Betty Ford's Death Leaves Just Six Living American First Ladies

Betty Ford, who served as American First Lady to 38^th U.S. President Gerald R. Ford from 1974 to 1977, died on the evening of Friday, July 8, 2011, in her home in Rancho Mirage, California.

Mrs. Ford was surrounded by family members when she passed away at age 93, according to a statement released today by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum in Michigan. Betty Ford's husband, 38^th U.S. President Gerald Rudolph Ford, predeceased his wife in 2006.

The loss of Betty Ford leaves six American First Ladies still living, as of July 2011.

1. Rosalynn Carter (83)

Eleanor Rosalynn Smith Carter looks forward to her 84^th birthday on August 18, 2011. Rosalynn Carter served as First Lady to 39^th U.S. President James Earl Carter, Jr., popularly known as Jimmy Carter.

2. Nancy Reagan (90)

Anne Francis Nancy Robbins Davis Reagan celebrated her 90^th birthday on July 6, 2011. Nancy Reagan serves as First Lady to 40^th U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

3. Barbara Bush (86)

Barbara Pierce Bush turned 86 on June 8, 2011. Barbara Bush served as First Lady to 41^st U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush.

4. Hillary Clinton (64)

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton will be 64 on October 26, 2011. Mrs. Clinton currently serves as the 67^th U.S. Secretary of State in the Obama Administration. Hillary Clinton was First Lady to 42^nd U.S. President Bill Clinton, whose actual birth name was William Jefferson Blythe III.

5. Laura Bush (64)

Laura Lane Welch Bush is anticipating her 65^th birthday on November 4, 2011. Laura Bush served as First Lady to 43^rd U.S. President George Walker Bush, the son of 41^st President George H.W. Bush (see above).

6. Michelle Obama (47)

Michelle LaVaughn Obama (Mrs. Barack Obama), the reigning American First Lady, became 47 on January 17, 2011. Michelle Obama currently serves as First Lady to 44^th U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama II.

Betty Ford's legacy lives on in California and worldwide.

Born Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren on April 8, 1918, Betty Ford is perhaps best remembered for her years in the American White House and for founding the Betty Ford Center. This 20-acre facility, located in Rancho Mirage, offers alcohol treatment center and drug addiction recovery and rehabilitation.

The former First Lady established the now-famous not-for-profit clinic in 1982 after undergoing personal treatment for addiction to pain killers and alcohol abuse at California's Long Beach Naval Hospital.

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Linda Ann Nickerson, equestrian and horse breeder, brings decades of reporting and a globally minded Midwestern perspective to a host of topics, balancing human interest with history, hard facts and often humor.