Gerald Ford was interesting and very smart man. He graduated in the top 5% of his class, and was voted most popular senior by his peers. As a teenager, Ford worked at a local restaurant and became interested in football. Playing center, he became one of the best in the state; his football talent helped him get admission to the University of Michigan. In college Ford had many jobs to help him pay his way through college. He was a great student in football, and in the classroom. In his senior year, Ford started at center and was named the team's most valuable player. After graduation, both the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers offered Ford a contract. But, he turned them down so he could enter law school.
Football made Ford's dream a reality. Yale University needed an assistant football coach and, hoping to repay his college debts and find a way into Yale's prestigious law school, Ford took the $2,400-a-year job in 1935. He was excellent coach on the field, and in boxing which he had no experience in. 3 years later he was accepted into Yale. He did well, graduating in the top third of his class 3 years later. His law school classmates included several future public officials, including Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, and Peace Corps director Sargent Shriver.
Pearl Harbor put Ford's legal career on hold for a while. While waiting to continue his career he enter the Navy and served for 4 years. During his 4 years he earned 10 battle stars. He came back from serving believing that the United States ad a significant role in foreign affairs and something needed to be done. When Ford was discharged from the army he joined the law firm of Butter-field, Keeney, and Amberg in Grand Rapids and continued to cultivate an interest in politics. He also proposed to Elizabeth Ann Bloomer (Betty).
Nixon easily won re-election as President in 1972, and Ford, too, was re-elected to Congress after he joined in the previous years. Republicans, however, failed again to take control of the House of Representatives—a fact that Ford would later blame on Nixon's refusal to campaign wholeheartedly for the party's congressional candidates. Nixon would not remain president for long though. Rumors started spreading that Nixon was paying the FBI and CIA to keep there investigation findings to themselves, it was thought they were not the only people Nixon was paying off. As Nixon's vice-president, Ford would defend him publicly, but offend him on the side.
Ford served as vice-president for eight months. Nixon no longer wanted to be hated and talked about, nor did the people want a scandal as their president. On August 8, 1974, Nixon announced his resignation through television. The next day August 9, 1974 Ford assumed presidency. Ford would be known as the first person to ever occupy the office, who had not been sent there by the electorate. Ford was the United States President for almost 2.5 years, and live to be 93 years old.
Sources:
-http://millercenter.org/president/ford/essays/biography/2
-us-presidents.theblaze.com/q/
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