was a July 7, 1976 state dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. At this point in her life, she was married to her first husband, businessman William Warren. Ford also enjoyed the traditional role as hostess of the White House and on a daily basis spent most of her energy on the family, health, and filling in for her husband on the hustings. Betty Ford may be the most famous and least known First Lady in history. The IMDb credits for the May 1 episode, "Please Allow Me," show that Thomas E. Sullivan an actor who has had recurring parts on . https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Betty_Ford&oldid=1133654245, Dubriwny, Tasha N. "Constructing breast cancer in the news: Betty Ford and the evolution of the breast cancer patient. Leadership: Theory and Practice. [3][19] Ford's health problems and the stress of her husband's career (which saw him frequently away from their household) compounded, particularly after her husband's career became even more demanding after he became House minority leader in January 1965. By her second birthday, however, she was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the city she always considered her home. [78] In June 1977, Ford was a speaker at the Arthritis Association Convention. [84], Ford published her first memoir in 1978, The Times of My Life, in which she discussed her battle with addiction. The Fords' children often also attended the dinners they hosted. AP. Thats the way I feel. Betty Ford, the outspoken and much-admired wife of President Gerald R. Ford who overcame alcoholism and an addiction to pills and helped found one of the best-known rehabilitation centers in. [3], On August 9, 1974, after the resignation of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford ascended to the position of president of the United States,[12] and Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States. That is why I loved this stuff so much. In 1965, Ford suffered a significant nervous breakdown, erupting in severe crying that had appeared inexplicable to others. 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 . [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 paused her divorce, and supported him, living at Warren's family's home for the next two years as his health recovered. . She wrote about it in her book, "A Glad Awakening." No one confronted life's struggles with more fortitude or honesty, and as a result, we all learned from the challenges she faced. When did Betty Ford die? She also fundraised for No Greater Love, in appreciation of its work benefiting Children of Vietnam War MIA and POWs. "I'm not out to rescue anybody who doesn't want to be rescued," she once said. Betty's two older brothers were Robert (d. 1971) and William Jr. After the family lived briefly in Denver, Colorado, she grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she graduated from Central High School. 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. [65] Ford decided to be open about her illness because "There had been so much cover-up during Watergate that we wanted to be sure there would be no cover-up in the Ford administration. "[10], On January 19, 1977, her last full day as first lady, Betty Ford used her training as a Martha Graham dancer to jump up on the Cabinet Room table. Her father's tragic death. Mrs. [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. He was a Bristol, Tennessee, native who had a 40-year career as a music . I got the stuff and got back to my place and did it. Throughout her post-Washington life, she established herself as one of the nation's first public advocates for women's self-examination, a prodigious fund-raiser for arthritis research, and, most important, a tireless campaigner for the rights and dignity of those afflicted with the disease of substance abuse. [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. Ford, a Republican who served in the White House from 1974 to 1977, was 93 when he passed away at . Betty Ford (1918-2011) was the wife of Gerald Ford, who was the 38th president of the United States between 1974 and 1977. [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". 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.
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