[14], Speaking at conference in November 2000 in London, Ford suggested that the company might one day offer a service where it owns vehicles and makes them available to people when they need access to them. [41], The Fords were among the more openly affectionate first couples in United States history. [3], After her husband's narrow defeat, there was some anecdotal speculation that Ford may have both have helped to alienate conservative Republicans from voting for her husband and at the same time helped attract him support from liberal and moderate Republicans, Democrats, and independents. During the period after the election, Ford postponed scheduled plans to give her slated successor, Rosalyn Carter, a tour of the White House. In addition to the Ford Escape, Hybrid Escape, Mercury Mariner, and Mazda Tribute, Ford marketed high efficiency crossover SUVs such as the Ford Freestyle, the Volvo XC70 and the Volvo XC90. [3], Ford accompanied her husband on a trip to mainland China in 1972. This meant that Gerald Ford was away from home for roughly half the year, placing a great burden on Ford to raise their children. [3], During the primaries, Ford recorded radio advertisements on behalf of the campaign that were broadcast in New Hampshire. Content tailored to your personal preferences, Favorite content saved within your briefcase, Media advisories, newsletters, and email alerts and PR contact information. This response proved effective in killing the speculation that she was covering-up her past, and earned her some admiration in the media. 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. That same year, People named Ford one of the three most intriguing people in America. Ford also served as the second lady of the United States from 1973 to 1974 when her husband was vice . [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. [54] 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. Betty Ford is awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President George H. W. Bush, 1991. Ford did indirectly indicate her willingness to step into the role of first lady by affirming that she would make any sacrifices required for her husband to carry out his constitutional obligations, but also opined that it would be traumatic if the nation had to endure a president being forced from office. [3], After Gerald Ford's defeat by Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election, she delivered her husband's concession speech because he had lost his voice while campaigning. William Clay Ford Jr. (born May 3, 1957) is an American businessman, serving as executive chairman of Ford Motor Company.The great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford, Ford joined the board in 1988 and has served as chairman since January 1999. [3] Ford also held active membership in groups such as the 81st Congress Club and National Federation of Republican Women. [24] On May 31, 1973, Ford made her first major speech when she gave a commencement address to the graduates of the Westminster Choir College. [3], Ford filmed an interview with the television news program 60 Minutes which was broadcast on August 10, 1975. [3][16] The speech was delivered on the day after the election. in management as a Sloan Fellow from the MIT Sloan School of Management.[9]. She also fundraised for No Greater Love, in appreciation of its work benefiting Children of Vietnam War MIA and POWs. Bill Ford has an estimated net worth of $1 billion as of 2022.Ford earned $10 million annually and was the 264th highest-paid CEO according to Forbes at the time of his resignation. [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. ", Gould, Lewis L. "Modern first ladies in historical perspective. The Fords' children often also attended the dinners they hosted. "First Ladies and the Cultural Everywoman Ideal: Gender Performance and Representation. [93] She was an active member of the Junior League. [3], Ford did not take any solo trips aboad as first lady. This dinner was part of the American bicentennial celebrations, and was held in tent on the South Lawn of the White House. His wife, Aleea, passed away at age 29, within a few weeks of being diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. [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. In attendance were former president Bill Clinton, former vice president Dick Cheney and former first lady Barbara Bush. Not only were my boss and manager incredibly understanding, but when they heard about my wife needing a wig made with her own hair during chemotherapy, they got enough people together to cover the cost.. In 1965, Ford suffered a significant nervous breakdown, erupting in severe crying that had appeared inexplicable to others. He served several years as a mid-ranking executive in product development. The chairman of Ford Motor and the great-grandson of Henry Ford is an elder statesman in an industry where C.E.O.s come and go. [32], Repeatedly speaking out on women's issues, Ford was a leader in the changing status of women in American society. [54], Ford successfully lobbied her husband to, in 1975, sign an executive order to establish the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. [75][76] The photo was subsequently published and is regarded as an "iconic" photograph of Ford's time as First Lady. [3], On August 9, 1974, after the resignation of Richard Nixon (who was facing the prospect of impeachment and potential removal from office), Gerald Ford ascended to the position of president of the United States,[12] and Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States. Ford would ultimately develop an addiction to prescription medication (and would ultimately confront and recover from this addiction in 1978). Alexandra Ford English, daughter of Bill Ford, was elected to the board at age 33 with Henry Ford III. He, like his great-grandfather Henry Ford, is of mainly Irish, English, and Belgian descent. In addition to founding the Betty Ford Center, she remained active in women's issues, taking on numerous speaking engagements and lending her name to charities for fundraising. [10][11], In 2000, he announced that the company would achieve a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency in the company's light truck fleet, including SUVs, by mid-decade.[12]. Ford also developed new crossover SUVs, such as the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, and Mazda CX-7. in Economics from Amherst College in 1983. Bill Ford: With gas cheaper than bottled water, there really wasn't a great pull in the marketplace for fuel-efficient vehicles. [58] Ford decided to be open about her illness because "There had been so much cover-up during Watergate that we wanted to be sure there would be no cover-up in the Ford administration. [36], During her time as first lady, Ford was an outspoken advocate of women's rights and was a prominent force in the Women's Movement of the 1970s. In the time that followed, Burkmans Ford colleagues gave him an outpouring of support to help him cope. [4][non-primary source needed][5], In addition to his roles as Chairman and CEO, Ford is chairman of General Atlantics Management Committee and is a member of the firms Investment and Portfolio Committees. Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart's Relationship Timeline - People Edsel Ford II, son of Henry Ford II and also a board member, is his first cousin. [3] Following her husband's death, Ford continued to live in Rancho Mirage. [86] After they left the White House, her addictions became more evident to her family and appeared life-threatening. [16], Ford has been a vocal advocate for improvements to be made in all modes of global transportation, having stated that governments and private industry would need to rethink transportation infrastructure and technology as the global population expands and the existing infrastructure is unable to keep pace. She disclosed her alcoholism through a statement that a family spokesman read on her behalf at a press conference (at which Ford was not herself present) held outside of the hospital. Ford took these stances despite recognizing that they created a political risk of conservative backlash against her husband. Her coverage minimized the complexity of breast cancer as a disease and ignored the debates surrounding best treatment practices. [6][failed verification][13][14][failed verification][15][16][17] Furthermore, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the steering committee for The CEO Action for Diversity. Betty's two older brothers were Robert (d. 1971) and William Jr. After the family lived briefly in Denver, Colorado, she grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she graduated from Central High School. Eleanor Ford and Joseph Cobb, grade-school classmates and the children of two . Bill Ford:The Man Behind the Trademark | Irish America Ford also served as the president, CEO, and COO until turning over those roles to former Boeing executive Alan Mulally in September 2006. [13] The Escape's platform mates Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute were also scheduled to receive hybrid-electric powertrain options, along with other upcoming vehicles in the Ford product line including the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan. Magazines such as Vogue and Ladies Home Journal were planning to publish spreads on Ford in upcoming issues. Seated (lr): Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Rosalynn Carter, Ford; Standing (lr): Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, President Bill Clinton speaks with the Fords at the White House ceremony awarding the at a 1999 Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony, Ford with other U.S. First Ladies at the 1994 National Garden Gala, which was themed "A Tribune to America's First Ladies". 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. So he sent Bill an email with a unique request, not counting on getting a reply. ", Tobin, Leesa E. "Betty Ford as first lady: A woman for women.". She joined Graham's auxiliary troupe and eventually performed with the company at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Henry's grandson William Clay Ford Sr. and his family have controlled the Detroit Lions franchise of the National Football League since late 1963. She drew boos from demonstrators against the Equal Rights Amendment in stating, "This exhibit about neglected Americans should give us strength and courage to seek equal rights for women today."[57]. This large number of state dinners was, in part, due to great interest from foreign dignitaries in visiting the United States for a state dinner amid the United States bicentennial celebrations. [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. He considered the Michigan Theater, but the iconic train station was his ultimate location. Bill Ford was elected a company vice president and head of the company's Commercial Truck Vehicle Center in 1994. He is the Chairman and CEO of General Atlantic, a global growth equity firm with $84 billion in assets under management as of November, 2021. [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. [7] Weeks later, when the Fords moved from their Virginia residence into the White House[3] their king size bed was photographed being moved into the White House, which prompted Betty to quip that they had been outed for breaking the tradition of first couples keeping separate bedrooms in the White House. [37][33] In January 1976, the editors of the New York News Service wrote that Ford was, "one of the most charming and popular First Ladies ever to occupy the White House". Second ladies and gentlemen of the United States, Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Education for All Handicapped Children Act, Vladivostok Summit Meeting on Arms Control, President Gerald R. Ford Jr. Boyhood Home, Les Meres et Debutantes Club of Greater Lansing, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Betty_Ford&oldid=1152350101, 20th-century American non-fiction writers, 21st-century American non-fiction writers, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 1975 Philadelphia Association for Retarded Citizens "Humanitarian Award", 1975 National Art Association "Distinguished Woman of the Year Award", "Citation of Layman for Distinguished Service" awarded by the, 1997 Michigan Women's Foundation "Women of Achievement & Courage" award, Congressional Gold Medal in 1999 (jointly awarded to Betty and Gerald Ford), Betty Ford Center for Comprehensive Breast Diagnosis at, Dubriwny, Tasha N. "Constructing breast cancer in the news: Betty Ford and the evolution of the breast cancer patient. Deadline Detroit | A Match Made In Midtown: Bill Ford's Daughter Bloomer disliked the surname. Dance developed into a passion for her, and she decided she wanted to seek a career in it. Childhood & Early Life. In 2003, Ford produced another book, Healing and Hope: Six Women from the Betty Ford Center Share Their Powerful Journeys of Addiction and Recovery. 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. [3][5], In 1942, Elizabeth Bloomer married William G. Warren,[5][4] whom she had known since she was 12. Please select individual photos within album for download. He studied at the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut and then studied at Princeton University in 1979. She received an award from Parsons The New School for Design in recognition of her style. [56], Ford's involvement in political issues received some conservative criticism.
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