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 . Ford's transparency was praised by experts in drug abuse treatment, who predicted that it would make a major and positive impact. Betty's two older brothers were Robert (d. 1971) and . Her mother remarried, to family friend and neighbor Arthur Meigs Godwin, and Bloomer lived with them. [50] In 1974, Ford placed second in the poll. [7], When Ford herself began the process of recovering from her own alcoholism, she disclosed to the public that both her father and her brother Bob had suffered from alcoholism as well. Because the pills were prescribed by a physician, she did not believe that she had a . [69], During their final year in the White House, the Fords hosted eleven state dinners. [101], In July 2018, a statue of Ford was unveiled outside of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Betty Ford was born on April 8, 1918 and died on July 8, 2011. 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. [54] She placed first in 1975. The Fords' unlikely rise to first family started in 1973, just as they were planning on retiring from Congress. Penn State World Campus (2013). When they returned to Grand Rapids, she worked again at Herpolsheimer's, this time as the fashion coordinator. [102] After the service, Betty Ford was buried next to her husband on the museum grounds. 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. "When other women have this same operation, it doesn't make any headlines," she told Time. [3][75] She is the most recent first lady not to have done so. Most of all we wanted the state dinners to express the very best about America, particularly during the bicentennial year. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? [98] That same year, she and President Ford were given a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. [3][5], In August 1947, she was introduced by mutual friends to Gerald Ford, a lawyer and World War II veteran who had just resumed his legal practice after returning from Navy service, and was planning to run for the United States House of Representatives. [40] By late-1975, Harris found Ford to have established herself as one of America's most popular first ladies. [3] Gerald Ford was confirmed as vice president by the United States Congress on December 6, 1973, and Gerald Ford took the oath of office before a joint session of the United States Congress, placing his hand upon a bible which Betty Ford held. Among the nations that Ford accompanied her husband to were China, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia. After leaving the White House, Betty Ford publicly acknowledged her addiction to alcohol and painkillers. She worked a production line for a frozen food company in Fulton, New York. This is my problem". Betty Ford wanted to be a professional dancer She was raised by her parents William and Hortense Bloomer. The statement also declared, "I expect this treatment and fellowship to be a solution for my problems. [3] Ford also broke from the administration in giving her support to federally-funded child daycare, which the Nixon administration opposed. Ford, a Republican who served in the White House from 1974 to 1977, was 93 when he passed away at . [8][70] She found out of this upcoming dinner and her responsibility for planning it through a phone call she received within 24-hours after her husband's swearing-in as president. [53][51] Contrarily to her, while President Ford ranked in the top-10 positions of most admired men in multiple years,[56][57][58][59] he never managed to top it. [5] With her father's passing, her family lost its primary breadwinner, and her mother began working as a real estate agent to support the family. [53], In Good Housekeeping's annual readers' poll of most admired women, Ford placed second in 1974[60] and first in 1975. 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. Betty Ford was at his side. She received an award from Parsons The New School for Design in recognition of her style. Betty Ford was known as a vivacious activist for women's rights. [87] She served as chair of the board of directors. [40] In 1977, the World Almanac included Ford in its ranking of the 25 most-influential American women. 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. Gena Rowlands won both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of Ford. 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. Rancho Mirage, California, USA; Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. [76] In her remarks, Mrs. Cheney noted that July 14 would have been Gerald Ford's 98th birthday. She was 99. [38] In January 1976, Ford made a cameo appearance on the popular television program The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Ford, who during her husband's 1974-77 administration had set a new standard for White House candor by speaking openly about her breast cancer and mastectomy, brought addiction out of the closet. [34] Ford's popularity often was higher than her husband's. [76] Many of Ford's most significant contributions as an activist came following the Fords' departure from the White House. [3], Ford had an extremely busy schedule by July 1974. [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. Following her White House years, she continued to lobby for the ERA and remained active in the feminist movement. 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). Live July 9, 2011 -- Former first lady Betty Ford, whose candor about her own battles with substance abuse helped erase much of the stigma attached to addiction, has died. [25][69] Once she became first lady, it fell to Ford to arrange this already-scheduled dinner. The Fords' children often also attended the dinners they hosted. That is why I loved this stuff so much. [110], Ford's life is the focus of the 1987 ABC biographical television film The Betty Ford Story, which has a story adapted from her memoir The Times of My Life. Shortly after they married, he began to sell insurance for another company. Bloomer disliked the surname. In this statement, Ford disclosed, "I have found I am not only addicted to the medication I have been taking for my arthritis but also to alcohol". [94] The amendment did not receive enough states' ratification. In her September 4, 1974 press conference, Ford declared her support for it. But, before . [19] Ford lobbied state legislatures to ratify the amendment, and took on opponents of the amendment. [19], During a January 1984 address in Michigan to a crowd of individuals who were in the early stages of alcohol and drug dependency treatment, Ford declared that the six years since she began her treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, "have been the best years in my life from the standpoint of feeling healthier and feeling more comfortable with myself". Shortly after she decided to file for divorce, Warren fell into a coma. [103], Only a part of Betty Ford's legacy will be that of her role as first lady. [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." 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. [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. [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). [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. President Obama noted how Betty Ford "distinguished herself through her courage and compassion. [24] Ford's attendance at the funeral was, in actuality, a break from the administration. [95], Ford tackled the stigmatized issue of HIV/AIDS during the HIV/AIDS crisis. He was a Bristol, Tennessee, native who had a 40-year career as a music . In 1965, Ford suffered a significant nervous breakdown, erupting in severe crying that had appeared inexplicable to others. [83] The fact that Ford had, for years, been given tranquilizers to treat a pinched nerve in her neck, was public knowledge as far back as her time as second lady. We were proud to call her a friend.". Her candor in talking about and dealing with substance abuse and treatment helped led to an improvement in how Americans talk about such matters. [24] With her husband, as vice president, tasked with heavily campaigning on behalf of his party for the 1974 midterm elections, Ford occasionally hit the campaign trail herself. "This is not a lack of willpower, this is a disease," she said at the time. She worked with children with disabilities at the Mary Free Bed Home for Crippled Children. Her father's tragic death. In private, she triumphed over serious personal adversity. Her taboo-busting honesty about abortion, sex, gay rights, marijuana and the Equal Rights . "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. [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. Kalb shares a few things you may not know about the 38th . 12/26/2018 05:25 AM EST. In 1981, Eleanor Smeal, the National Organization for Women's president, announced Ford's appointment to be the co-chair, with Alan Alda, of the ERA Countdown Campaign. [32], Repeatedly speaking out on women's issues, Ford was a leader in the changing status of women in American society. Betty: A Glad Awakening. She died in her sleep, in her. [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 succeeded in getting sober. "But the fact that I was the wife of the President put it in headlines and brought before the public this particular experience I was going through. I got the stuff and got back to my place and did it. [3], Ford's busy life took a toll. 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. "[28] Ford ultimately became a popular and impactful first lady. Leadership: Theory and Practice. 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. If she could help women win full equal rights with men under the U.S. Constitution, Betty Ford wanted to give it her all. What many don't know is that she was also a talented modern dancer. Elizabeth Anne Ford (ne Bloomer; formerly Warren;[2] April 8, 1918 July 8, 2011) was the first lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of President Gerald Ford. She instead attended the Bennington School of Dance in Bennington, Vermont, for two summers, where she studied under director Martha Hill with choreographers Martha Graham and Hanya Holm. It amounted to as aestheticization of breast cancer and her coverage became the major discursive model for looking at all breast cancer survivors. During her stay at the White House, her dependency on these drugs seemingly dissipated. Ford was also observed as upgrading her wardrobe, adding designer clothing. [3] President Ford died, aged 93, of heart failure on December 26, 2006, at their Rancho Mirage home. At this point in her life, she was married to her first husband, businessman William Warren. [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. Betty Ford "became known for her openness and candor" (Northouse, 2013) and remained true to herself, she did not change who she was, or her core values because of her new position as First Lady. The former, then in her 90s, sent the latter a letter in 2009, shortly after Barack Obama's presidential inauguration. A mutual friend, Peg Neuman, suggested to Gerald that he should ask her out, so he called her. "[34] This reflects a common trend of American first ladies often being more popular than the presidents to which they are married. LOS ANGELES, California -- Actress Betty White passed away in her sleep on Friday, her agent has confirmed to ABC News. [53] In 1977, the year her husband left office, she placed fourth. 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. Where did Betty Ford die? [25] The first of these came only a week into Ford's presidency, hosting King Hussein of Jordan on August 16, 1974. She visited states, including Illinois, where ratification was believed to have the most realistic chance of passing. Because of her leadership, many lives were saved.". [3][5][12] They married on October 15, 1948, at Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids. [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. 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. "[69], Dishes that Ford particularly liked serving at state dinners included wild rice,[25][74] Columbia River salmon, souffl, and flamb. [105] In terms of cumulative assessment, Ford has been ranked: The 2008 Siena Research Institute survey ranked Ford the 5th-highest of the twenty 20th and 21st century First Ladies. Ford also served as the second lady of the United States from 1973 to 1974 when her husband was vice president. Ford was noted for raising breast cancer awareness following her 1974 mastectomy. Betty Ford, who died yesterday at the age of ninety-three, got married the year she turned twenty-four, to a furniture salesman who did not become the President of the United States. [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 Los Angeles lair, as well as her home in Carmel, were known to have stuffed-animal rooms. [92] In November 1981, Ford stated that Governor of Illinois James R. Thompson had not done enough in support of the ERA as well as her disappointment with First Lady Nancy Reagan not being in favor of the measure, though also relayed her hopes to change the incumbent First Lady's mind in further encounters with her. [84], Ford supported gay and lesbian causes, speaking in favor of same-sex marriage and against discrimination in the United States military. Ford, a Rancho Mirage resident who died in July 2011, had told The Desert Sun that she opposed the idea of national expansion. White's death was confirmed Friday by Jeff Witjas, her longtime agent and friend. After leaving. Born in Lake View Hospital, Betty Ford spent the first weeks of her life with her parents and brother in an apartment in the East Rogers Park suburb of Chicago, but the family shortly after relocated to Denver, Colorado. [25][26] At the first state dinner that she arranged as first lady, Ford revived dancing as an activity of White House state dinners. 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. She died Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. and her cause of death was not immediately clear. During her time in the White House, she also admitted to taking Valium. See full answer below. As the First Lady . First Lady Barbara Bush holds the medal. She served as the honorary president of the National Lupus Foundation, regarding lupus as a disease which impacted women, yet received minimal public attention. Betty was 93 years old at the time of death. "I certainly did not want it, and neither did our children. [14] The Fords would ultimately be married for the next 58 years, until Gerald Ford's death. [3], Spiro Agnew resigned as vice president on October 10, 1973. However, not everything Ford did as first lady broke tradition. She supported the equal rights amendment and the legalization of abortion. Thats the way I feel. In 2005, Ford relinquished her chair of the center's board of directors to her daughter Susan. She joined Graham's auxiliary troupe and eventually performed with the company at Carnegie Hall. 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. Since 1982 Siena College Research Institute has conducted occasional surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies according to a cumulative score on the independent criteria of their background, value to the country, intelligence, courage, accomplishments, integrity, leadership, being their own women, public image, and value to the president. No one confronted life's struggles with more fortitude or honesty, and as a result, we all learned from the challenges she faced. [19] Ford had, particularly, become addicted to prescription medication (opioid analgesics) that she had been originally prescribed in the early 1960s to treat a pinched nerve. [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. The cause given for her death was "natural. This experience has been credited with further cementing Ford's understanding of gender-based income inequalities between individuals doing the same work. "Jerry did not want this," she wrote. She was married to Gerald Ford for 58 years. It focuses on the middle school teacher Betty Ford's murder. 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. Everyone recognizes the namethanks in large part to the Betty Ford Clinic she co-founded in 1982 . 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. [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. This set a contrast with First Lady Pat Nixon, who routinely rejected invitations to give formal speeches. [3], In November 1975, it was reported by the Associated Press that Ford's husband's advisors, who had previously worried her outspoken comments would hurt him in the 1976 presidential election, were now recognizing her popularity and desiring for her to have a greater role in the campaign. [67] The spike in women self-examining after Ford went public with the diagnosis led to an increase in reported cases of breast cancer, a phenomenon known as the "Betty Ford blip". [7][36] While President Ford never attempted to silence his wife, some of his senior staff resented her independent candor. [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. [3], Ford campaigned actively both during primary elections and the general election. In public, she was one of the most visible and outspoken first ladies in history. [3], On March 12, 1974, the Fords hosted a state dinner for King Hussein of Jordan after president Nixon, with a week's notice, asked Vice President Ford to take over for him in hosting the already-scheduled state dinner. [24] The Carters would, ultimately be the Fords successors as president and first lady after Carter defeated Ford in the 1976 United States presidential election. [3][12] With her husband assuming the office of vice president, Ford became the second lady of the United States. By her second birthday, however, she was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the city she always considered her home. Phyllis Schlafly accused Ford of acting improperly by intervening in state affairs. A month after moving into the White House, Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. [40], In 1985, Ford received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an annual award given by the Jefferson Awards. "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.". "Did they dislike her? Married and divorced in her 20s, in 1947 her life changed forever when she met Gerald R. Ford. Her overall approval rating was, at times, as high as 75%. The union did not last, and they divorced amicably several years later. [11] She had, three years into the marriage, concluded that their relationship was a failure. Take a look at images from Betty Ford's years in the White House. YouTube Betty White showing off her aquarium. [61] Her active political role prompted Time to call her the country's "Fighting First Lady" and was the reason they profiled her, among several others, to represent the "American Women" as the magazine's 1975 Person of the Year. [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. Read the rest of "Betty Ford, champion of women's rights . [114], In 1975, when Time named "American women" as its "Time Person of the Year",[39] the magazine profiled Ford as one of eleven women selected to represent "American women". Ford also became involved in causes related to HIV/AIDS. [7][34][37] However, polling would show that her comments were accepted by many Americans. [33] Ford took personal credit for the appointment of Carla Anderson Hills as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Ford was the most prominent national supporter of the project. After leaving the White House, Mrs. Ford helped reduce the social stigma surrounding addiction and inspired thousands to seek much-needed treatment. Emergency responders, including police, showed up at her home Friday morning as a standard procedure. As a young girl, Betty took up dancing, which quickly became her passion. [19] Ford said, during her husband's failed 1976 presidential campaign, "I would give my life to have Jerry have my poll numbers. "[66] Her openness about her cancer and treatment raised the visibility of a disease that Americans had previously been reluctant to talk about. [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. Ford was observed audibly telling her husband "I love you" following a kiss they shared right after he was sworn in as president. 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. [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. "[19], Ford avidly supported the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. Days later, Ford also disclosed to the public that she had come to realize that she was additionally an alcoholic. In addition, she was a passionate supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). After leaving the White House in 1977, Ford continued to lead an active public life. The march was led by prominent feminist leaders, including Ford, Bella Abzug, Elizabeth Chittick, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. [53] The poll gauges Americans' most admired men and women without providing respondents any pre-arranged list of names. Ford reads her husband's 1976 presidential concession speech to the press. ", Gould, Lewis L. "Modern first ladies in historical perspective. They married in 1948, two weeks before he was elected to his first term in Congress. In fact, when Mrs . But the main point was, it was best for the country.". Photos of this moment were published widely in the American press, resulting in Betty Ford somewhat upstaging President Ford in the press. 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. Hortense and William married on November 9, 1904, in Chicago. She was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal as a co-recipient with President Ford in 1998. Ford had believed it to be of great importance for the administration to show an expression of direct concern pertaining to the assassination, while Nixon's staff disagreed with her. [61][33] Ford utilized phone calls, letter-writing, and telegrams as means of lobbying in support of the ERA. Tennessee Ernie Ford, as he came to be known, was an ordinary man but his overwhelming success later led to his downfall. That same year, People named Ford one of the three most intriguing people in America. She successfully lobbied her husband to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to choreographer and dancer Martha Graham in 1976. 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. [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". "Ford. "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. July 12, 2011 [63], Ford's involvement in political issues received some conservative criticism. [3][5][6] While she was still in high school, she started her own dance school, instructing both youth and adults. [22] Two days later, on October 12, 1973, President Richard Nixon nominated Gerald Ford to serve as vice president. This response proved effective in killing the speculation that she was covering-up her past, and earned her some admiration in the media. 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