He began life in Michigan taking pride in being a Boy Scout, and eventually rising to the rank of Eagle Scout.  He attended University of Michigan, and played on the football team.  He remained athletic throughout his life.  Upon graduation he turned down offers from the NFL, and instead took a coaching position at Yale and applied to Law School.  He graduated in 1941 and enlisted in the Navy in 1942 after the attack on Pearl Harbour.

Following WWII he was elected to the House of Representatives for 24 years.  As Minority Leader from 1965-1973 he was respected and won many friends because of his fair leadership.

When in October of 1973 Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned, Ford was appointed VP.  Upon President Nixon’s impeachment Ford became President.  Gerald Ford was the 38th President of the United States, and the only President ever to hold the office without having been elected President or Vice President.

Under the Ford Administration the American military withdrew from Vietnam, and signed the Helsinki Accords.  For his pardon of President Nixon he was awarded the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.