Ford Thrust into Short, Eventful Presidential Term

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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

Today we're remembering former President Gerald Ford. He died last night in California. He was 93 years old. Gerald Ford had the distinction of being the only unelected president in U.S. history. He was a 13-term Republican congressman from Michigan who rose through the ranks to become House minority leader. In 1973, he ascended to the executive branch when President Richard Nixon selected him to replace Vice President Spiro Agnew, who resigned amidst a bribery scandal.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon resigned in the midst of the Watergate scandal and Gerald Ford became president. On the day he was sworn in to office, he spoke of a new beginning.

President GERALD FORD: Our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works. Our great republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule.

MONTAGNE: Nearly one month after taking over the presidency, Ford pardoned Richard Nixon. It would be the most controversial act of his presidency. In a 2004 interview with NPR, he talked about his decision.

(Soundbite of previous NPR broadcast)

President FORD: And I finally decided that, as a new president under very difficult circumstances, I had an obligation to spent all of my time, all, on the problems of 200 million Americans. And therefore the only way to clear the deck to get to the substantive problems that I faced was to pardon Mr. Nixon and get his problems off my desk in the Oval Office.

MONTAGNE: Gerald Ford spent less than 900 days in the White House, but it was a tumultuous time. It was marked by two assassination attempts on him, high inflation and a messy end to the Vietnam War during the fall of Saigon. President Ford was often at odds with the Democratic Congress. He vetoed 66 bills, 12 of which were overturned. Despite these setbacks, Ford still mounted a campaign to win the White House on his own right in 1976.

After a narrow win over Ronald Reagan in the Republican primary, President Ford was defeated by Jimmy Carter in the general election. After his presidency, Gerald Ford and his wife, Betty, moved to Southern California in the desert resort of Rancho Mirage. He's survived by his wife and by his four children, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Funeral arrangements for President Gerald Ford are expected to be announced later today.

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