She was married to Gerald Ford for 58 years. She supported the equal rights amendment and the legalization of abortion. [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. [3] Following her husband's death, Ford continued to live in Rancho Mirage. [34] Ford's popularity often was higher than her husband's. [7][30] Ford regarded Roosevelt a role model. Betty Ford wanted to be a professional dancer She also was completely unpretentious. This meant that Gerald Ford was away from home for roughly half the year, placing a great burden on Ford to raise their children. After leaving the White House, Mrs. Ford helped reduce the social stigma surrounding addiction and inspired thousands to seek much-needed treatment. Thus, Michelle Obama did, in fact, receive a letter from Betty Ford soon after she moved into the White House. 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 . [9][10] He died the day before his 60th birthday. [71] As previously mentioned, the Fords had hosted a state dinner for King Hussein months earlier, during Gerald Ford's vice presidency, on March 12, 1974, after president Nixon asked then-Vice President Ford to take over for him in hosting a planned dinner for the King. I embrace it, not only for me, but all the many others who are here to participate." She drew boos from demonstrators against the Equal Rights Amendment in stating, "This exhibit about neglected Americans should give us strength and courage to seek equal rights for women today."[64]. Ford, a Rancho Mirage resident who died in July 2011, had told The Desert Sun that she opposed the idea of national expansion. [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. She also, ultimately agreed to attend rehab at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Long Beach, California. After leaving. Read the rest of "Betty Ford, champion of women's rights . [18], Ford served as a parent-teacher association member, Sunday school teacher at Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, and a Cub Scout "den mother". I took that first hit and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced. At the time Betty Ford, the wife of former President Gerald Ford, was one of the most admired women in the United States. Los Angeles: Sage Publications. She was 93. Ford also became involved in causes related to HIV/AIDS. Ford assisted in fundraising for the little-known Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, D.C., whose patients were predominantly African American. His wife, Betty, was the first lady during this time period. The week she entered rehab, Ford disclosed her addiction to prescription medication. She joined Graham's auxiliary troupe and eventually performed with the company at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Also, as a tireless advocate for women's rights and social justice, she helped to improve the lives and opportunities of countless women and children.". She worked with children with disabilities at the Mary Free Bed Home for Crippled Children. "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. He was a Bristol, Tennessee, native who had a 40-year career as a music . That is why I loved this stuff so much. "And if they'd asked me that I would have told them," she said, adding that her response would be, "As often as possible. I did not know at the time what was going on. Watch the video to find out if Betty White died in her sleep.#BettyWhite #RIP #CelebNewsRead Full Article: https://www.nickiswift.com/722297/did-betty-white-. By not being the "political wife" of self-sacrificing legend, she both reflected and advanced public views about women in politics. ", Gould, Lewis L. "Modern first ladies in historical perspective. [22] Two days later, on October 12, 1973, President Richard Nixon nominated Gerald Ford to serve as vice president. In his remarks at his inauguration, Gerald Ford remarked, "I am indebted to no man and only one woman, my dear wife, Betty, as I begin this very difficult job. "Ford. [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. The first lady helped the nation restore its faith in the presidency following the Watergate scandal, once saying she wanted the White House to sing again. [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. Betty Ford Biography Betty Ford, the United States' first lady, was born on April 8, 1918. For state dinners held using this tent, the receptions, entertainment, and dancing portions of the evenings were still held inside of the White House. In 1965, Ford suffered a significant nervous breakdown, erupting in severe crying that had appeared inexplicable to others. As was the case during Gerald Ford's vice presidential swearing-in, Betty Ford held the bible upon which he placed his hand while taking his oath of office. 9 min read. Her father's tragic death. [3] The campaign made a deliberate effort, ahead of the 1976 Republican National Convention, of sending Ford to liberal and moderate-leaning states and not more conservative states in the western and southern United States. [103], Only a part of Betty Ford's legacy will be that of her role as first lady. The Fords' unlikely rise to first family started in 1973, just as they were planning on retiring from Congress. In December 1999, he told interviewer Larry King that he, too, was pro-abortion rights and had been criticized for that stance by conservative forces within the Republican Party. [21] During her time as first lady, there had even been some speculation about substance abuse by friends and members of the press who observed occasional slurred speech from Ford. The state dinners that Ford planned as first lady made a deliberate effort to showcase American ingredients. Nor did she address her relationship with alcohol, which she, at the time, believed was typical consumption. 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. Betty Ford, the former first lady whose triumph over drug and alcohol addiction became a beacon of hope for addicts and the inspiration for her Betty Ford Center in California, died at age. They married in 1948, two weeks before he was elected to his first term in Congress. During his testimony, Gerald Ford was questioned about attending psychiatric care. [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. Poor health and increasing frailty due to operations in August 2006 and April 2007 for blood clots in her legs caused her to largely curtail her public life. [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. 12/26/2018 05:25 AM EST. [40], In 1985, Ford received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an annual award given by the Jefferson Awards. The Nixons had previously removed dancing from the state dinners during Nixon's presidency. [5] At the time they married, Warren worked for his own father in insurance sales. [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. As a young girl, Betty took up dancing, which quickly became her passion. For more, click here: http://abcn.ws/BettyFordRIP [15] An anecdote that was later reported was that, when Gerald Ford left Grand Rapids for Washington, D.C., Betty Ford's new sister-in-law Janet Ford remarked to her, "with Jerry, you'll never have to worry about other women. Ford made the decision that year to erect a tent in the White House Rose Garden to host dinners outside. JAKE TAPPER, KATIE HINMAN and MARTHA RADDATZ, founder of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction. [3], Ford filmed an interview with the television news program 60 Minutes which was broadcast on August 10, 1975. Betty developed a passion for dance at an early age. One day in 1934, when she was 16, Betty came home and her father, a traveling salesman who had recently lost his job, had. While her death is a cause for sadness, we know that organizations such as the Betty Ford Center will honor her legacy by giving countless Americans a new lease on life. [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. You see, Betty (played on The First Lady by Michelle Pfeiffer and Kristine Froseth) was married to William before she wed former President Gerald Ford (Aaron Eckhart). Her taboo-busting honesty about abortion, sex, gay rights, marijuana and the Equal Rights . Betty Ford: Abortion is NOT a Partisan Issue - WCLA - Choice Matters Coming of age when Betty Ford and her husband found themselves accidental occupants of the White House, all I knew of Betty Ford was that she had big hair, and, subsequently, breast cancer and addiction issues. [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. "[34] This reflects a common trend of American first ladies often being more popular than the presidents to which they are married. ", President George H.W. [19] Ford lobbied state legislatures to ratify the amendment, and took on opponents of the amendment. 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. As First Lady of the United States from 1974-1977, Betty Ford was known for her candor. [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). This prospect elated Ford. [99] On May 8, 2003, Ford received the Woodrow Wilson Award in Los Angeles for her public service, awarded by the Woodrow Wilson Center of the Smithsonian Institution. And I loved pills. [24] Ford's attendance at the funeral was, in actuality, a break from the administration. [116] She also received that year's "Commitment to Life Award" from the Los Angeles AIDS Project. By her second birthday, however, she was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the city she always considered her home. [3] As a mother, Ford never spanked or hit her children, believing that there were better, more constructive ways to deal with discipline and punishment. Because of her leadership, many lives were saved.". [32] On September 4, 1974, weeks after becoming first lady, Ford conducted press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in which she remarked that she, "would like to be remembered in a very kind way; also as a constructive wife of a president. Former first lady Betty Ford has died at the age of 93. Article continues below advertisement. The march was led by prominent feminist leaders, including Ford, Bella Abzug, Elizabeth Chittick, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. 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] After the interview aired, a number of Ford's remarks in this interview on hot-button issues generated particularly immense media attention. However, she abused these prescriptions, regularly taking many more pills than prescribed. "Competing conceptions of the first ladyship: Public responses to Betty Ford's 60 Minutes interview. She became well known for her openness. She studied dance at the Calla Travis Dance Studio, graduating in 1935. [3], During the primaries, Ford recorded radio advertisements on behalf of the campaign that were broadcast in New Hampshire. President Obama noted how Betty Ford "distinguished herself through her courage and compassion. She died peacefully, surrounded by her family, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. "[69], Dishes that Ford particularly liked serving at state dinners included wild rice,[25][74] Columbia River salmon, souffl, and flamb. [19] Ford said, during her husband's failed 1976 presidential campaign, "I would give my life to have Jerry have my poll numbers. Betty Ford was born on April 8, 1918 and died on July 8, 2011. Betty Ford, or Elizabeth Anne Ford, was the wife of the 38th U.S. president, Gerald Ford, and thus the First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977. Despite her advanced age and own frail physical condition, Ford traveled across the country and took part in the funeral events in California, Washington, D.C., and Michigan. After leaving the White House, Betty Ford publicly acknowledged her addiction to alcohol and painkillers. Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States when her husband, Gerald Ford, assumed the office following President Richard Nixon's resignation. [68], As First Lady, Ford was an advocate of the arts. [69], During their final year in the White House, the Fords hosted eleven state dinners. [20] Such talk was due to Gerald Ford, following the Republican Party's failure to win a majority in the 1972 United States House of Representatives elections, seeing it as unlikely that he would ever fulfill his ambition of becoming speaker of the House. Later that day, President Ford was caught momentarily patting Betty's buttocks before the press gathered outside of their Virginia residence. Her candor in talking about and dealing with substance abuse and treatment helped led to an improvement in how Americans talk about such matters. Gerald Ford: Gerald Ford was president of the United States between 1974 and 1977. LOS ANGELES (AP) Betty White, whose saucy, up-for-anything charm made her a television mainstay for more than 60 years, whether as a man-crazy TV hostess on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" or the loopy housemate on "The Golden Girls," has died. [7], Ford supported numerous charities as first lady. 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 wrote about it in her book, "A Glad Awakening." [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. [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. Gerald and Betty Ford with Richard and Pat Nixon as the latter depart the White House in disgrace on August 9, 1974. As our nation's first lady, she was a powerful advocate for women's health and women's rights. As the First Lady . She became an advocate for breast cancer research and early detection. Her coverage minimized the complexity of breast cancer as a disease and ignored the debates surrounding best treatment practices. Phyllis Schlafly accused Ford of acting improperly by intervening in state affairs. But the approach was almost unheard of decades ago when the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation came to be. [54] She placed first in 1975. The LA County death . After her pinched nerve, she began suffering several effects, including muscle spasms, periphrasic neuropathy, numbing the left side of her neck, and arthritis on her shoulder and arm. [66], According to Tasha N. Dubriwny, the massive media coverage of Ford's mastectomy was constrained by stereotypical gender roles, particularly the need for breast cancer patients to maintain their femininity. Best known for her leadership in the founding of the Betty Ford Clinic in California to treat addiction. No one confronted life's struggles with more fortitude or honesty, and as a result, we all learned from the challenges she faced. This experience has been credited with further cementing Ford's understanding of gender-based income inequalities between individuals doing the same work. In 1978, the Ford family staged an intervention, and forced Betty to confront her addition to alcohol and pain pills. One of the major strengths of authentic leadership is that it fulfills and expressed need for trustworthy leadership in society. She studied dance under Martha Graham in New York, working as a fashion model to finance her studies. By February 1948 the couple was engaged to be married. Because she suffered, there will be more healing. During her stay at the White House, her dependency on these drugs seemingly dissipated. In fact, when Mrs . [27], In June 1974, Ford represented the Nixon administration by attending the funeral of Alberta Williams King, the assassinated mother of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Other Nixon administration official figures did not attend, continuing with other obligations. [53], In Good Housekeeping's annual readers' poll of most admired women, Ford placed second in 1974[60] and first in 1975. She received an award from Parsons The New School for Design in recognition of her style. The official cause of death was listed as carbon monoxide poisoning despite the garage door being open, but Betty acknowledged later in her life that her father very likely died by suicide. Betty Ford Birthday and Date of Death. [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. [7], In May 1975, during a four-day trip,[62] Ford met with former Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam Nguyn Cao K to discuss Southeast Asia refugees. Ford had declared that she would be accompanying her husband at campaign functions, "when he wants me to. The Washington Post reported that Ford's disclosure of alcoholism came as a surprise to a number of Ford's close friends, who had regarded her as merely a social drinker and were oblivious to her drinking problem. Her own battle with breast cancer led to her advocacy for early breast cancer detection. This dinner was part of the American bicentennial celebrations, and was held in tents on the South Lawn of the White House. "When other women have this same operation, it doesn't make any headlines," she told Time. [41], The Fords were among the more openly affectionate first couples in United States history. John Robert Greene. [3], During the campaign, many Ford supporters wore campaign buttons with phrases like "Betty's Husband for President in '76" and "Keep Betty in the White House". [50] In 1974, Ford placed second in the poll. [3], During her and President Ford's later years together, they resided in Rancho Mirage and in Beaver Creek, Colorado. TMZ was the first to report the news.. A cerebrovascular accident, commonly known as a stroke, is a loss of blood flow to part of the brain, which damages brain tissue. Asked about her illness, she said, "I'm very glad that I brought cancer to the forefront.". She also organized her own dance group and taught dance at various sites in Grand Rapids, including the Calla Travis Dance Studio. [25][26] The dinner was held in the John Quincy Adam's Drawing Room, one of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the United States Department of State headquarters at the Harry S Truman Building. The union did not last, and they divorced amicably several years later. Following her White House years, she continued to lobby for the ERA and remained active in the feminist movement. Ford also, in a television interview with Barbara Walters, expressed her support for the United States Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision ruling abortion as constitutionally protected. Afterwards, Ford stated she was impressed with the conduct of the refugees. It was something the couple neither expected or wanted, Betty Ford recalled in her memoirs. This is the autobiographical story of the addiction and recovery of former First Lady Betty Bloomer Ford, wife of US President Gerald R. Ford. Because the pills were prescribed by a physician, she did not believe that she had a . Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Bloomer Ford was the widow of former United States President Gerald R. Ford and served as the First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977. [35] The New York News Service wrote that Ford was, "constitutionally incapable of uttering 'no comment' or otherwise fudging an answer.". 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. She briefly continued her studies with Graham in New York City until close family ties took her back to Grand Rapids in 1941. [53] The poll gauges Americans' most admired men and women without providing respondents any pre-arranged list of names. [33], Steinhauer of The New York Times described Ford as "a product and symbol of the cultural and political timesdoing the Bump dance along the corridors of the White House, donning a mood ring, chatting on her CB radio with the handle First Mamaa housewife who argued passionately for equal rights for women, a mother of four who mused about drugs, abortion and premarital sex aloud and without regret. It focuses on the middle school teacher Betty Ford's murder. ", Gregory Knight, Myra. . Ford has consistently ranked among the top-nine most highly assessed first ladies in these surveys. She joined Graham's auxiliary troupe and eventually performed with the company at Carnegie Hall. "In terms of the White House atmosphere, there's no doubt that Mrs. Ford wanted to, in her own words, let open the windows," said Richard Norton Smith, a presidential historian and one of the eulogists at the funeral for President Ford. 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. Gerald and Betty Ford on their wedding day, October 15, 1948 In 1947 a friend introduced her to Gerald R. Ford, Jr., a young lawyer who had served as Navy lieutenant during World War II. This led her to seek psychiatric assistance. Betty Ford, whose husband, Gerald, died in December 2006, had undergone surgery for an undisclosed ailment in April 2007. [95], Ford tackled the stigmatized issue of HIV/AIDS during the HIV/AIDS crisis. [19] The use of Ford in such a manner to promote her husband's candidacy was not the work of the campaign itself, but rather, produced by supporters outside of the campaign organization. [72][73], Of the state dinners she planned, Ford said, "From the beginning, Jerry and I tried to make the White House a place where people could have fun and enjoy themselves. Ford was born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in 1918 in Chicago, Illinois, the third child and only daughter of Hortense (ne Neahr; 1884 - 1948) and William Stephenson Bloomer Sr. (1874 - 1934), who was a traveling salesman for Royal Rubber Co. She was called Betty as a child.. Hortense and William married on November 9, 1904, in Chicago. 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". In the opinion of The New York Times and several presidential historians, "Mrs. Ford's impact on American culture may be far wider and more lasting than that of her husband, who served a mere 896 days, much of it spent trying to restore the dignity of the office of the president. Her role as a public health advocate distinguishes her as one of the most influential women of the latter part of the twentieth century.[104]. White's death was confirmed Friday by Jeff Witjas, her longtime agent and friend. Rancho Mirage, California, USA; Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. She was also outspoken on women's rights issues. Shortly after they married, he began to sell insurance for another company. A month after Betty Ford died, the Sun admonished the center in a strongly worded editorial headlined "Betty Ford Center, family must heal to heal others." The paper questioned the. At the time Betty was struggling she needed to report to a rehab facility but at the time they catered to men. She worked a production line for a frozen food company in Fulton, New York. She continued to serve as Chairman-Emeritus of the Betty Ford Center and enjoyed her role as grandmother and great-grandmother to her still-growing family. Fellow first lady Nancy Reagan also was "deeply saddened" by the news. Betty Ford may be the most famous and least known First Lady in history. Ford also publicly expressed admiration and friendship toward First Lady Pat Nixon. [3] At one point, Ford disclosed to the public that her husband had previously promised her that he would retire from the House of Representatives in 1976 in order to return to private legal practice and dedicate more time to his family. Betty Ford was a former First Lady of the United States (August 9th, 1974 - January 20th, 1977). [3][19] Ford also posed for newspaper publicity photographs and was a clothing model for charity fashion shows, after a Republican had urged her to do so since they felt that Democratic Party spouses had far outnumbered Republican spouses in such publicity-generating activity. Mrs. Betty Ford began taking prescription pain killers in the 1960s for a pinched nerve. She was also the Second Lady of the United States from 1973 to 1974, when Ford served as the 40th U.S. vice president. [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. She paused her divorce, and supported him, living at Warren's family's home for the next two years as his health recovered. [21], Both Betty and Gerald Ford refuse to comment on speculation that President Nixon might be forced out of office due to the Watergate scandal. [3][5][12] They married on October 15, 1948, at Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids. Ford was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George H. W. Bush in 1991. The cause given for her death was "natural. Days later, Ford also disclosed to the public that she had come to realize that she was additionally an alcoholic. After leaving the White House in 1977, Ford continued to lead an active public life. Betty Ford. July 12, 2011 What many don't know is that she was also a talented modern dancer. Psychiatric care n't make any headlines, '' she told time husband 's death, continued. Many others who are here to participate. an improvement in how Americans talk about such matters 19! 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