"[66] Her openness about her cancer and treatment raised the visibility of a disease that Americans had previously been reluctant to talk about. Magazines such as Vogue and Ladies Home Journal were planning to publish spreads on Ford in upcoming issues. Ford was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George H. W. Bush in 1991. [7][36] While President Ford never attempted to silence his wife, some of his senior staff resented her independent candor. [24] However, by the spring of 1974, Ford was seen as embracing her position as second lady, becoming less reclusive and more active. [14] The Fords would ultimately be married for the next 58 years, until Gerald Ford's death. "[23], The media "broke" the story that Ford had a previous marriage and had been divorced, initially reporting it as a secret revelation. Stay tuned to our website for additional information. [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. In fact, when Mrs . First Lady Betty Ford held her first official press conference in the State Dining Room on September 4, 1974. White's death was confirmed Friday by Jeff Witjas, her longtime agent and friend. "Ford. Ford reads her husband's 1976 presidential concession speech to the press. Take a look at images from Betty Ford's years in the White House. [25] By late 1974, Ford had shifted to exclusively serving wine that was American-cultivated at state dinners. ", Gould, Lewis L. "Modern first ladies in historical perspective. Your cross will be his work. Ford with other U.S. First Ladies at the November 1991 opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. 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. Since the 1960s, even before she was the first lady, Betty took prescription opioid painkillers for a pinched nerve and severe arthritic pain. Ford has consistently ranked among the top-nine most highly assessed first ladies in these surveys. [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. [3] Following her husband's death, Ford continued to live in Rancho Mirage. Ford will be buried alongside her husband, the former president, at his library in Grand Rapids, Mich., she added. 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. develop an addiction to prescription medication, 1974 United States House of Representatives election, 1972 United States House of Representatives elections, joint session of the United States Congress, Ford filmed an interview with the television news program, National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam, List of state dinners in the United States, wine from the Fords' home state of Michigan, discrimination in the United States military, List of breast cancer patients according to occupation, List of first ladies of the United States, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, "Betty Ford Dies at Age 93; A Look Back on the Former First Lady", "Betty Ford, Again Putting On a Brave Face", "Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum", "The 38th First Lady: not a robot at all", "Betty Ford, Former First Lady, Dies at 93", "Betty's life changed dramatically once she became", "Friends Asking: 'Is There A New Betty Ford? She involved herself in the Los Angeles AIDS Project. Afterwards, Ford stated she was impressed with the conduct of the refugees. LR: Nancy Reagan, Ladybird Johnson , Hillary Clinton, Rosalyn Carter, Ford, Barbara Bush, The Fords post for a photograph with three other U.S. first couples (George H. W. and Barbara Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter) during at the 2000 White House Historical Association Dinner, Ford attends a National Press Club event in 2001, The Fords with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the White House in 2003 at a celebration President Ford's 90th birthday, Ford and her husband at a June 2005 Gerald R. Ford Foundation dinner, Betty Ford with her husband and President George W. Bush on April 23, 2006, Ford leans over President Ford's coffin during memorial services for him held December 30, 2006 in the United States Capitol rotunda as part of the his state funeral, Ford being escorted by Army Major General Guy C. Swan III during a portion of the state funeral of her late husband, Betty Ford died of natural causes on July 8, 2011, three months after her 93rd birthday, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. "I just think it's important to say how easy it is to slip into a dependency on pills or alcohol, and how hard it is to admit that dependency.". [38] In January 1976, Ford made a cameo appearance on the popular television program The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Thats the way I feel. . Her candor in talking about and dealing with substance abuse and treatment helped led to an improvement in how Americans talk about such matters. As a young girl, Betty took up dancing, which quickly became her passion. 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. [3], Ford had an extremely busy schedule by July 1974. In 1982, she co-founded the Betty Ford Center in California. 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. I did not know at the time what was going on. In an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes," she talked about marijuana, equal rights for women, abortion and the possibility of a premarital affair for her daughter, Susan. However, not everything Ford did as first lady broke tradition. Betty's two older brothers were Robert (d. 1971) and . Where did Betty Ford die? Among the nations that Ford accompanied her husband to were China, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia. She worked with children with disabilities at the Mary Free Bed Home for Crippled Children. Ford also became involved in causes related to HIV/AIDS. In the 1950s Bette Ford turned heads and raised eyebrows when she became a model-actress-bullfighter. Betty" (2013). During her life she helped change the way Americans think and talk about breast cancer, women's rights and substance abuse. The union did not last, and they divorced amicably several years later. She joined Graham's auxiliary troupe and eventually performed with the company at Carnegie Hall. 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. Ford's transparency was praised by experts in drug abuse treatment, who predicted that it would make a major and positive impact. 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. Most of all we wanted the state dinners to express the very best about America, particularly during the bicentennial year. Warters, T. Alissa. That same year, she joined First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson and Rosalynn Carter to open and participate in the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas, where she endorsed measures in the convention's National Plan of Action, a report sent to the state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, and the President on how to improve the status of American women. [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. What many don't know is that she was also a talented modern dancer. A mutual friend, Peg Neuman, suggested to Gerald that he should ask her out, so he called her. [109], In 2021, Zogby Analytics conducted a poll in which a sample of the American public was asked to assess the greatness of twelve First Ladies from Jacqueline Kennedy onwards. [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'm sure I've saved at least one personmaybe more. [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. [54] She placed first in 1975. [96], On November 18, 1991, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. However, even after this, Ford continued with her planned campaign schedule. She was the wife of President Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States. In 1964, a pinched nerve on the left side of Ford's neck sent her to the hospital for two weeks. [21] Ford would, ultimately, for most of the nine months she was second lady, be a high-profile public figure. [4], In 1926, when she was eight years old, her mother, who valued social graces, enrolled her in the Calla Travis Dance Studio in Grand Rapids, where Ford was taught ballet, tap dancing, and modern movement. She also fundraised for No Greater Love, in appreciation of its work benefiting Children of Vietnam War MIA and POWs. 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'). [95], Ford tackled the stigmatized issue of HIV/AIDS during the HIV/AIDS crisis. She knew the name from his . This video contains excerpts from the second ha. The American public ranked Ford as the eighth-greatest among these first ladies. President Richard Nixon selected Gerald Ford to serve as his vice president after the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew. [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." In attendance were former president Bill Clinton, former vice president Dick Cheney and former first lady Barbara Bush. As a supporter of abortion rights and a leader in the women's rights movement, she gained fame as one of the most candid first ladies in history, commenting on the hot-button issues of the time, such as feminism, equal pay, the Equal Rights Amendment, sex, drugs, abortion, and gun control. ", President George H.W. [3][5][6] While she was still in high school, she started her own dance school, instructing both youth and adults. "Betty was a remarkable woman whose legacy will live on in people around the country whose lives are longer and better because of her work. The cause of Betty Ford's death was never disclosed. The cause given for her death was "natural. "Ford and Ford" in Scott Kaufman, ed. [5] At the age of 14, she began modeling clothes and teaching children popular dances, such as the foxtrot, waltz, and big apple, to earn money in the wake of the Great Depression. In private, she triumphed over serious personal adversity. By her second birthday, however, she was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the city she always considered her home. [5], In 1936, after graduating from high school, Bloomer proposed continuing her study of dance in New York City, but her mother refused on account of the relatively recent loss of her husband. But the main point was, it was best for the country.". This experience has been credited with further cementing Ford's understanding of gender-based income inequalities between individuals doing the same work. Ford's family has traveled to California and expects to arrange a service in Palm Springs soon, Barbara Lewandrowski, a family spokeswoman, told The Associated Press. "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. Betty Ford died in 2011 at age 93, having overcome her addictions and founding the Betty Ford Center in 1982 to help other addicts recover. [3] Ford remarked, "I agree with the Supreme Courts ruling. 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. One of the major strengths of authentic leadership is that it fulfills and expressed need for trustworthy leadership in society. 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. After being accepted by Graham as a student in 1940, Bloomer moved to New York to live in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood; she worked as a fashion model for the John Robert Powers firm in order to finance her dance studies. [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. [19], In March 1977, Ford signed with NBC News to appear in two news specials within the following two years along with contributing to Today,[77] and jointly signed with her husband to write their memoirs. [3] President Ford died, aged 93, of heart failure on December 26, 2006, at their Rancho Mirage home. Gena Rowlands won both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of Ford. Betty Ford was at his side. It amounted to as aestheticization of breast cancer and her coverage became the major discursive model for looking at all breast cancer survivors. [3][5][12] They married on October 15, 1948, at Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids. We were proud to know her. Betty Ford was known as a vivacious activist for women's rights. White House photographer David Hume Kennerly took a photo of her on the table. [16], The Fords lived in Washington, D.C. after his election, until the spring of 1955, when the Fords moved into a house they constructed in the D.C. suburb of Alexandria, Virginia. [3], Ford was also used, both by Ford supporters and detractors, as a symbol of liberal Republicanism, with her politics contrasting with the Republican Party's conservative and moderate wings. By not being the "political wife" of self-sacrificing legend, she both reflected and advanced public views about women in politics. LOS ANGELES, California -- Actress Betty White passed away in her sleep on Friday, her agent has confirmed to ABC News. [37] Ford ultimately played an important role in the 1976 election campaign. [3] It was never confirmed whether his death had been accidental or a suicide. Ford made campaign appearances and delivered speeches across the United States. [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. [3] Ford also volunteered for local charitable organizations, including serving as the program director of the Alexandria Cancer Fund Drive. The November 12, 1974 state dinner for Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky saw the first instance in which a wine from the Fords' home state of Michigan was served at a White House state dinner, with wine from the Tabor Hill Winery being served. On August 9, 1974, Betty Bloomer Ford was thrust onto the world stage when her . Gerald and Betty Ford with Richard and Pat Nixon as the latter depart the White House in disgrace on August 9, 1974. [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. [63], Ford's involvement in political issues received some conservative criticism. [3], As she had previously been with her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, Ford was transparent with the public about her addictions and admittance to rehab. (National Archives Identifier 187012) Ford was observed audibly telling her husband "I love you" following a kiss they shared right after he was sworn in as president. Betty underwent a radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital and inadvertently destigmatized breast cancer by addressing her illness publicly during a White House press conference. She died Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. and her cause of death was not immediately clear. [99] In 2003, Ford was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Award by the Woodrow Wilson Center of the Smithsonian Institution. Her father's tragic death. [3][12] With her husband assuming the office of vice president, Ford became the second lady of the United States. [7][38][37], In 1975, when Time named the "American women" as its "Person of the Year",[39] the magazine profiled Ford as one of eleven women selected to represent "American women". Betty Ford Biography Betty Ford, the United States' first lady, was born on April 8, 1918. [7][30] Ford regarded Roosevelt a role model. Gerald Ford was in the middle of his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. "Jerry did not want this," she wrote. When they returned to Grand Rapids, she worked again at Herpolsheimer's, this time as the fashion coordinator. But the approach was almost unheard of decades ago when the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation came to be. "She was Jerry Ford's strength through some very difficult days in our country's history, and I admired her courage in facing and sharing her personal struggles with all of us. Betty Ford (1918-2011) was the wife of Gerald Ford, who was the 38th president of the United States between 1974 and 1977. We were proud to call her a friend.". The Nixons had previously removed dancing from the state dinners during Nixon's presidency. [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). Days later, Ford also disclosed to the public that she had come to realize that she was additionally an alcoholic. Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States when her husband, Gerald Ford, assumed the office following President Richard Nixon's resignation. [3][19] Ford registered herself at the hospital on April 11, 1978. 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. During the general election, her busy campaign activity saw the reigniting of her pinched nerve. ", President Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who succeeded the Fords in the White House, recalled "a close personal friend and our frequent partner in bipartisan efforts to improve mental health and substance abuse care in our nation. . AP. 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. Rancho Mirage, California, USA; Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. Asked about her illness, she said, "I'm very glad that I brought cancer to the forefront.". [19] In her 1987 memoir she reflected on these addictions, writing, "I liked alcohol, it made me feel warm. Read the rest of "Betty Ford, champion of women's rights . She was 93 years old when she died. At this point in her life, she was married to her first husband, businessman William Warren. Jacqueline Kennedy, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford all smoked cigarettes but were never photographed doing so. She regularly drove her children around to their activities, such as her sons' Little League Baseball games and her daughter's dance classes. In her September 4, 1974 press conference, Ford declared her support for it. "Did they dislike her? [3][20] However, notably, Ford had not managed to address her increasing prescription pain medication dependency, which sometimes saw her taking as many as twenty pills in a single day. [79] In September of that year, Ford traveled to Moscow for a television program taping and to serve as hostess for The Nutcracker. Ford would become the 38th president of the United States. Ford had declared that she would be accompanying her husband at campaign functions, "when he wants me to. She also co-authored with Chris Chase a book about her treatment, Betty: A Glad Awakening (1987). "[7], Betty and Gerald Ford had four children together: Michael Gerald Ford (born 1950), John Gardner Ford (nicknamed Jack; born 1952), Steven Meigs Ford (born 1956), and Susan Elizabeth Ford (born 1957). After leaving the White House, Betty Ford publicly acknowledged her addiction to alcohol and painkillers. Following her White House years, she continued to lobby for the ERA and remained active in the feminist movement. [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. [115] That same year, Ford received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, presented by her husband, President Gerald Ford, an Academy Awards Council member. All the way there I was telling myself how it would not change anything. 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