December 27, 2006 6:23 AM
Former President Ford dies at 93
Former President Gerald Ford, the only person to serve as both president and vice president without being elected to either office, died Tuesday at 93.
The former President and his family always seemed to have one boot planted in Colorado, writes Joe Garner.
Ford was linked to Colorado for decades through his love of the Vail Valley. He brought his family to ski at Vail for the first time in 1968, when he was a Michigan congressman, just six years after the resort opened.During one ski trip, the four Ford children agreed to spend every Christmas at Vail, and the family moved into a new condo in 1970. The energetic, down- to-Earth Republican congressman, his wife and their children were quickly accepted as locals within the resort community.
Ford ascended to both of the highest offices in the land following scandals. He was Richard Nixon's choice to replace Spiro Agnew, who was implicated in payoffs, in 1973, then replaced Nixon in the fallout of the Watergate scandal in 1974. He pardoned Nixon a month later.
That single act, it was widely believed, contributed to Ford losing election to a term of his own in 1976. But it won praise in later years as a courageous act that allowed the nation to move on.
Another decision, harshly criticized at the time, has been upheld by history, reports the New York Times.
Mr. Ford’s decision to back the 1975 Helsinki Accords was furiously criticized in 1976 by both Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. They complained that it had legitimized the post-World War II borders in Europe. But in his book “The Cold War: A New History” (Penguin, 2005), John Lewis Gaddis of Yale wrote that the pact’s commitment to “human rights and fundamental freedoms” became a trap for the Soviet Union, which was facing ever-bolder condemnations by dissidents.
The Washington Post's obituary is here.
What will President Ford's legacy be? Did he aid the national healing over Watergate by pardoning Nixon or should the former president have stood trial? Did you ever encounter the Ford family in Vail? Share your memories here.
December 27, 2006
8:16 AM
gr8fuldude writes:
I wasn't a fan of the guy, but I do think he got a bad rap due to how he inherited a mess from Nixon. Not only the aftermath of Watergate and the pardons, but also having to clean up the mess created by Nixon's wage and price controls. "Whip Inflation Now" was well intentioned, but I don't think inflation can be as controlled by the demand side as by the monetary policy side. It really wasn't until Volker and company dug in that it became less of an issue.
I also thought the whole image of him being a clutz was unearned. He was really one of the first presidents to be filmed and reported on that widely. When you have a camera following you, a lot of stuff will be caught. Despite the often repeated footage of him falling down while skiing, he really was fairly athletic.
Compared to W, he was a professional and a gentleman.
December 27, 2006
8:24 AM
ML writes:
The accidental president...rest in peace.
December 27, 2006
9:54 AM
Anonymous writes:
Dude - compared to W, my mutt dog is a professional and a gentleman - but I mean that in no way to detract or disparage Gerald Ford - I think you make an excellent point in that he inherited a country in the toilet, and he did an adequate to admirable job (depending on whom you ask) in getting us back on course.
December 27, 2006
11:40 AM
gr8fuldude writes:
Arnie, you disappoint me. I would have bet a week's pay that you would have had something to say about Betty and her issues.
I think you are slowing down and/or mellowing out.
December 27, 2006
3:16 PM
Truth writes:
He was one of the good ones. A Moderate Republican who believed in limited government but also supported women's rights. Most Republicans I know are also moderate but have sold their soul to the parties base. He was a man of faith but didn't parade around and use his faith to knock others.
December 27, 2006
3:51 PM
Bigg Dogg writes:
Gerald Ford was a rare breed.... a Republican who actually put what is right for America AHEAD of what is right for Republicans. I have nothing but respect for the man. We need more leaders like him, ones with integrity and passion, but I'm afraid those types of men are vanishing. May God bless Gerald Ford and his family.
December 27, 2006
4:38 PM
Anonymous writes:
Unfortunately the players like Rumsfeld and Cheney escaped with Nixon’s pardon and we are now paying for Ford’s failure to use due process. We now have a scary alliance between arms, oil, and government and players with no conscience. Iraq may just be the tip of the preverbal iceberg with these career criminals that have been at it for a long time. Maybe we can bust them this time before they retire billionaires. Not likely, they would just get pardoned by more of the same criminals wanting a cut.
December 28, 2006
7:04 PM
Anonymous writes:
Too bad that Ford didn't make his opinions about Iraq known before his death. He might have prevented some unnecessary deaths.
December 29, 2006
1:19 PM
DEATH KING writes:
Again, as with all deaths that are the topic of the blog
Better him than me!
December 29, 2006
2:49 PM
Repuplican writes:
I still have my
NIXON NOW
sticker
And I voted for him!
December 29, 2006
4:19 PM
Holier Than Thou writes:
I voted for Gerald Ford back in '76. At the time, I reckoned he made a good call to put the whole Nixon mess behind us with a pardon, but it set a bad precedent. We should hold the most powerful members of society fully accountable for their mistakes and crimes because they do more damage than anyone else. I generally like to give folks the benefit of the doubt but have seen that this should never be the case when dealing with the powerful. That was Ford's mistake but other than that he was a decent man and a good president.
If I had to vote for another Republican to be president, I would gladly choose Ford. Compared to what we have now... well there is no comparing murderers, liars, and bums to an honest man who did his job.
April 26, 2007
2:48 PM
Alan writes:
Sorry to hear of President Ford's passing however no body lasts forever. My condolences to the family.
Sincerly,
Alan R. Kelley