Fellow first lady Nancy Reagan also was "deeply saddened" by the news. [19] Ford had, particularly, become addicted to prescription medication (opioid analgesics) that she had been originally prescribed in the early 1960s to treat a pinched nerve. Betty Ford passed away in June 2011 at the age of 93. She was 93. [3], During the primaries, Ford recorded radio advertisements on behalf of the campaign that were broadcast in New Hampshire. [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. In this statement, Ford disclosed, "I have found I am not only addicted to the medication I have been taking for my arthritis but also to alcohol". In attendance were former president Bill Clinton, former vice president Dick Cheney and former first lady Barbara Bush. 4 Mrs. Ford later reasoned, "I thought that there are women all over the country like me. Among the revelations in the biography: 1. [85], In 1982, after recovering from her own addictions, Ford established the Betty Ford Center (initially called the Betty Ford Clinic) in Rancho Mirage, California, for the treatment of chemical dependency,[86] including treating the children of alcoholics. Betty Ford, whose husband, Gerald, died in December 2006, had undergone surgery for an undisclosed ailment in April 2007. 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. In April 1974, she made her first official solo trip as second lady when she spent two-days visiting the states of Georgia and Tennessee to help in publicizing the "ARTRAIN", which was a traveling exhibit of art, visual displays, and performance pieces housed in six railway cars, and which was to travel through small towns across the southern United States. As we told you back in 2020, Betty rarely left her home once the COVID-19 pandemic began.. She also, ultimately agreed to attend rehab at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Long Beach, California. ", Tasha N. Dubriwny, "Constructing breast cancer in the news: Betty Ford and the evolution of the breast cancer patient.". The November 12, 1974 state dinner for Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky saw the first instance in which a wine from the Fords' home state of Michigan was served at a White House state dinner, with wine from the Tabor Hill Winery being served. She studied dance under Martha Graham in New York, working as a fashion model to finance her studies. After leaving the White House in 1977, Ford continued to lead an active public life. By not being the "political wife" of self-sacrificing legend, she both reflected and advanced public views about women in politics. Ford had believed it to be of great importance for the administration to show an expression of direct concern pertaining to the assassination, while Nixon's staff disagreed with her. Ford made campaign appearances and delivered speeches across the United States. Some women protested Ford's lobbying for the ERA by carrying placards outside of the White House reading "Betty Ford, Get Off the Phone". Her candor in talking about and dealing with substance abuse and treatment helped led to an improvement in how Americans talk about such matters. Stay tuned to our website for additional information. [110], Ford's life is the focus of the 1987 ABC biographical television film The Betty Ford Story, which has a story adapted from her memoir The Times of My Life. Thats the way I feel. "[66] Her openness about her cancer and treatment raised the visibility of a disease that Americans had previously been reluctant to talk about. Actress Betty White died after suffering a stroke six days prior, according to her death certificate. The Fords' unlikely rise to first family started in 1973, just as they were planning on retiring from Congress. Asked about her illness, she said, "I'm very glad that I brought cancer to the forefront.". [93] As the deadline approached, Ford led marches, parades and rallies for the ERA with other feminists, including First Daughter Maureen Reagan and various Hollywood actors. After leaving the White House, Mrs. Ford helped reduce the social stigma surrounding addiction and inspired thousands to seek much-needed treatment. [3] At one point, Ford disclosed to the public that her husband had previously promised her that he would retire from the House of Representatives in 1976 in order to return to private legal practice and dedicate more time to his family. She received an award from Parsons The New School for Design in recognition of her style. I'm sure I've saved at least one personmaybe more. [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. When they returned to Grand Rapids, she worked again at Herpolsheimer's, this time as the fashion coordinator. On December 26, 2006, Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States, died at home in Rancho Mirage, California at 6:45 p.m. local time (02:45, December 27, UTC). . Ill health prevented Ford from attending the funeral of former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson's in July 2007, and her daughter Susan Ford Bales instead represented her at the funeral service. Also, as a tireless advocate for women's rights and social justice, she helped to improve the lives and opportunities of countless women and children.". As first lady, Betty Ford was active in social policy and shattered precedents as a politically active presidential wife (Time considered her "the most since Eleanor [Roosevelt . This set a contrast with First Lady Pat Nixon, who routinely rejected invitations to give formal speeches. The statement also declared, "I expect this treatment and fellowship to be a solution for my problems. As our nation's first lady, she was a powerful advocate for women's health and women's rights. For more, click here: http://abcn.ws/BettyFordRIP 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. His wife, Betty, was the first lady during this time period. 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. In addition to founding the Betty Ford Center, she remained active in women's issues, taking on numerous speaking engagements and lending her name to charities for fundraising. [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. She also was completely unpretentious. Shortly after leaving the White House in 1977, at a time when alcoholism was considered a shameful topic which should never be discussed or even mentioned, the Ford family held . All the way there I was telling myself how it would not change anything. Elizabeth "Betty" Bloomer was born on April 8, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois, and spent most of her childhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan. [21], Both Betty and Gerald Ford refuse to comment on speculation that President Nixon might be forced out of office due to the Watergate scandal. [22] Two days later, on October 12, 1973, President Richard Nixon nominated Gerald Ford to serve as vice president. The first lady helped the nation restore its faith in the presidency following the Watergate scandal, once saying she wanted the White House to sing again. [24] The Carters would, ultimately be the Fords successors as president and first lady after Carter defeated Ford in the 1976 United States presidential election. [91], In 1978, the deadline for ratification of the ERA was extended from 1979 to 1982, resulting largely from a march of a hundred thousand people on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. Because of her grief, there will be more joy. On August 9, 1974, Betty Bloomer Ford was thrust onto the world stage when her . [21] In addition to the arts, Ford also gave focus to projects helping the disabled during her time as second lady. [67] The spike in women self-examining after Ford went public with the diagnosis led to an increase in reported cases of breast cancer, a phenomenon known as the "Betty Ford blip". After her pinched nerve, she began suffering several effects, including muscle spasms, periphrasic neuropathy, numbing the left side of her neck, and arthritis on her shoulder and arm. [36], During her time as first lady, Ford was an outspoken advocate of women's rights and was a prominent force in the Women's Movement of the 1970s. Everyone recognizes the namethanks in large part to the Betty Ford Clinic she co-founded in 1982 . Los Angeles: Sage Publications. [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". The must-watch series is accompanied by the likes of Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey. Betty Ford, the outspoken and much-admired wife of President Gerald R. Ford who overcame alcoholism and an addiction to pills and helped found one of the best-known rehabilitation centers in. [8], When Bloomer was 16, her father died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the family's garage while working under their car, despite the garage doors being open. We were proud to call her a friend.". Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States when her husband, Gerald Ford, assumed the office following President Richard Nixon's resignation. The Nixons had previously removed dancing from the state dinners during Nixon's presidency. 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. What many don't know is that she was also a talented modern dancer. Betty Ford began taking prescription pain killers in the 1960s for a pinched nerve. [19] In her 1987 memoir she reflected on these addictions, writing, "I liked alcohol, it made me feel warm. [54] She placed first in 1975. Phyllis Schlafly accused Ford of acting improperly by intervening in state affairs. [3], Between Labor Day and election day, for the general election campaign, Ford conducted multi-stop speaking tours, during which she visited western states (including California, Colorado, Texas, and Utah) as well was northern midwest states including Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. She desired to have a family with children and was unhappy with the frequent moves between cities she had experienced in her marriage. [9][10] He died the day before his 60th birthday. July 12, 2011 However, she abused these prescriptions, regularly taking many more pills than prescribed. 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. Ford assisted in fundraising for the little-known Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, D.C., whose patients were predominantly African American. [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. [35] In a 1975 interview with McCall's, Ford remarked that she was asked just about everything, except for how often she and the president had sex. 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. The American public ranked Ford as the eighth-greatest among these first ladies. Shortly after becoming president in 1974, Ford said, "I am indebted to no man and to only one woman, my dear wife.". Penn State World Campus (2013). Because the pills were prescribed by a physician, she did not believe that she had a . [3], The heavy campaigning placed a strain on Ford's health. [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. [95], Ford tackled the stigmatized issue of HIV/AIDS during the HIV/AIDS crisis. [3] It was never confirmed whether his death had been accidental or a suicide. 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