Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the U.S., appears as a center for the University of Michigan in 1934. Born July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Neb., he grew up in Grand Rapids and attended University of Michigan and Yale Law School. After service in the Navy during World War II, he settled down into a law practice in Grand Rapids.

Rep. Gerald Ford, R-Mich., left, presents information to be used in investigations to Rep. John S. Wood, D-Ga., chairman of the House Unamerican Activities Committee, in Wood's office, Jan. 11, 1952. Rep. Charles E. Potter, R-Mich., member of the committee, is center. Mr. Ford spent 25 years in Congress before becoming vice president.

House Republican leader Gerald Ford of Michigan displays a huge gavel as he presided over a news conference with other House Republican leaders, Sept. 18, 1968. The group placed great emphasis on winning control of the House in the November election, but also stressed the importance of gaining a majority in at least 26 states. Mr. Ford said the gavel had been presented to him at a meeting in Iowa.

Rep. Gerald Ford, R-Mich., is shown in an August 1964 photo as he served as a member of the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Ford says he was doing nothing more than making a few changes in the interest of clarity and precision when he changed a key sentence describing where a bullet struck Kennedy.

Rep. Gerald Ford, R-Mich., and his wife Betty, pose with President Nixon and first lady Pat Nixon at the White House on Oct. 12, 1973, after Nixon named Mr. Ford as his choice for vice president. He was the first vice president chosen under the terms of the 25th Amendment.

Vice President Gerald Ford meets with reporters outside his home in Alexandria, Va., August 9, 1974, after President Nixon announced that he would resign. Ford was sworn in at noon the next day in the White House as the nation's 38th president.

President Ford, center, poses with his family in the White House's Oval Office after he was sworn in as president on Aug. 9, 1974. Seen from left are: son John Ford, son Steven Ford, first lady Betty Ford, the president, daughter Susan Ford, daughter-in-law Gayle Ford with husband Michael Ford.

President Gerald Ford signs a document granting former President Richard M. Nixon "a full, free and absolute pardon" for all "offenses against the United States" during the period of his presidency. Ford signed the document Sunday morning, Sept. 8, 1974, in his White House office.

President Gerald Ford eats a meal with his daughter Susan in his Alexandria, Va., home during the first week of his administration in this Aug. 11, 1974, photo. Ford, who wanted to eliminate the trappings of an "imperial" presidency, made a point of being photographed in everyday settings.

President Ford and first lady Betty Ford pose with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip outside the North Portico of the White House in Washington on July 7, 1976. The Fords were hosting a state dinner for the Queen of England in the executive mansion.

President Gerald Ford shakes hands with Leonid Brezhnev Nov. 24, 1974, after the Soviet leader tried on Ford's fur coat in Vladivostov, just prior to the two leaders' formal meeting.

President Ford lands on his hands, June 1, 1975, after slipping and falling on a wet ramp while deplaning Air Force One in Salzburg, Austria. A military aide grabs the president to help break the fall. The president's wife, Betty, is at left.

President Ford ducks behind his limousine and is hustled into the vehicle after a shot was fired as he left the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, Sept. 22, 1975. The President was rushed to the airport to return to Washington. This was the second attempt on his life. On Sept. 5, 1975, Lynnette Fromme attempted to assassinate Mr. Ford with a gun outside the California Capitol.

President Ford, right, gestures Aug. 26, 1976, as he introduces his campaign team to newsmen in Vail, Colo. At left, is Richard Cheney, White House chief of staff, and center, is Jim Baker, chairman of the Ford election committee.

President Ford and actor John Wayne move through a crowd estimated at 23,000 at Fountain Valley, Calif., Oct. 24, 1976. The community is in conservative Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles. The president who succeeded Nixon is now seeking a full term of his own.

Two days before he leaves office, President and Mrs. Ford pause in their packing at the White House, on Jan. 19, 1977, for a moment together. On Nov. 3, Mr. Ford had lost the election to Jimmy Carter.

Bob Hope and former President Ford chat together at the first tee at Moore Park Golf Course in England, on Sept. 24, 1981, prior to driving off in the Bob Hope Classic. Thirteen of the last 16 presidents have played the game of golf. Two golf observers who have rated them all say President John F. Kennedy was far and away the best presidential golfer.

Former President Ford arrives onstage in a cloud of smoke and confetti for his speech at the Peter Lowe Success Seminar at Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 5, 1998.

Then-President Gerald R. Ford waves during a parade in Traverse City, Mich., on July 11, 1975. Also seated in front are first lady Betty Ford and Michigan Gov. William Milliken. Behind Ford is then-Sen. Robert Griffin.

President Ford holds up a Whip Inflation Now (WIN) enlistment form which asks citizens to sign up as inflation fighters during his news conference in the White House Rose Garden, Oct. 9, 1974. Ford, who declared "Our long national nightmare is over" as he replaced Richard Nixon but may have doomed his own chances of election by pardoning his disgraced predecessor, died Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2006. He was 93.