This is part of the
Hall of Dead Presidents
(GC1W1AP) series. I chose Gerald Ford because of his
association with Scouting. This should be a quick fun cache for
the whole family.
Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King, Jr.; July 14,
1913 – December 26, 2006) was the 38th President of the United
States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of
the United States serving from 1973 to 1974. As the first person
appointed to the vice-presidency under the terms of the 25th
Amendment, when he became President upon Richard Nixon's
resignation on August 9, 1974, he also became the only President of
the United States who was elected neither President nor
Vice-President.
Before ascending to the vice-presidency, Ford served nearly 25
years as Representative from Michigan's 5th congressional district,
eight of them as the Republican Minority Leader.
As President, Ford signed the Helsinki Accords, marking a move
toward détente in the Cold War. With the conquest of South Vietnam
by North Vietnam nine months into his presidency, US involvement in
Vietnam essentially ended. Domestically, Ford presided over what
was then the worst economy since the Great Depression, with growing
inflation and a recession during his tenure. One of his more
controversial acts was to grant a presidential pardon to President
Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal. During Ford’s
incumbency, foreign policy was characterized in procedural terms by
the increased role Congress began to play, and by the corresponding
curb on the powers of the President. In 1976, Ford narrowly
defeated Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination, but
ultimately lost the presidential election to Democrat Jimmy
Carter.
Following his years as president, Ford remained active in the
Republican Party. After experiencing health problems and being
admitted to the hospital four times in 2006, Ford died in his home
on December 26, 2006. He lived to an older age than any other U.S.
president, dying at the age of 93 years and 165 days.
Ford was involved in The Boy Scouts of America, and attained
that program's highest rank, Eagle Scout. In subsequent years, Ford
received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in May 1970 and Silver
Buffalo Award from the Boy Scouts of America. He is the only US
president who was an Eagle Scout. Scouting was so important to Ford
that his family asked that Scouts participate in his funeral. About
400 Eagle Scouts were part of the funeral procession, where they
formed an honor guard as the casket went by in front of the museum.
A few selected scouts served as ushers inside the National
Cathedral.