Defining Gerald Ford: Good President or Just a Good Republican?

On December 26, 2006, the longest living President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford, passed away. At 93, Ford was remembered, by those who knew and respected him, as a quiet, affable, intelligent, and brave leader. He was the 38^th President, succeeding Richard M. Nixon after Nixon was all but forced to resign his office in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

After assuming the office of the presidency, Ford's actions, uncharacteristic of a conservative Republican- in only a month's time he propelled the administration to a central, moderate position that reached out to women and minorities, draft dodgers, and foreign powers- earned the 'accidental president' an approval rating of over 70 percent. Unfortunately, that rating and the style of governance he presented was short-lived.

For on September 8, 1974, Gerald R. Ford issued a pardon for former President Nixon for his involvement in the Watergate debacle. That single action forever altered his presidency and steeped him in controversy that persists to this day. His immersion in that controversy and a shortened term that seemed filled with contradictions and odd moves beg the question: Was Gerald Ford a good president, or was he just a good Republican?

Gerald Ford, born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., was viewed as a model man, and lived a life that seemed both virtuous and noble. He was the sort of man that epitomized the ideal of the Golden Boy, the All-American. Many saw him as stalwart, self-made man, wielding degrees from the University of Michigan and Yale Law School, and making his mark in the legal profession. Too, his status as a patriot was undeniable; prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Ford was opposed to the United States becoming involved in World War II.

However, following the Japanese assault on the US naval forces in Hawaii, Ford abandoned his law practice to enlist in the Navy. His naval career stretched to 1946, when he left active duty at the rank of lieutenant commander. Ford's war service was spent, for the most, on the USS Monterey, where he filled several roles including battery officer. He served valiantly, and was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal, nine engagement stars, two bronze stars, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. In short, our thirty-eight president was a war hero.

After leaving military service, Mr. Ford entered the political arena. In a major victory in 1948, he won the seat of U.S. Representative for the Grand Rapids district in Michigan. It was a position he would hold for twenty-four years. During his congressional tenure, he served on the House Appropriations Committee as well as the Defense Appropriations Subcomittee. In 1963, he was elected Minority Leader of the House, due largely to his grasp of foreign affairs, domestic policy, and national fiscal policy. He was a shrewd, quiet leader, who seemed genuinely moved to serve his country. His attitude and dedication to his office and responsibilities eventually garnered him the nod from then President Lyndon B. Johnson, a staunch Deomcrat.

Despite Ford's affiliation with the Republican party, Johnson would appoint Ford to the Warren Commission, a special task force set up to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The commission ultimately concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had indeed acted singly in the assassination of Kennedy, defying the conspiratorial notion that the assassination was a carefully orchestrated move by certain, undefined parties. It should be noted that a report in 1997, published by the Assassination Records Review Board, found that Ford himself altered report findings that indicated that the alleged killing shot struck the back rather than the neck. This alteration supported the theory that Oswald acted alone and that no others were involved in the assassination. Ford never publicly commented or refuted the allegation that he changed the documents put forth by the Warren Commission.

After the Kennedy assassination investigation was laid to rest, President Johnson and Gerald Ford became hot adversaries. The congressman constantly attacked Johnson's domestic policies and his handling of the Vietnam War. Johnson was publically, ascerbically vocal in reference to Ford, although Ford gained many allies on Capitol Hill. His no-nonsense tactics and adherence to ethics placed him squarely in the limelight, and ensured him future consideration with the Republican party.

It was his early work and strong allegiance to his party that led to his nomination to the Vice-Presidency following Sprio Agnew's resignation from the office. This occurred on October 10, 1973, after Agnew was charged with the crime of tax evasion. Ford was approved overwhelmingly when President Nixon nominated him under the provisions of the 25^th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Assuming the role of Vice-President, Ford was obscured by economic issues and by looming questions of criminal activity within the confines of the White House. Ford never publicly commented on the brewing Watergate scandal, but it was clear by his mere silence that he wished to detach himself from the fray.

Ford's silence and his placement within the Republican party's frontline may have been the two biggest factors in what would happen less than a year after Ford became Vice-President. In a private meeting held on August 1, 1974, President Nixon's Chief of Staff, Alexander Haig alerted Ford to the fact that damning, irrefutable evidence against Nixon was to be released. Further, Haig put Ford on notice that his tenure as Vice-President might be short-lived. And that it was. On August 9, little over a week later, Ford assumed the office of President when Nixon resigned under pressure for his role in the Watergate controversy.

Suddenly the Republicans had a new player, and they were moving quickly to put Watergate in the dark past. Ford's more moderate moves, while unsettling for most hardline conservatives, were largely uncontested, and it seemed that the 'accidental president' (as he was called by the press) was moving to bridge the gap between the left wing Democrats and his Republican party. It seemed at the time that the Republican political machine was providing latitude and indulgence for their new President. But how was it possible that a man who had never run on a national ticket nor had ever received a single vote for the office of Vice-President or President could rise so quickly and emphatically, flying in the face of conservative mentality? Were there things afoot behind the scenes that Ford knew about and benefited from? Or was it just a case of being in the right place at right time?

The major piece to this puzzle exists in what occurred thirty days after Ford was sworn in as the 38^th President. On Sunday, September 8, 1974, Gerald Ford granted a pardon to the fallen, disgraced, and self-exiled Nixon. In an apparent effort to stave off the first wave of opposition to his action, Ford appeared in a national television broadcast to explain that the pardon was in the best interest of the nation, which was still dealing with the conflicts and upheavals in Asia, the waning economy, and a growing distrust for the government. In the same broadcast, Ford also announced his plan for conditional amnesty from prosecution for those guilty of draft evasion. The amnesty plan should have been better received, but the issuance of the pardon was the unpopular topic of the day.

Critics and pundits in both parties hailed the pardon as a contrived and transparent move. The idea was put forth that an illicit bargain had been struck between the Republican power brokers and Ford. It was an idea that was widely accepted, and allegations against Ford increased. Then Chief of Staff, Alexander Haig, is said to have promised that in exchange for the Oval Office, Ford was to give a pardon to Nixon for his involvement in Watergate. Bob Woodward, the Washington Post legend, reported that Alexander Haig had indeed approached Ford for the pardon, though Ford later protested that he had declined Haig's offer. He excused the pardon by claiming that he issued the pardon on his own terms, and that neither Haig nor any others held sway over him.

If that were the case, what did Ford do to get on the fast track to the White House? He had a good service record in Congress, but he was by no means a forceful figure in the legislature. His minority leadership earned him a few friends, but these allies didn't have the firepower to fend off other players like the charismatic Californian, Ronald Reagan, whose conservatism echoed that of the oldest players in the G.O.P. Ford's liberal overtones on both domestic and foreign issues did not curry much favor within his own party. And his unremarkable service as Vice-President certainly should not have put him in the White House? So, again, why did Ford get the nod from the G.O.P.?

There are a vast number of possibilities for this to have happened. Conspiracies and probable scenarios have been batted around for over thirty years, and in the second part of this article, these will be examined and sorted. Please stay tuned.