His wife, Aleea, passed away at age 29, within a few weeks of being diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. [7][36] While President Ford never attempted to silence his wife, some of his senior staff resented her independent candor. 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. [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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [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. 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. [62], The Fords opted to have eclectic array of guests at their state dinners, including notable celebrities from the entertainment industry. 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". Her philanthropic support additionally placed a specific focus on charities serving children with special needs. She visited states, including Illinois, where ratification was believed to have the most realistic chance of passing. [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". 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. In another instance, she commented, "it's just impossible for me to lie and look someone in the eyes and talk to them. [41], The Fords were among the more openly affectionate first couples in United States history. [43] In 1974, Ford placed second in the poll. [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. The week she entered rehab, Ford disclosed her addiction to prescription medication. [78] Many of Ford's most significant contributions as an activist came following the Fords' departure from the White House. She also fundraised for No Greater Love, in appreciation of its work benefiting Children of Vietnam War MIA and POWs. William was Henry Ford's last surviving grandchild. [98] On October 12, 1981, Ford spoke in support of the ERA on a rally held at the National Mall. His wife, Aleea, passed away at age 29, within a few weeks of being diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. Most of all we wanted the state dinners to express the very best about America, particularly during the bicentennial year. Nor did she address her relationship with alcohol, which she, at the time, believed was typical consumption. [20][failed verification][21][22] He served as a trustee of Amherst College from 2001-2013 and is a member of the Investment Committee for the College's endowment. Bill Ford Jr., the couple's son, will remain the team's vice chairman. [106] That same year, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her and her husband. [3], In November 1975, it was reported by the Associated Press that Ford's husband's advisors, who had previously worried her outspoken comments would hurt him in the 1976 presidential election, were now recognizing her popularity and desiring for her to have a greater role in the campaign. [7], When Ford herself began the process of recovering from her own alcoholism, she disclosed to the public that both her father and her brother Bob had suffered from alcoholism as well. 2K views, 27 likes, 7 loves, 18 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Dbstvstlucia: DBS MORNING SHOW & OBITUARIES 25TH APRIL 2023 APRIL 2023 No. . He lives in New York City. This dinner was part of the American bicentennial celebrations, and was held in tent on the South Lawn of the White House. Ford was also observed as upgrading her wardrobe, adding designer clothing. Throughout her husband's time in the office of the presidency, she maintained high approval ratings and was considered to be an influential first lady. [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. ", United States House of Representatives elections, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 18:12. The American public ranked Ford as the eighth-greatest among these first ladies. [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. [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. There have been gays and lesbians serving our country for many years. American media personality Bill Melugin works for Fox News.He is the 2018 and 2019 recipient of the RTNA's Golden Mike Award for "Best Investigative Journalism" including the 2019 Television Academy Emmy for investigative reporting.. Bill Melugin Bio & Family; Birthday, Education, Wiki. [24] With her husband, as vice president, tasked with heavily campaigning on behalf of his party for the 1974 midterm elections, Ford occasionally hit the campaign trail herself. Ford expanded its lineup of flexible-fuel vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles, and dual-fuel vehicles. During the period after the election, Ford postponed scheduled plans to give her slated successor, Rosalyn Carter, a tour of the White House. Ford gave up an executive position in heavy truck program management to become chairman of the finance committee on the board of directors, a non-executive corporate governance position. [47] She placed first in 1975. [82] In November 1977, Ford appeared at the opening session of the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas. He later worked for the Continental Can Company, and after that for the Widdicomb Furniture Company. [1][failed verification][non-primary source needed] During his tenure as CEO, the firm has also continued its global expansion by opening new offices in Jakarta, Singapore, Beijing, Mexico City, and Shanghai. [86][100], Ford supported gay and lesbian causes, speaking against discrimination in the United States military. This set a contrast with First Lady Pat Nixon, who routinely rejected invitations to give formal speeches. "[60], 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. 1957). Jacques Nasser had retired from his position as CEO, leaving the great-grandson of Henry Ford, William "Bill" Ford Jr., as president and CEO. Primary Menu Sections. He also serves on the board of BlackRock. LOGIN OR 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. [15], Barbara Bush, a later first lady, opined that Ford, after discovering she was dependent on drugs, "transformed her pain into something great for the common good. Throughout her post-Washington life, she established herself as one of the nation's first public advocates for women's self-examination, a prodigious fund-raiser for arthritis research, and, most important, a tireless campaigner for the rights and dignity of those afflicted with the disease of substance abuse. The march was led by prominent feminist leaders, including Ford, Bella Abzug, Elizabeth Chittick, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. Ford also developed new crossover SUVs, such as the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, and Mazda CX-7. Betty" (2013). [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. "[3], At the time her husband assumed the presidency, reporters speculated on what kind of first lady Ford would be, as they thought her predecessor, Pat Nixon, as noted by one reporter, to be the "most disciplined, composed first lady in history. This meant that Gerald Ford was away from home for roughly half the year, placing a great burden on Ford to raise their children. That same year, she joined First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson and Rosalynn Carter to open and participate in the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas, where she endorsed measures in the convention's National Plan of Action, a report sent to the state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, and the President on how to improve the status of American women. [3] Ford received support from her family and managed to resume a busy lifestyle. 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. [114] 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. Ford was noted for raising breast cancer awareness following her 1974 mastectomy. The Nixons had previously removed dancing from the state dinners during Nixon's presidency. Ive always believed that asking someone to marry you is too important to waste over dinner and a movie he said. [3][19] Ford took doses of this medication in excess of her prescription. Shortly after they married, he began to sell insurance for another company. The first instance of a first lady conducting one had been Eleanor Roosevelt in 1942. [75][76] The photo was subsequently published and is regarded as an "iconic" photograph of Ford's time as First Lady. Her mother remarried, to family friend and neighbor Arthur Meigs Godwin, and Bloomer lived with them. [3][5][6] While she was still in high school, she started her own dance school, instructing both youth and adults. Alexandra Ford English, daughter of Bill Ford, was elected to the board at age 33 with Henry Ford III. 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. Ford continues as the company's executive chairman. [14] The Fords would ultimately be married for the next 58 years, until Gerald Ford's death. Under Bill's leadership, General . Please select individual photos within album for download. "[10], Ford was popular with the American public. Select a location. In contrast, there was tremendous organic excitement for Betty Ford among supporters of the campaign. On September 5, 2006, Ford announced that he was stepping down as president and CEO, naming former Boeing senior executive Alan Mulally as his replacement. The Washington Post reported that Ford's disclosure of alcoholism came as a surprise to a number of Ford's close friends, who had regarded her as merely a social drinker and were oblivious to her drinking problem. Since 1982 Siena College Research Institute has conducted occasional surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies according to a cumulative score on the independent criteria of their background, value to the country, intelligence, courage, accomplishments, integrity, leadership, being their own women, public image, and value to the president. He majored in history and was . After being accepted by Graham as a student in 1940, Bloomer moved to New York to live in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood; she worked as a fashion model for the John Robert Powers firm in order to finance her dance studies. [118], In 2021, Zogby Analytics conducted a poll in which a sample of the American public was asked to assess the greatness of twelve First Ladies from Jacqueline Kennedy onwards. I do not believe they should be asked to leave the military. [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". Ford also continued to study Fuel Cell-powered electric powertrains and demonstrated hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine technologies, as well as developing the next-generation hybrid-electric systems. [20], "Bill Ford" redirects here. The family of Henry Ford is an American family from the U.S. state of Michigan, best known for their control of the Ford Motor Company automobile manufacturer, which was founded by Henry Ford in the early-twentieth century. Bloomer disliked the surname. [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. It was a bad mistake. [19] The use of Ford in such a manner to promote her husband's candidacy was not the work of the campaign itself, but rather, produced by supporters outside of the campaign organization. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ford to the second National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year (the first had been appointed by President Ford). [71][72][73] Gerald Ford did not know about or see the photo until 1994. [80] In June 1977, Ford was a speaker at the Arthritis Association Convention. Ford would ultimately develop an addiction to prescription medication (and would ultimately confront and recover from this addiction in 1978). [5], Growing up, she was subject to teasing about her surname, with other kids in school calling her "Betty Pants" (a play on "bloomers" being a name for a type of lower-body garment). [3], Before the end of December, Ford played a role in establishing the Republican Women's Federal Forum, partnering with Barbara Bush, whose husband George H. W. Bush was chairman of the Republican National Committee at the time. Enlarge Image. [93] She was an active member of the Junior League. More:Bill Ford's controversial viewpoint has changed Detroit automaker Henry Ford III, 40, is the son of Edsel B. Ford II and an investor relations director at Ford. Ford had weekly meetings with a psychiatrist approximately between August 1965 and April 1967. Ford is married to Lisa Vanderzee Ford, and they have four children. [3] It was never confirmed whether his death had been accidental or a suicide. As first lady, she was active in social policy and set a precedent as a politically active presidential spouse. [5] Warren was an alcoholic and diabetic, and was in poor health. ", Tobin, Leesa E. "Betty Ford as first lady: A woman for women.". [5], In 1936, after graduating from high school, Bloomer proposed continuing her study of dance in New York City, but her mother refused on account of the relatively recent loss of her husband. At the end of that call, Ford told Burkman to contact him if he ever needed anything. Ford's transparency was praised by experts in drug abuse treatment, who predicted that it would make a major and positive impact. [25][26] At the first state dinner that she arranged as first lady, Ford revived dancing as an activity of White House state dinners. Ford with other U.S. First Ladies at the November 1991 opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Shortly after she decided to file for divorce, Warren fell into a coma. 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Ford Presidential Library and Museum The National Women's Party honored Betty Ford as", "The original documents are located in Box 29, folder "Awards Presented to Betty Ford" of the Betty Ford White House Papers, 19731977 at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library", "Ford Museum - Artifact Collections - Head of State Gifts Artifacts - medal from the Arab Republic of Egypt", "The original documents are located in Box 1, folder "1976/03/29 Parsons Award, New York City" of the Frances K. Pullen Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library", "Betty Ford Awards and Honors Received", Ashley, Jeffrey S. "The Social and Political Influence of Betty Ford: Betty Bloomer Blossoms", Borrelli, Maryanne.

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