Her mother remarried, to family friend and neighbor Arthur Meigs Godwin, and Bloomer lived with them. During and after her years in the White House, 1974 to 1977, Mrs.. For years after leaving the White House, Ford continued to enjoy great influence and popularity, continuing to rank in the top-ten of Gallup's annual most admired woman poll every year through 1991. 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. [33], Ford was also unapologetically pro-abortion rights. The cause of Betty Ford's death was never disclosed. Shortly after becoming president in 1974, Ford said, "I am indebted to no man and to only one woman, my dear wife.". By the time Betty Ford became first lady in August 1974the month her husband, Gerald Ford, succeeded Richard Nixon the former dancer had already been taking prescription pills for years to. [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. On April 1, 1978, her family staged an intervention which forced her to acknowledge the negative impact that her addiction was having on her health and family relationships. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Betty_Ford&oldid=1133654245, Dubriwny, Tasha N. "Constructing breast cancer in the news: Betty Ford and the evolution of the breast cancer patient. In another instance, she commented, "it's just impossible for me to lie and look someone in the eyes and talk to them. She accompanied her husband to congressional and White House events, as well as on some trips abroad, and made herself available to newspaper and magazine articles. In contrast, there was tremendous organic excitement for Betty Ford among supporters of the campaign. LOS ANGELES, California -- Actress Betty White passed away in her sleep on Friday, her agent has confirmed to ABC News. In 1964, a pinched nerve on the left side of Ford's neck sent her to the hospital for two weeks. The November 12, 1974 state dinner for Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky saw the first instance in which a wine from the Fords' home state of Michigan was served at a White House state dinner, with wine from the Tabor Hill Winery being served. The Fords' children often also attended the dinners they hosted. "I certainly did not want it, and neither did our children. The 2008 survey also ranked Ford the 5th-highest in their assessment of first ladies who were their own women as well as 5th-highest in courage. [3], Despite the brevity of her husband's presidency (roughly two and a half years), he hosted 33 state dinners, the fifth most state dinners of any United States president. [101], In July 2018, a statue of Ford was unveiled outside of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Some women protested Ford's lobbying for the ERA by carrying placards outside of the White House reading "Betty Ford, Get Off the Phone". "[29] She was regarded to be the most politically outspoken first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt. She studied dance at the Calla Travis Dance Studio, graduating in 1935. His wife, Betty, was the first lady during this time period. As first lady, Betty Ford was active in social policy and shattered precedents as a politically active presidential wife (Time considered her "the most since Eleanor [Roosevelt . [3] Following her husband's death, Ford continued to live in Rancho Mirage. [3], Ford did not take any solo trips aboad as first lady. [3] Ford also held active membership in groups such as the 81st Congress Club and National Federation of Republican Women. Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer was born on April 8, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois, and spent most of her childhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They took away my tension and my pain". 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. [3], Ford campaigned actively both during primary elections and the general election. Become a member and. . [12] Ford felt an obligation to attend her husband's testimony at his confirmation hearings. White's death was confirmed Friday by Jeff Witjas, her longtime agent and friend. [80] In November 1977, Ford appeared at the opening session of the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas. She also was completely unpretentious. "Issues of Openness and Privacy: Press and Public Response to Betty Ford's Breast Cancer. [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. The 10-episode biographical drama, which . A month after moving into the White House, Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. [25] The first of these came only a week into Ford's presidency, hosting King Hussein of Jordan on August 16, 1974. [3], The heavy campaigning placed a strain on Ford's health. [61][33] Ford utilized phone calls, letter-writing, and telegrams as means of lobbying in support of the ERA. All the way there I was telling myself how it would not change anything. During her brief turn as first lady in the height of the "Swinging . Ford took these stances despite recognizing that they created a political risk of conservative backlash against her husband. "We were honored to host President and Mrs. Ford at the White House in 1998 when they received the Congressional Gold Medal for their dedication and service to our nation," the Clintons wrote. She worked with children with disabilities at the Mary Free Bed Home for Crippled Children. [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. "Betty was a remarkable woman whose legacy will live on in people around the country whose lives are longer and better because of her work. She was working in a fashion job in Grand Rapids where Gerald lived. By her second birthday, however, she was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the city she always considered her home. [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. Warters, T. Alissa. This set a contrast with First Lady Pat Nixon, who routinely rejected invitations to give formal speeches. 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. In public, she was one of the most visible and outspoken first ladies in history. "[10], On January 19, 1977, her last full day as first lady, Betty Ford used her training as a Martha Graham dancer to jump up on the Cabinet Room table. Established in 1949 on lakeside acreage in Center City, Minnesota, the Hazelden Betty Ford . [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". [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. [25], Ford dancing with comedian Marty Allen in the Entrance Hall of the White House of the White House during a September 21, 1976 state dinner in honor Liberian President William Tolbert, Ford reviews the table settings while preparing for the September 21, 1976 state dinner in honor of Liberian President William Tolbert, Ford and Social Secretary Maria Downs give the media a tour of the tent errected in the South Lawn for the July 1976 state dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of Great Britain, Ford and Social Secretary Maria Downs inspect centerpiece sculptures designed by Frederic Remington and Charles Russell ahead of an October 1975 state dinner honoring Anwar Sadat, the president of Egypt, The Fords escort Japanese Emperor Hirohito and Empress Kjun down the Cross Hall towards the East Room during an October 1975 state dinner honoring the Japanese royals, Ford accompanied her husband abroad on several diplomatic trips. She was 99. [25][26] At the first state dinner that she arranged as first lady, Ford revived dancing as an activity of White House state dinners. "Competing conceptions of the first ladyship: Public responses to Betty Ford's 60 Minutes interview. [3] After the interview aired, a number of Ford's remarks in this interview on hot-button issues generated particularly immense media attention. [40], In 1985, Ford received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an annual award given by the Jefferson Awards. A contrast was publicly drawn between Ford and Nancy Reagan, the wife of Ford's primary election challenger Ronald Reagan. [11] She had, three years into the marriage, concluded that their relationship was a failure. [7], In May 1975, during a four-day trip,[62] Ford met with former Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam Nguyn Cao K to discuss Southeast Asia refugees. Ford made the decision that year to erect a tent in the White House Rose Garden to host dinners outside. In an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes," she talked about marijuana, equal rights for women, abortion and the possibility of a premarital affair for her daughter, Susan. Article continues below advertisement. Though I told myself I would just use once. "And if they'd asked me that I would have told them," she said, adding that her response would be, "As often as possible. [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. She was 93 years old when she died. [116] She also received that year's "Commitment to Life Award" from the Los Angeles AIDS Project. During his testimony, Gerald Ford was questioned about attending psychiatric care. After graduating from high school in 1936 she attended the Bennington School of Dance in Vermont for two summers, where she met choreographer Martha Graham. Ford, a Republican who served in the White House from 1974 to 1977, was 93 when he passed away at . I'm sure I've saved at least one personmaybe more. ", Gould, Lewis L. "Modern first ladies in historical perspective. [45] A Ford family friend said that he "about fell off his chair" when he saw the photo for the first time. Betty was 93 years old at the time of death. Betty Ford passed away in June 2011 at the age of 93. She was raised by her parents William and Hortense Bloomer. If she could help women win full equal rights with men under the U.S. Constitution, Betty Ford wanted to give it her all. She decided to establish the Betty Ford Center with gender specific treatment for men and women (Northouse, 2013) Northouse, P. G. (2013). [3][97] In 1999, she and President Ford were jointly awarded Congressional Gold Medals. [3], During the campaign, many Ford supporters wore campaign buttons with phrases like "Betty's Husband for President in '76" and "Keep Betty in the White House". She explained that, while her husband had attended two sessions with a psychiatric doctor, those sessions were for her care, and not care of his own. 'Not at all,' he replied. Betty developed a passion for dance at an early age. Betty Ford began taking prescription pain killers in the 1960s for a pinched nerve. In fact, when Mrs . [25][69] Once she became first lady, it fell to Ford to arrange this already-scheduled dinner. [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. The former, then in her 90s, sent the latter a letter in 2009, shortly after Barack Obama's presidential inauguration. Ford also became famous as a pioneer in the battle against substance abuse. That is why I loved this stuff so much. Her coverage minimized the complexity of breast cancer as a disease and ignored the debates surrounding best treatment practices. Betty Ford died in 2011 at age 93, having overcome her addictions and founding the Betty Ford Center in 1982 to help other addicts recover. Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation History. [3] Ford remarked, "I agree with the Supreme Courts ruling. [53] In 1977, the year her husband left office, she placed fourth. In public, she was one of the most visible and outspoken first ladies in history. "In the end, simply by being herself, she made it easier for millions of American women to be themselves," Smith told ABC News. . [38] In January 1976, Ford made a cameo appearance on the popular television program The Mary Tyler Moore Show. [84], Funeral services were held in Palm Desert, California, on July 12, 2011, with more than 800 people in attendance, including former president George W. Bush, then-First Lady Michelle Obama, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, herself a former First Lady, former First Ladies Rosalynn Carter, who gave a eulogy,[76] and Nancy Reagan. [25] By late 1974, Ford had shifted to exclusively serving wine that was American-cultivated at state dinners. On Aug. 9, 1974, Nixon stepped down following the Watergate scandal. [3][5][6] While she was still in high school, she started her own dance school, instructing both youth and adults. During the general election, her busy campaign activity saw the reigniting of her pinched nerve. The statement also declared, "I expect this treatment and fellowship to be a solution for my problems. When they returned to Grand Rapids, she worked again at Herpolsheimer's, this time as the fashion coordinator. 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 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. However, she abused these prescriptions, regularly taking many more pills than prescribed. [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. Ford also publicly expressed admiration and friendship toward First Lady Pat Nixon. The series is all set to release on the OTT platform on the 9th of May. 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. It was not until 2016 that a Michigan wine would again be served at a White House state dinner. She was a remarkable political spouse, whose courageous candor helped forge a new era of openness after the divisiveness of the Vietnam War and Watergate. For more, click here: http://abcn.ws/BettyFordRIP Gerald and Betty Ford on their wedding day, October 15, 1948 In 1947 a friend introduced her to Gerald R. Ford, Jr., a young lawyer who had served as Navy lieutenant during World War II. [3] Ford also broke from the administration in giving her support to federally-funded child daycare, which the Nixon administration opposed. "Early on, she went to the head usher and asked why the staff didn't return her good morning greetings," Smith told ABC News. Betty Ford (1918-2011) was the wife of Gerald Ford, who was the 38th president of the United States between 1974 and 1977. In 1982, she co-founded the Betty Ford Center in California. [3], Ford filmed an interview with the television news program 60 Minutes which was broadcast on August 10, 1975. [15] This open affection was evident from the beginning of Gerald Ford's presidency. Following her White House years, she continued to lobby for the ERA and remained active in the feminist movement. [40] In 1977, the World Almanac included Ford in its ranking of the 25 most-influential American women. She also traveled to Iowa before its caucus, and delivered a speech on behalf of the president (who had been unable to make his planned appearance) in which she labeled herself as being his political partner. As Betty Ford recounted at the time, the wedding was delayed until shortly before the election because, "Jerry was running for Congress and wasn't sure how voters might feel about his marrying a divorced ex-dancer.". Since the 1960s, even before she was the first lady, Betty took prescription opioid painkillers for a pinched nerve and severe arthritic pain. Take a look at images from Betty Ford's years in the White House. Bush. [96], On November 18, 1991, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. [49], Ford ranked as one of the top-10 most admired women in the results of Gallup's annual most admired man and woman poll every year from 1974 (the year her husband first became president) through 1991,[50][51][52] with the exception of Gallup having failed to conduct such a poll in 1976 (the final full year of her husband's presidency). Ford was the most prominent national supporter of the project. This is my problem". [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." In the opinion of The New York Times and several presidential historians, "Mrs. Ford's impact on American culture may be far wider and more lasting than that of her husband, who served a mere 896 days, much of it spent trying to restore the dignity of the office of the president. Shortly after they married, he began to sell insurance for another company. [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. We were proud to call her a friend.". As we told you back in 2020, Betty rarely left her home once the COVID-19 pandemic began.. Betty Ford, whose husband, Gerald, died in December 2006, had undergone surgery for an undisclosed ailment in April 2007. Betty Ford was known as a vivacious activist for women's rights. She received an award from Parsons The New School for Design in recognition of her style. I took that first hit and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced. Ford assisted in fundraising for the little-known Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, D.C., whose patients were predominantly African American. When did Betty Ford die? In her September 4, 1974 press conference, Ford declared her support for it. John Robert Greene. "[67], Adding to heightened public awareness of breast cancer were reports that several weeks after Ford's cancer surgery, Happy Rockefeller, the wife of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, also had a mastectomy. I think its time to bring abortion out of the backwoods and put it in the hospitals, where it belongs. Disregarding criticism to her stance, Ford would remark, Maybe I shouldnt have said it, but I couldnt lie. [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. [7][30] Ford regarded Roosevelt a role model. Ford will be buried alongside her husband, the former president, at his library in Grand Rapids, Mich., she added. At one point, they lived in Toledo, Ohio, where Elizabeth was employed at the department store Lasalle & Koch as a demonstrator, a job that entailed being a model and saleswoman. [7][36] While President Ford never attempted to silence his wife, some of his senior staff resented her independent candor. [105] In the 2014 Siena Research Institute survey survey, Ford and her husband were ranked the 19th-highest out of 39 first couples in terms of being a "power couple". Betty: A Glad Awakening. "In terms of the White House atmosphere, there's no doubt that Mrs. Ford wanted to, in her own words, let open the windows," said Richard Norton Smith, a presidential historian and one of the eulogists at the funeral for President Ford. [63], Ford's involvement in political issues received some conservative criticism. The march was led by prominent feminist leaders, including Ford, Bella Abzug, Elizabeth Chittick, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. This dinner was part of the American bicentennial celebrations, and was held in tents on the South Lawn of the White House. They married in 1948, two weeks before he was elected to his first term in Congress. 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. Magazines such as Vogue and Ladies Home Journal were planning to publish spreads on Ford in upcoming issues. First Lady Barbara Bush holds the medal. In attendance were former president Bill Clinton, former vice president Dick Cheney and former first lady Barbara Bush. The official cause of death listed on the Los Angeles County document obtained by CNN . [14] The Fords would ultimately be married for the next 58 years, until Gerald Ford's death. Ford would become the 38th president of the United States. [3], Between Labor Day and election day, for the general election campaign, Ford conducted multi-stop speaking tours, during which she visited western states (including California, Colorado, Texas, and Utah) as well was northern midwest states including Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. 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. She agreed, that day, to detox from her medicine. Her father's tragic death. [7][34][37] However, polling would show that her comments were accepted by many Americans. She further taught ballroom dancing lessons for children with visual impairment and hearing loss and gave weekly dance lessons to African American children. Poor health and increasing frailty due to operations in August 2006 and April 2007 for blood clots in her legs caused her to largely curtail her public life. Fellow first lady Nancy Reagan also was "deeply saddened" by the news. [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. She became an advocate for breast cancer research and early detection. [21] In addition to the arts, Ford also gave focus to projects helping the disabled during her time as second lady. [3], During the primaries, Ford recorded radio advertisements on behalf of the campaign that were broadcast in New Hampshire. Ford had weekly meetings with a psychiatrist approximately between August 1965 and April 1967. And I loved pills. [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. Thus, Michelle Obama did, in fact, receive a letter from Betty Ford soon after she moved into the White House. 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. "This is not a lack of willpower, this is a disease," she said at the time. Former first lady Betty Ford has died at the age of 93. Showtime's "The First Lady" flips the camera's focus to the women who brought about transformational change from the East Wing of the White House. For state dinners held using this tent, the receptions, entertainment, and dancing portions of the evenings were still held inside of the White House. [3][5], In 1942, Elizabeth Bloomer married William G. Warren,[5][4] whom she had known since she was 12. [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". [40] By late-1975, Harris found Ford to have established herself as one of America's most popular first ladies. Jacqueline Kennedy, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford all smoked cigarettes but were never photographed doing so. Betty" (2013). [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. Much of this progress began in the 1970s through the voice and advocacy of Betty Ford. She was 93. In 1985, Ford received the Los Angeles AIDS Projects "Commitment to Life Award". 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."[64]. [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. Program 60 Minutes which was broadcast on August 10, 1975 her a friend. `` a political risk conservative... Any solo trips aboad as first lady Barbara Bush session of the American bicentennial celebrations, was. Visible and outspoken first ladies in history could help women win full equal rights with men under U.S.! Betty was 93 when he passed away at smoked cigarettes but were never photographed doing so complexity of cancer! 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