Gerald Ford: An Unelected, Unprecedented Presidency

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In 1974 history was made, as Gerald Ford became President of the United States. His presidency was so historic because he is the only president to take office without having been elected president or vice president. President Ford took the presidential office after Richard Nixon resigned, for fear of congressional impeachment in consequence to the Watergate Scandal. Based on the circumstances Gerald Ford had taken over in, a plummeting United States economy, citizens losing trust in their elected officials, and facing the impending collapse of an ally, President Ford actually accomplished a lot for the country. He took over in a time when congress was controlled by the Democrats, yet he was still able to get bills passed. Many people have …show more content…

Even though the campaign failed, Ford became hooked on politics. Shortly after the campaign ended he joined the “Home Front,” a group of Republican Reformers located in Grand Rapid. His political career was put on hold after the attack on Pearl Harbor motivated him to join the Navy. In 1942, he was called to duty, he served four years, some of which were spent as an officer aboard the Monterey, an aircraft carrier (“Gerald Ford | Miller Center”). Gerald Ford served thirteen terms in congress, starting in 1948 at the age of thirty-five. During his time as a congressman, Ford served some time on the; House Appropriations Committee, Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, NASA Oversight Committee, CIA and Intelligence Oversight Committee, and the Warren Commission, a group of individuals selected by President Johnson, dedicated to the investigation of President Kennedy’s assassination. Congressman Ford’s biggest accomplishment in the House of Representatives was becoming the minority leader of the house. Under his rule, the House Republicans increased in numbers, but they were never able to gain the majority. In 1973, under unusual circumstances, Gerald Ford was appointed vice president (“Gerald R. Ford …show more content…

After President Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, was forced to resign after being caught accepting bribes. A replacement needed to be found promptly, President Nixon chose Gerald Ford because Ford had been a major advocate for him during the elections and because Ford was one of the few people both the House and Senate were guaranteed to approve of. On August 9, 1974, after only having served nine months as vice president, Gerald Ford took over Presidency, a day after Richard Nixon resigned to avoid being impeached for the Watergate Scandal. In 1976, Ford beat Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination, allowing him to run for re-election. Ford chose Senator Robert Dole as his running mate and campaigned with the same platform from his presidency. He promised an improved economy, better foreign relations, and to keep the United States as an image of world power. Ford narrowly lost the election to a “Washington outsider,” named Jimmy Carter. Ford fell short in the electoral vote, receiving only 240 to Carter’s 297, Carter also had over 1.5 million more popular votes than Ford. Ford’s loss in the 1976 election can be accredited to two major things, his pardon of former president Richard Nixon, and a troubled economy. The pardoning of his predecessor angered many Americans and led to conspiracy theories about a deal between the two. However, the poor

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