President Ford was born on July 14, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska. Therefore, as of November 12 this year, his life has lasted 93 years and 121 days, making him the longest-lived president in the history of the United States.
Previously, the longest-lived president in American history was Ronald Reagan, who lived for 93 years and 120 days. So far, four presidents of the United States have lived to be over 90 years old. In addition to Ford, there are the 2nd John Adams, the 31st Herbert Hoover and the 40th Reagan.
The most special way to take office
Among all the presidents of the United States, Ford’s way of taking office is definitely the most special and unique - without election, his president and vice president Positions are obtained through "replacement", and he "takes advantage" of mistakes made by his predecessor. So some people also call him the "accidental president." Ford is the only unelected president among the 43 presidents of the United States since its founding. And all this is related to the famous Watergate scandal in the history of US presidents.
On August 9, 1974, then-President Richard Nixon was forced to resign due to scandals such as perjury and affecting judicial impartiality in the Watergate scandal. According to the provisions of the U.S. Constitution, Vice President Ford, who was also a Republican, directly assumed the office of the 38th President of the United States. At that time, there were more than three years left before President Nixon's term expired.
It seems that history specifically asked Ford to implement the supplementary provisions regarding the selection of the president in the U.S. Constitution. From the vice president to the president, he does not need votes, and from the representative to the vice president, he does not need to be elected.
In October 1973, then-Vice President Agnew stepped down due to a bribery scandal. Nixon had four candidates from the Republican Party. In addition to Ford, there were also John Connally, who served as Treasury Secretary in the Nixon administration, and Ronald Reagan, who later became President of the United States. Nixon recalled that Ford had the greatest advantage that others did not have--he was the easiest vice presidential candidate to win congressional approval.
The most shocking decision to lose office
The Watergate incident is one of the most influential events in the history of American constitutionalism. The principle of separation of executive, legislative and judicial powers established since the founding of the United States was the first Once challenged forcefully by a sitting president. After Nixon resigned, Ford said when he was sworn in: "My fellow Americans, our country's long nightmare is over. Our Constitution is working. Our great United States is a government of laws, not of men. Power belongs to the people."< /p>
But a month later, Ford made a decision that surprised most Americans. He announced that he would use presidential prerogatives to unconditionally pardon all crimes involving Nixon. These crimes would have made Nixon the first American president ever to go to prison.
Ford's move not only caused huge controversy and criticism, but he also paid a huge political price for it. When Ford was sworn in as president, he told the American public that he knew he was not elected president. He obviously hopes to win the White House with dignity in the next election. However, Ford lost the November 1976 presidential election to Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter and resigned in January 1977. Pardoning Nixon was considered a major factor in his defeat. His days in the White House were only 895 days. Ford testified before Congress in October 1974 that there was no deal behind the decision to pardon Nixon.
But as time washed away the political turmoil and dust, Americans began to understand Ford's painstaking efforts in pardoning Nixon. In 2002, the 30th anniversary of the Watergate incident, a poll conducted by the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) showed that 60% of Americans believed that pardoning Nixon was the right decision.
Clark Clifford, a Democratic politician who served as an adviser to President Truman, spoke for many Americans in his memoirs. He said that sending a U.S. president to prison for a few years after he stepped down would not be good for the country. "He (Nixon) has already suffered enough shame." Nixon was the first president in American history to step down due to scandal.
The most honest president
Some people in the United States commented that Ford was the most honest president in history. He has a good-natured nature, is humble and easy-going, so much so that some people call him "the Boy Scout in the White House." Perhaps for this reason, despite 30 years of political struggle, Ford has surprisingly few political opponents. Ford did not have any outstanding political achievements during his tenure, but he was often ridiculed by the press for falling down when walking and making gaffes when speaking.
Ford also encountered two assassinations during his tenure, and both luckily escaped. On September 5, 1975, a California woman was arrested after pointing a semi-automatic pistol at Ford. On the 22nd of the same month, a San Francisco activist actually shot Ford and was arrested afterwards.
The most low-key life
Former US President Richard Nixon once said a famous saying: "The hardest job in the world is to be the outgoing President of the United States." However, for Ford, It seems that it is not difficult to say goodbye to the White House, because as long as you keep a low profile, everything will be solved.
Since stepping down in 1977, although Ford has gone out to give speeches, participated in some activities, and served as a director of many large companies, compared with other former presidents, Ford seems to prefer to "not show off" , living a life of "no show". After his retirement, he spent most of his time at home. He was relatively low-key and rarely appeared in public.