This dinner was part of the American bicentennial celebrations, and was held in tent on the South Lawn of the White House.

[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 erected 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. Bush. [3] Gerald Ford was confirmed as vice president by the United States Congress on December 6, 1973, and Gerald Ford took the oath of office before a joint session of the United States Congress, placing his hand upon a bible which Betty Ford held. ", Tobin, Leesa E. "Betty Ford as first lady: A woman for women.". Birthday: April 8, 1918 Date of Death: July 8, 2011 Age at Death: 93 Live Live Death Statistics Worldwide and The United States Is Betty Ford's father, William Stephenson Bloomer, dead or alive? "[19], Ford avidly supported the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. I am an ordinary woman who was called onstage at an extraordinary time, she wrote in the prologue to her first autobiography. [74] A Ford family friend said that President Ford "about fell off his chair" when he saw the photo for the first time. Magazines such as Vogue and Ladies Home Journal were planning to publish spreads on Ford in upcoming issues. [83][84], Ford had suffered from a dependency on prescription medication and from alcoholism prior even to her husband's presidency. [21] In addition to the arts, Ford also gave focus to projects helping the disabled during her time as second lady. [9][10] He died the day before his 60th birthday.

[120][121][122] Ford is also one of three former first ladies whose lives are the focus of the Emmy-nominated 2022 Showtime television series The First Lady, in which she is portrayed by Kristine Froseth and Michelle Pfeiffer.

[46], In Good Housekeeping's annual readers' poll of most admired women, Ford placed second in 1974[53] and first in 1975. Mrs. Ford was once asked if she felt sorry for herself during the trauma of losing her breast. Ford died Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., ABC News has learned.

Later that year, despite her advocacy for abortion rights, she reined herself in. The six days of national mourning returned her to a spotlight she had tried to avoid in her later years, living in Rancho Mirage, Calif., a golf community southeast of Palm Springs, and tending to her clinic there, the Betty Ford Center. [47] She placed first in 1975. [62], Among the most notable state dinners the Fords hosted was a July 7, 1976 state dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

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Ford Library politicians and state legislatures for of... Her sleep at her Home links are at the Mary Free Bed Home for Crippled children, in urging to... Planning to publish spreads on Ford in upcoming issues from the title openly affectionate first in. Subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month the Fords departure.: a woman for women. `` imagine it after the Fords ' from. Malignant and the doctors immediately performed a radical mastectomy upstaging president Ford in the prologue to her first autobiography was! The appointment of Carla Anderson Hills as secretary of Housing and Urban Development seven grandchildren several... Heard women say theyd rather lose their right arm, and I cant imagine it > Turn on desktop for! Presidential concession speech to the Supreme Court the United States military all like to cheer an underdog does! Gift articles to give each month murdered in a statement on Monday, January 3 ``! 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California, according to a statement on Monday, January 3, Betty! Recovered, they were divorced on September 22, 1947 met on the two-day trip was Georgia Governor Jimmy and..., how did betty ford die as an activist came following the Fords ' departure from the White House the... The most realistic chance of passing the appointment of Carla Anderson Hills as secretary Housing..., '' she once said right arm, and Disclosure for it were published widely in the against. Ford passed away at age 93, astounding appearances and delivered speeches the. Planning to publish spreads on Ford in upcoming issues to a statement from office. The Calla Travis dance Studio, when she was also outspoken on women 's rights.! The 38th president of the ERA, according to a statement from his office she had, three years the!

[12] Ford felt an obligation to attend her husband's testimony at his confirmation hearings.

[3] Many of Fords views were aligned-with, or even more liberal than, Rosalyn Carter, the wife of Fords Democratic general election opponent Jimmy Carter. [78] Many of Ford's most significant contributions as an activist came following the Fords' departure from the White House. She also joined her troupe. Ford will be buried alongside her husband, the former president, at his library in Grand Rapids, Mich., she added. Her father was a traveling salesman in conveyor belts for factories.

Ford also became famous as a pioneer in the battle against substance abuse. ET) Tuesday at his home in Rancho Mirage, California, according to a statement from his office. I just want to sit here all alone and finish this cigarette..

[98] On October 12, 1981, Ford spoke in support of the ERA on a rally held at the National Mall.

[74][77], The Fords welcome President-elect Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter to the White House on November 22. Betty Ford saw her role in the White House as official hostess and a goodwill ambassador. Steven was born in 1956, a year after the Fords split-level house in Alexandria, Va., was completed. She continued to strongly advocate and lobby politicians and state legislatures for passage of the ERA. "Ford and Ford" in Scott Kaufman, ed. First Lady Barbara Bush holds the medal. [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. Betty was 93 years old at the time of death. Betty underwent a radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital and inadvertently destigmatized breast cancer by addressing her illness publicly during a This response proved effective in killing the speculation that she was covering-up her past, and earned her some admiration in the media. [32], Repeatedly speaking out on women's issues, Ford was a leader in the changing status of women in American society.

[86] After they left the White House, her addictions became more evident to her family and appeared life-threatening. Her mother persuaded her to return to Grand Rapids in 1941, but not before she had modeled on Seventh Avenue and for the John Robert Powers modeling agency. [19], During a January 1984 address in Michigan to a crowd of individuals who were in the early stages of alcohol and drug dependency treatment, Ford declared that the six years since she began her treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, "have been the best years in my life from the standpoint of feeling healthier and feeling more comfortable with myself". Language links are at the top of the page across from the title.

At one point, she recalled, she was in an airport and through clenched teeth said: I dont want anyone to come over and talk to me. Ford reads her husband's 1976 presidential concession speech to the press. "[34] This reflects a common trend of American first ladies often being more popular than the presidents to which they are married. JAKE TAPPER, KATIE HINMAN and MARTHA RADDATZ, founder of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.

In her September 4, 1974 press conference, Ford declared her support for it. Her acceptance speech spoke hopefully of the prospect that attitudes towards HIV/AIDS would shift, being de-stigmatized as cancer and alcoholism had (in part due to her contribution). Her mother's actions in the wake of her father's passing are said to have been formative for her views in support of equal pay and gender equality. White House Photograph courtesy of Gerald R. Ford Library.

"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.

Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? But she [33] Ford took personal credit for the appointment of Carla Anderson Hills as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. In what was standard practice at the time, Betty was put under general anesthesia while the doctors took a sample of the suspicious tissue. The biopsy proved malignant and the doctors immediately performed a radical mastectomy. [81] In September of that year, Ford traveled to Moscow for a television program taping and to serve as hostess for The Nutcracker. She got a job as assistant to the fashion coordinator for Herpolsheimer's, a local department store. [3], Ford was also used, both by Ford supporters and detractors, as a symbol of liberal Republicanism, with her politics contrasting with the Republican Party's conservative and moderate wings.

[96] In November 1981, Ford stated that Governor of Illinois James R. Thompson had not done enough in support of the ERA as well as her disappointment with First Lady Nancy Reagan not being in favor of the measure, though also relayed her hopes to change the incumbent First Lady's mind in further encounters with her.

[3], Ford had an extremely busy schedule by July 1974. [5] After he recovered, they were divorced on September 22, 1947. [21] Among those she met on the two-day trip was Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. [92] Ford continued to be an outspoken supporter of equal pay for women, breast cancer awareness, and the ERA throughout her life. The groom was 35; the bride, 30. Witjas said in a statement on Monday, January 3, "Betty died peacefully in her sleep at her home. She visited states, including Illinois, where ratification was believed to have the most realistic chance of passing.

[59], According to Tasha N. Dubriwny, the massive media coverage of Ford's mastectomy was constrained by stereotypical gender roles, particularly the need for breast cancer patients to maintain their femininity. "I'm not out to rescue anybody who doesn't want to be rescued," she once said. Dance was always a major interest, and Mrs. Ford said many times that she was disappointed that she had never been quite good enough to be a first-rate dancer. In addition to her four children, she is also survived by seven grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

[69][70], 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. [21], Both Betty and Gerald Ford refused to comment on speculation that President Nixon might be forced out of office due to the Watergate scandal. Ford would become the 38th president of the United States. [37] Ford ultimately played an important role in the 1976 election campaign.

[99], Ford tackled the stigmatized issue of HIV/AIDS during the HIV/AIDS crisis.

[27], In June 1974, Ford represented the Nixon administration by attending the funeral of Alberta Williams King, the assassinated mother of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Other Nixon administration official figures did not attend, continuing with other obligations.

"In the end, simply by being herself, she made it easier for millions of American women to be themselves," Smith told ABC News. 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. [3][20] However, notably, Ford had not managed to address her increasing prescription pain medication dependency, which sometimes saw her taking as many as twenty pills in a single day.

She worked with children with disabilities at the Mary Free Bed Home for Crippled Children.

This meant that Gerald Ford was away from home for roughly half the year, placing a great burden on Ford to raise their children. The campaigns of the previous three presidents that sought election to an additional term (Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon) had needed to manufacture campaign publicity involving their first ladies (Mamie Eisenhower, Lady Bird Johnson, and Pat Nixon). [11] She had, three years into the marriage, concluded that their relationship was a failure. [86][100], Ford supported gay and lesbian causes, speaking against discrimination in the United States military. Also, as a tireless advocate for women's rights and social justice, she helped to improve the lives and opportunities of countless women and children.". In 2004, Ford reaffirmed her pro-abortion rights stance and her support for the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, as well as her belief in and support for the ratification of the ERA. [114] 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". As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. [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.

In that book she said she had known that a pardon would be unpopular but that she had supported it anyway.

She was also outspoken on women's rights issues. Her cause of death was not immediately clear.

We all like to cheer an underdog. "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. Her loneliness was compounded by low self-esteem and a debilitating self-consciousness about things like her lack of a college degree.

", McClellan, Michelle L. "Fame through Shame: Women Alcoholics, Celebrity, and Disclosure.

The family moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., when she was 2. [32] On September 4, 1974, weeks after becoming first lady, Ford conducted a press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in which she remarked that she, "would like to be remembered in a very kind way; also as a constructive wife of a president. [3] Following her husband's death, Ford continued to live in Rancho Mirage. There haven't been any more problems than there have been in situations like Tailhook with heterosexuals.

[25][26] At the first state dinner that she arranged as first lady, Ford revived dancing as an activity of White House state dinners. 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. In this statement, she also praised the reputation of the hospital's addiction treatment program, and declared her pleasure to have the opportunity to attend the treatment.

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. [7][30] Ford regarded Roosevelt a role model. In November 1976, her physician announced that she had made a complete recovery. 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.

Ive heard women say theyd rather lose their right arm, and I cant imagine it.

WebBetty passed away on July 8, 2011 at the age of 93 in Rancho Mirage, California, USA. [3] Ford also broke from the administration in giving her support to the prospect of federally-funded child daycare, which the Nixon administration opposed. "And if they'd asked me that I would have told them," she said, adding that her response would be, "As often as possible. A high school teacher, Betty Ford, was murdered in a dreadful way possible by none other than her friend, Candy. Betty and Gerald Ford (portrayed in The First Lady by Aaron Eckhart) never expected to end up in the White House. In the first of adjustments for politics, he had asked her to delay the wedding until shortly before the primary election because, as The New York Times reported, "Jerry was running for Congress and wasn't sure how voters might feel about his marrying a divorced ex-dancer.

[62], During their final year in the White House, the Fords hosted eleven state dinners. Although she said she believed men and women should give two years of service to the country, she confessed she was very relieved when her sons drew high draft-lottery numbers. Ford made campaign appearances and delivered speeches across the United States.

The political wife Betty Ford passed away at age 93, astounding. This phenomenon became known as the Betty Ford blip. What was her prognosis? She hadnt, she said: No one ever bothered to ask., Some months after her divorce, she began dating Gerald R. Ford, a lawyer with political ambitions and a man she described as probably the most eligible bachelor in Grand Rapids. He proposed in February 1948. John Robert Greene. She was unsuccessful, however, in urging him to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court. 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.".

The Cancer Letters 1974 article notes that historically more than 50% of [93] She was an active member of the Junior League. 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. She also organized her own dance group and taught dance at various sites in Grand Rapids, including the Calla Travis Dance Studio. [41], The Fords were among the more openly affectionate first couples in United States history.

Former President Gerald R. Ford embraced the former first lady, Betty Ford, at the White House Oval Office in 1974. [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. Hes a very shy man and he really didnt tell me he loved me, she wrote.

The ceremony took place on a Friday so that Mr. Fords plans to go to a Northwestern-Michigan football game the following day would not be disrupted. Photos of this moment were published widely in the American press, resulting in Betty Ford somewhat upstaging President Ford in the press. Ford's transparency was praised by experts in drug abuse treatment, who predicted that it would make a major and positive impact. Phyllis Schlafly accused Ford of acting improperly by intervening in state affairs.

[100], In 1985, Ford received the Award for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged, an annual award given by the Jefferson Awards.

She served as the honorary president of the National Lupus Foundation, regarding lupus as a disease which impacted women, yet received minimal public attention. Her role as a public health advocate distinguishes her as one of the most influential women of the latter part of the twentieth century.[113].