Born: 1918
Betty Ford was a new kind of First Lady; gutsy, independent, and forthright. Growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Betty aspired to be a professional dancer. She took classes at Bennington College, then spent two years in New York City studying with choreographer Martha Graham and supporting herself as a runway model. Returning home, Betty taught dance, started a troupe, and eventually became a fashion buyer. After a five-year marriage ended in divorce, she met lawyer and aspiring politician Gerald Ford. They wed in 1948, just before Jerry won the Congressional seat he would hold for the next 25 years. The Fords moved to Washington and Betty raised four children while Jerry rose in Republican politics.
A year after Jerry replaced Spiro Agnew as Nixon's Vice-President, Nixon himself resigned and the Fords were thrust into the White House. Betty's candor was a tonic to a nation wary of political figures. Other First Ladies had held political views that differed at times from their husbands' but they didn't express them publicly. Betty did. She was an outspoken proponent of the Equal Rights Amendment and the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. She was equally forthcoming about personal challenges, such as her 1974 battle with breast cancer, and years later, her treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. In 1982, she helped found the Betty Ford Center for others in recovery.
Thirty-Eighth President
Gerald R. Ford
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