[3][20] However, notably, Ford had not managed to address her increasing prescription pain medication dependency, which sometimes saw her taking as many as twenty pills in a single day. After her initial anger over the intrusion in her life, Betty remained. Live July 9, 2011 -- Former first lady Betty Ford, whose candor about her own battles with substance abuse helped erase much of the stigma attached to addiction, has died. Surveys of historians conducted by the Siena College Research Institute have shown that historians regard Ford to be among the best and most courageous American first ladies. Because of her leadership, many lives were saved.". . [3][5][12] They married on October 15, 1948, at Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids. The Betty Ford Center board endorsed the merger Tuesday. As first lady, she was active in social policy and set a precedent as a politically active presidential spouse. Betty Ford was at his side. [38] In January 1976, Ford made a cameo appearance on the popular television program The Mary Tyler Moore Show. [107][108] In the 2014 Siena Research Institute survey, historians ranked Ford 3rd-highest among 20th and 21st century First Ladies in the greatness of post-White House service, 3rd-highest in advancement of women's issues, and 4th-highest in creating a lasting legacy. "She was Jerry Ford's strength through some very difficult days in our country's history, and I admired her courage in facing and sharing her personal struggles with all of us. She disclosed her alcoholism through a statement that a family spokesman read on her behalf at a press conference (at which Ford was not herself present) held outside of the hospital. 12/26/2018 05:25 AM EST. "[67], 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. [24] However, by the spring of 1974, Ford was seen as embracing her position as second lady, becoming less reclusive and more active. Dance developed into a passion for her, and she decided she wanted to seek a career in it. This dinner was part of the American bicentennial celebrations, and was held in tents on the South Lawn of the White House. In a tribute, Mark Updegrove, Director of the LBJ Library, who wrote much about the Ford family, said: Betty Ford was a thoroughly modern first ladyand among the most progressive we've ever had in the White House. As a supporter of abortion rights and a leader in the women's rights movement, she gained fame as one of the most candid first ladies in history, commenting on the hot-button issues of the time, such as feminism, equal pay, the Equal Rights Amendment, sex, drugs, abortion, and gun control. In 1964, a pinched nerve on the left side of Ford's neck sent her to the hospital for two weeks. Penn State World Campus (2013). Bush called her, "a wonderful wife and mother; a great friend; and a courageous first lady. [19][61] In a 1975 interview with the news program 60 Minutes, Ford called Roe v. Wade a "great, great decision". [4], In 1926, when she was eight years old, her mother, who valued social graces, enrolled her in the Calla Travis Dance Studio in Grand Rapids, where Ford was taught ballet, tap dancing, and modern movement. [7], In May 1975, during a four-day trip,[62] Ford met with former Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam Nguyn Cao K to discuss Southeast Asia refugees. Much of this progress began in the 1970s through the voice and advocacy of Betty Ford. Stay tuned to our website for additional information. While her death is a cause for sadness, we know that organizations such as the Betty Ford Center will honor her legacy by giving countless Americans a new lease on life. Her role as a public health advocate distinguishes her as one of the most influential women of the latter part of the twentieth century.[104]. Her candor in talking about and dealing with substance abuse and treatment helped led to an improvement in how Americans talk about such matters. She became well known for her openness. [63], Ford's involvement in political issues received some conservative criticism. Betty Ford, the former First Lady of the United States who died on July 8 aged 93, exemplified the American virtue of positive thinking to overcome illness and addiction, and used her . At the time Betty was struggling she needed to report to a rehab facility but at the time they catered to men. "Did they dislike her? [7][34][37] However, polling would show that her comments were accepted by many Americans. They took away my tension and my pain". Her mother's actions in the wake of her father's passing are said to have been formative for her views in support of equal pay and gender equality. [84], In 1987, Ford underwent quadruple coronary bypass surgery and recovered without complications. Betty Ford was portrayed as an ideal patient within a success narrative that presented the key sequences of her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in a progressive, linear fashion that inspired optimism. Married and divorced in her 20s, in 1947 her life changed forever when she met Gerald R. Ford. [3], After her husband's narrow defeat, there was some anecdotal speculation that Ford may have both have helped to alienate conservative Republicans from voting for her husband and at the same time helped attract him support from liberal and moderate Republicans, Democrats, and independents. "First Ladies and the Cultural Everywoman Ideal: Gender Performance and Representation. [65] Ford decided to be open about her illness because "There had been so much cover-up during Watergate that we wanted to be sure there would be no cover-up in the Ford administration. "[29] She was regarded to be the most politically outspoken first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt. By not being the "political wife" of self-sacrificing legend, she both reflected and advanced public views about women in politics. In another instance, she commented, "it's just impossible for me to lie and look someone in the eyes and talk to them. "[69], Dishes that Ford particularly liked serving at state dinners included wild rice,[25][74] Columbia River salmon, souffl, and flamb. [71] As previously mentioned, the Fords had hosted a state dinner for King Hussein months earlier, during Gerald Ford's vice presidency, on March 12, 1974, after president Nixon asked then-Vice President Ford to take over for him in hosting a planned dinner for the King. "Issues of Openness and Privacy: Press and Public Response to Betty Ford's Breast Cancer. [12] Ford felt an obligation to attend her husband's testimony at his confirmation hearings. 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. Betty Ford, who died yesterday at the age of ninety-three, got married the year she turned twenty-four, to a furniture salesman who did not become the President of the United States. Ford made the decision that year to erect a tent in the White House Rose Garden to host dinners outside. Betty Ford was known as a vivacious activist for women's rights. After graduating from high school in 1936 she attended the Bennington School of Dance in Vermont for two summers, where she met choreographer Martha Graham. She was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal as a co-recipient with President Ford in 1998. She died Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. and her cause of death was not immediately clear. 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. [105] 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". A mutual friend, Peg Neuman, suggested to Gerald that he should ask her out, so he called her. Ford, a Republican who served in the White House from 1974 to 1977, was 93 when he passed away at . [109], 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. [84], Ford published her first memoir in 1978, The Times of My Life, in which she discussed her battle with addiction. She was 99. When they returned to Grand Rapids, she worked again at Herpolsheimer's, this time as the fashion coordinator. [61] Her active political role prompted Time to call her the country's "Fighting First Lady" and was the reason they profiled her, among several others, to represent the "American Women" as the magazine's 1975 Person of the Year. In 2003, Ford produced another book, Healing and Hope: Six Women from the Betty Ford Center Share Their Powerful Journeys of Addiction and Recovery. She continued to strongly advocate and lobby politicians and state legislatures for passage of the ERA. She decided to establish the Betty Ford Center with gender specific treatment for men and women (Northouse, 2013) Northouse, P. G. (2013). [94] The amendment did not receive enough states' ratification. [3] Ford also volunteered for local charitable organizations, including serving as the program director of the Alexandria Cancer Fund Drive. The Nixons had previously removed dancing from the state dinners during Nixon's presidency. She would be given prescription medication, including Valium. A contrast was publicly drawn between Ford and Nancy Reagan, the wife of Ford's primary election challenger Ronald Reagan. Betty Ford. [83] The fact that Ford had, for years, been given tranquilizers to treat a pinched nerve in her neck, was public knowledge as far back as her time as second lady. "Competing conceptions of the first ladyship: Public responses to Betty Ford's 60 Minutes interview. She agreed, that day, to detox from her medicine. The march was led by prominent feminist leaders, including Ford, Bella Abzug, Elizabeth Chittick, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. And I loved pills. She desired to have a family with children and was unhappy with the frequent moves between cities she had experienced in her marriage. [69] At the state dinners of the Ford presidency, the president and first lady always led off the dancing, and dancing often lasted beyond midnight. LOS ANGELES, California -- Actress Betty White passed away in her sleep on Friday, her agent has confirmed to ABC News. I think its time to bring abortion out of the backwoods and put it in the hospitals, where it belongs. Disregarding criticism to her stance, Ford would remark, Maybe I shouldnt have said it, but I couldnt lie. [34] Ford's popularity often was higher than her husband's. [5] At the age of 14, she began modeling clothes and teaching children popular dances, such as the foxtrot, waltz, and big apple, to earn money in the wake of the Great Depression. [99] In 2003, Ford was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Award by the Woodrow Wilson Center of the Smithsonian Institution. [3] The broadcast of the interview saw strong interest from the public. [3], In 2013, Ford was posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. [24] On May 31, 1973, Ford made her first major speech when she gave a commencement address to the graduates of the Westminster Choir College. Thats the way I feel. Phyllis Schlafly accused Ford of acting improperly by intervening in state affairs. [111][112][113] Ford is also one of three former first ladies whose lives are the focus of the Emmy-nominated 2022 Showtime television series The First Lady, in which she is portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer. Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation History. In 1981, Eleanor Smeal, the National Organization for Women's president, announced Ford's appointment to be the co-chair, with Alan Alda, of the ERA Countdown Campaign. Photos of this moment were published widely in the American press, resulting in Betty Ford somewhat upstaging President Ford in the press. 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. [3] Ford remarked, "I agree with the Supreme Courts ruling. We were proud to know her. This is my problem". During her life she helped change the way Americans think and talk about breast cancer, women's rights and substance abuse. First Lady Barbara Bush holds the medal. Among the revelations in the biography: 1. Betty Ford "became known for her openness and candor" (Northouse, 2013) and remained true to herself, she did not change who she was, or her core values because of her new position as First Lady. [7] Due to conservative backlash from Ford's comments on premarital sex, marijuana use, and abortion in a 1975 60 Minutes interview, President Ford initially quipped to her that her comments had lost him a large number of votes. [3], Campaign button in support of President Ford's 1976 presidential campaign with the phrase "Keep Betty in the White House", Betty and Gerald Ford onstage at the 1976 Republican National Convention. [25] The first of these came only a week into Ford's presidency, hosting King Hussein of Jordan on August 16, 1974. July 8, 2011 — -- Betty Ford, wife of former President Gerald Ford and the founder of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction, has died at age 93. President Obama noted how Betty Ford "distinguished herself through her courage and compassion. [66], According to Tasha N. Dubriwny, the massive media coverage of Ford's mastectomy was constrained by stereotypical gender roles, particularly the need for breast cancer patients to maintain their femininity. After this, Betty Ford was transparent with the news media that she had received psychiatric care. [19], During a January 1984 address in Michigan to a crowd of individuals who were in the early stages of alcohol and drug dependency treatment, Ford declared that the six years since she began her treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, "have been the best years in my life from the standpoint of feeling healthier and feeling more comfortable with myself". Ford's family has traveled to California and expects to arrange a service in Palm Springs soon, Barbara Lewandrowski, a family spokeswoman, told The Associated Press. Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States when her husband, Gerald Ford, assumed the office following President Richard Nixon's resignation. Her philanthropic support additionally placed a specific focus on charities serving children with special needs. [103], Only a part of Betty Ford's legacy will be that of her role as first lady. [25][69] Once she became first lady, it fell to Ford to arrange this already-scheduled dinner. [3] Ford received support from her family and managed to resume a busy lifestyle. In 1965, Ford suffered a significant nervous breakdown, erupting in severe crying that had appeared inexplicable to others. [3], Ford had an extremely busy schedule by July 1974. [31] Active in social policy, Ford broke new ground as a politically active presidential spouse. AP. [19] Ford said, during her husband's failed 1976 presidential campaign, "I would give my life to have Jerry have my poll numbers. For state dinners held using this tent, the receptions, entertainment, and dancing portions of the evenings were still held inside of the White House. "[21][24] The Fords had planned to make a diplomatic trip to European nations after the midterm elections. She was married to Gerald Ford for 58 years. Betty Ford wanted to be a professional dancer Ford was the most prominent national supporter of the project. Established in 1949 on lakeside acreage in Center City, Minnesota, the Hazelden Betty Ford . Betty underwent a radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital and inadvertently destigmatized breast cancer by addressing her illness publicly during a White House press conference. [75], During the Fords' 1976 trip to mainland China, when being shown an exhibition by a Chinese arts college dance group, Ford decided to join the dancers. Among the nations that Ford accompanied her husband to were China, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia. [41], The Fords were among the more openly affectionate first couples in United States history. [116] She also received that year's "Commitment to Life Award" from the Los Angeles AIDS Project. The American public ranked Ford as the eighth-greatest among these first ladies. She explained that, while her husband had attended two sessions with a psychiatric doctor, those sessions were for her care, and not care of his own. During and after her years in the White House, 1974 to 1977, Mrs. Ford won . Ford had declared that she would be accompanying her husband at campaign functions, "when he wants me to. Through the work she did at the Betty Ford Center, Ford recognized the link between drug abuse and AIDS. Her coverage minimized the complexity of breast cancer as a disease and ignored the debates surrounding best treatment practices. "I'm not out to rescue anybody who doesn't want to be rescued," she once said. In her September 4, 1974 press conference, Ford declared her support for it. Betty Ford (1918-2011) was the wife of Gerald Ford, who was the 38th president of the United States between 1974 and 1977. She accompanied her husband to congressional and White House events, as well as on some trips abroad, and made herself available to newspaper and magazine articles. She briefly continued her studies with Graham in New York City until close family ties took her back to Grand Rapids in 1941. However, she abused these prescriptions, regularly taking many more pills than prescribed. ", President George H.W. She died peacefully, surrounded by her family, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. She was working in a fashion job in Grand Rapids where Gerald lived. She got a job as assistant to the fashion coordinator for Herpolsheimer's, a local department store. [46][47] The photo was subsequently published and is regarded as an "iconic" photograph of Ford's time as First Lady. 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. By the time Betty Ford became first lady in August 1974the month her husband, Gerald Ford, succeeded Richard Nixon the former dancer had already been taking prescription pills for years to. She was the wife of President Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States. In addition, she was a passionate supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). [3][19] Ford registered herself at the hospital on April 11, 1978. Bloomer disliked the surname. [40] In 1977, the World Almanac included Ford in its ranking of the 25 most-influential American women. [3] Following her husband's death, Ford continued to live in Rancho Mirage. [25][26] At the first state dinner that she arranged as first lady, Ford revived dancing as an activity of White House state dinners. [76] Many of Ford's most significant contributions as an activist came following the Fords' departure from the White House. On Aug. 9, 1974, Nixon stepped down following the Watergate scandal. [78] In June 1977, Ford was a speaker at the Arthritis Association Convention. [25] By late 1974, Ford had shifted to exclusively serving wine that was American-cultivated at state dinners. [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. LR: Nancy Reagan, Ladybird Johnson , Hillary Clinton, Rosalyn Carter, Ford, Barbara Bush, The Fords post for a photograph with three other U.S. first couples (George H. W. and Barbara Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter) during at the 2000 White House Historical Association Dinner, Ford attends a National Press Club event in 2001, The Fords with President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the White House in 2003 at a celebration President Ford's 90th birthday, Ford and her husband at a June 2005 Gerald R. Ford Foundation dinner, Betty Ford with her husband and President George W. Bush on April 23, 2006, Ford leans over President Ford's coffin during memorial services for him held December 30, 2006 in the United States Capitol rotunda as part of the his state funeral, Ford being escorted by Army Major General Guy C. Swan III during a portion of the state funeral of her late husband, Betty Ford died of natural causes on July 8, 2011, three months after her 93rd birthday, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. Her cause of death was not immediately clear. One day in 1934, when she was 16, Betty came home and her father, a traveling salesman who had recently lost his job, had. By February 1948 the couple was engaged to be married. [3][21] Her candor on this trip received a positive reception by the news media..[21] Among those she met on the two-day trip was Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. [3], During her and President Ford's later years together, they resided in Rancho Mirage and in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Ford also enjoyed the traditional role as hostess of the White House and on a daily basis spent most of her energy on the family, health, and filling in for her husband on the hustings. Ford's recent predecessor Lady Bird Johnson was among other first ladies that did not conduct solo trips abroad. [101], In July 2018, a statue of Ford was unveiled outside of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Everyone recognizes the namethanks in large part to the Betty Ford Clinic she co-founded in 1982 . Betty developed a passion for dance at an early age. You see, Betty (played on The First Lady by Michelle Pfeiffer and Kristine Froseth) was married to William before she wed former President Gerald Ford (Aaron Eckhart). [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. Jacqueline Kennedy, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford all smoked cigarettes but were never photographed doing so. [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. After leaving the White House, Betty Ford publicly acknowledged her addiction to alcohol and painkillers. Become a member and. [16], The Fords lived in Washington, D.C. after his election, until the spring of 1955, when the Fords moved into a house they constructed in the D.C. suburb of Alexandria, Virginia. In fact, when Mrs . In 1978, the Ford family staged an intervention, and forced Betty to confront her addition to alcohol and pain pills. She regularly drove her children around to their activities, such as her sons' Little League Baseball games and her daughter's dance classes. A month after moving into the White House, Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. Betty Ford was 93 years old when she died; therefore, she can be said to have died from old age. [33] On June 30, 1976, Ford attended the opening of "Remember the Ladies", a Revolutionary War-era women's exhibit. [3] It was never confirmed whether his death had been accidental or a suicide. [3], Ford was also used, both by Ford supporters and detractors, as a symbol of liberal Republicanism, with her politics contrasting with the Republican Party's conservative and moderate wings. Ford also became involved in causes related to HIV/AIDS. The Golden Girls star, who passed away on Dec. 31 at age 99, died due to a cerebrovascular accident, according to her death certificate obtained by PEOPLE on Monday. Ford also became famous as a pioneer in the battle against substance abuse. The first instance of a first lady conducting one had been Eleanor Roosevelt in 1942. Helping others overcome addiction became her chief cause. Betty White in her kitchen in Carmel, California. She visited states, including Illinois, where ratification was believed to have the most realistic chance of passing. Following her White House years, she continued to lobby for the ERA and remained active in the feminist movement. [3] Ford also held active membership in groups such as the 81st Congress Club and National Federation of Republican Women. Thereafter, Mrs. Ford's daily greetings were verbally reciprocated.". "[7], Betty and Gerald Ford had four children together: Michael Gerald Ford (born 1950), John Gardner Ford (nicknamed Jack; born 1952), Steven Meigs Ford (born 1956), and Susan Elizabeth Ford (born 1957). "Jerry did not want this," she wrote. ", Gould, Lewis L. "Modern first ladies in historical perspective. She was married to Gerald Ford for 58 years. [53][51] Contrarily to her, while President Ford ranked in the top-10 positions of most admired men in multiple years,[56][57][58][59] he never managed to top it. [106] In both the 1993 and 2003 Siena Research Institute surveys, Ford was similarly ranked the 5th-highest in historians' assessment of first ladies' courage. [33], Ford was also unapologetically pro-abortion rights. She instead attended the Bennington School of Dance in Bennington, Vermont, for two summers, where she studied under director Martha Hill with choreographers Martha Graham and Hanya Holm. [3] Ford also broke from the administration in giving her support to federally-funded child daycare, which the Nixon administration opposed. In 1982, she co-founded the Betty Ford Center in California. She wrote about it in her book, "A Glad Awakening." Elizabeth Anne Ford (ne Bloomer; formerly Warren;[2] April 8, 1918 July 8, 2011) was the first lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of President Gerald Ford. (National Archives Identifier 187012) [49], Ford ranked as one of the top-10 most admired women in the results of Gallup's annual most admired man and woman poll every year from 1974 (the year her husband first became president) through 1991,[50][51][52] with the exception of Gallup having failed to conduct such a poll in 1976 (the final full year of her husband's presidency). During her stay at the White House, her dependency on these drugs seemingly dissipated. On April 1, 1978, her family staged an intervention which forced her to acknowledge the negative impact that her addiction was having on her health and family relationships. At this point in her life, she was married to her first husband, businessman William Warren. [7] Early into her time in the White House, during a televised tour of the White House she once again noted that she and her husband shared the same bed. [20] Such talk was due to Gerald Ford, following the Republican Party's failure to win a majority in the 1972 United States House of Representatives elections, seeing it as unlikely that he would ever fulfill his ambition of becoming speaker of the House. As the First Lady . Kalb shares a few things you may not know about the 38th . "I just think it's important to say how easy it is to slip into a dependency on pills or alcohol, and how hard it is to admit that dependency.". 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