IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 409 

Celebrating the life of President Gerald R. Ford on what would have been 

his 96th birthday. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 6, 2009 

Mr. EHLERS submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Celebrating the life of President Gerald R. Ford on what 

would have been his 96th birthday. 

Whereas Gerald Rudolph Ford was born on July 14, 1913, 

in Omaha, Nebraska; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford was educated in Michigan public 

schools, and graduated from the University of Michigan 

in 1935 with a bachelor of arts degree in economics and 

political science; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford was a gifted athlete, playing on the 

University of Michigan’s national championship football 

teams in 1932 and 1933, and being voted the team’s 

most valuable player in 1934; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford graduated from Yale Law School in 

1941 in the top 25 percent of his class; 


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•HRES 409 IH 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford joined the United States Naval Reserves in 1942 and served valiantly on the U.S.S. Monterey in the South Pacific Theater in World War II; 

Whereas Lieutenant Commander Gerald R. Ford was honorably released from active duty in February 1946, having 

been awarded an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 

one silver star and four bronze stars, a Philippine Liberation Ribbon with two bronze stars, an American Campaign Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford and Elizabeth (‘‘Betty’’) Anne 

Bloomer were married on October 15, 1948, and celebrated 58 years together; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford and Betty Ford have four children, 

Michael, Jack, Steven, and Susan, seven grandchildren, 

and five great-grandchildren; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford was elected to Congress in 1948, 

and served 13 honorable terms of office from January 3, 

1949 to December 6, 1973; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford’s contributions to the Foreign Operations and Defense Subcommittees of the Committee on 

Appropriations of the House of Representatives earned 

him a reputation as a ‘‘Congressman’s Congressman’’; 

Whereas Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Gerald R. Ford to 

the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination 

of President John F. Kennedy; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford served as minority leader of the 

House of Representatives from 1965 to 1973; 

Whereas upon the resignation of Spiro Agnew and following 

confirmation by the Congress, Gerald R. Ford was appointed by President Richard M. Nixon as Vice President 


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of the United States, and was sworn in on December 6, 

1973; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford became the 38th President of the 

United States on August 9, 1974, and served until January 20, 1977, taking office at a dark hour in the history 

of the United States, and, through his wisdom, courage, 

and integrity, promptly restored the confidence of the 

people of the United States in the Presidency; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford is the only person from the State 

of Michigan to have served as President of the United 

States; 

Whereas the Presidency of Gerald R. Ford is remembered for 

restoring trust and openness to the presidency and the 

Federal Government; 

Whereas President Gerald R. Ford followed a steady and sensible course to cope with the Nation’s economic problems 

and, during his administration, halted double-digit inflation and lowered unemployment; 

Whereas President Gerald R. Ford solidified President Nixon’s accomplishments in China, brought representatives 

of Israel and Egypt to the conference table to establish 

a framework for a lasting peace, and provided developmental assistance to underdeveloped countries; 

Whereas in 1975, under Gerald R. Ford’s leadership, the 

United States signed the Final Act of the Conference on 

Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly known as 

the ‘‘Helsinki Agreement’’, which ratified post-World 

War II European borders and codified fundamental 

human rights and freedoms, and in so doing set about a 

course of events that ultimately led to the demise of the 

Soviet Union; 


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Whereas in 1981, Gerald R. Ford saw the dedication of the 

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library in Ann Arbor, 

Michigan, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum 

in Grand Rapids, Michigan; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford received the Presidential Medal of 

Freedom in 1999, the Nation’s highest civilian award, for 

his role in guiding the Nation through the turbulent 

times of the Watergate scandal, the resignation of President Nixon, and the end of the Vietnam War, and for restoring integrity and public trust to the Presidency; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford and Betty Ford were together 

awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999 in recognition of their dedicated public service and outstanding 

humanitarian contributions to the people of the United 

States; 

Whereas upon leaving the Presidency, Gerald R. Ford was an 

international ambassador of American goodwill, a noted 

scholar and lecturer, and a strong supporter of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of 

Michigan, which was named for the former President in 

1999; 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford chose Grand Rapids, Michigan, as 

the home of his Presidential Museum and his final resting place; and 

Whereas Gerald R. Ford’s life was characterized by honesty, 

integrity, and dedication of purpose: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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1 (1) celebrates the extraordinary life of Gerald 

2 Rudolph Ford, and expresses its deepest apprecia3 tion for his profound public service; 

4 (2) recognizes the significance of Gerald R. 

5 Ford’s Presidency, and his legacy of substantial con6 tribution to the United States and to the peoples of 

7 the world; 

8 (3) recognizes the significance and loving sup9 port of Betty Ford as his confidant and First Lady; 

10 and 

11 (4) directs the Clerk of the House of Represent12 atives to transmit a copy of this resolution to the 

13 family of President Gerald R. Ford, the Gerald R. 

14 Ford Presidential Museum, and the Gerald R. Ford 

15 Library at the University of Michigan. 

Æ 


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