"Issues of Openness and Privacy: Press and Public Response to Betty Ford's Breast Cancer. [41], The Fords were among the more openly affectionate first couples in United States history. 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. [3], On August 9, 1974, after the resignation of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford ascended to the position of president of the United States,[12] and Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States. Showtime's "The First Lady" flips the camera's focus to the women who brought about transformational change from the East Wing of the White House. She worked a production line for a frozen food company in Fulton, New York. I took that first hit and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced. Ford made the decision that year to erect a tent in the White House Rose Garden to host dinners outside. She had held the top post at the center since its founding. She died Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. and her cause of death was not immediately clear. Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation History. YouTube Betty White showing off her aquarium. Betty White in her kitchen in Carmel, California. [21] During her time as first lady, there had even been some speculation about substance abuse by friends and members of the press who observed occasional slurred speech from Ford. "[3][13] For their honeymoon, the two briefly traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they attended a college football game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Northwestern Wildcats, before driving to Owosso, Michigan, to attend a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee Thomas Dewey. [3], On March 12, 1974, the Fords hosted a state dinner for King Hussein of Jordan after president Nixon, with a week's notice, asked Vice President Ford to take over for him in hosting the already-scheduled state dinner. Ford will be buried alongside her husband, the former president, at his library in Grand Rapids, Mich., she added. Live July 9, 2011 -- Former first lady Betty Ford, whose candor about her own battles with substance abuse helped erase much of the stigma attached to addiction, has died. She joined Graham's auxiliary troupe and eventually performed with the company at Carnegie Hall. [3][24] Ford was the only individual in attendance at the funeral not directly ingrained in the civil rights movement, with the exception of Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. A month after Betty Ford died, the Sun admonished the center in a strongly worded editorial headlined "Betty Ford Center, family must heal to heal others." The paper questioned the. JAKE TAPPER, KATIE HINMAN and MARTHA RADDATZ, founder of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction. [3][19] Ford took doses of this medication in excess of her prescription. [27], In June 1974, Ford represented the Nixon administration by attending the funeral of Alberta Williams King, the assassinated mother of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Other Nixon administration official figures did not attend, continuing with other obligations. Where did Betty Ford die? Ford assisted in fundraising for the little-known Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, D.C., whose patients were predominantly African American. Ford was credited with rejuvenating the ERA movement and inspiring more women to continue working for the ERA. She further taught ballroom dancing lessons for children with visual impairment and hearing loss and gave weekly dance lessons to African American children. This dinner was part of the American bicentennial celebrations, and was held in tents on the South Lawn of the White House. As our nation's first lady, she was a powerful advocate for women's health and women's rights. She supported the equal rights amendment and the legalization of abortion. [78] In June 1977, Ford was a speaker at the Arthritis Association Convention. She got a job as assistant to the fashion coordinator for Herpolsheimer's, a local department store. "Competing conceptions of the first ladyship: Public responses to Betty Ford's 60 Minutes interview. [3][21] Her candor on this trip received a positive reception by the news media..[21] Among those she met on the two-day trip was Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. On Aug. 9, 1974, Nixon stepped down following the Watergate scandal. 9 min read. "[34] Ford was open about the benefits of psychiatric treatment, and spoke understandingly about marijuana use and premarital sex. [84], Funeral services were held in Palm Desert, California, on July 12, 2011, with more than 800 people in attendance, including former president George W. Bush, then-First Lady Michelle Obama, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, herself a former First Lady, former First Ladies Rosalynn Carter, who gave a eulogy,[76] and Nancy Reagan. Ford's recent predecessor Lady Bird Johnson was among other first ladies that did not conduct solo trips abroad. The march was led by prominent feminist leaders, including Ford, Bella Abzug, Elizabeth Chittick, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. [3][12] With her husband assuming the office of vice president, Ford became the second lady of the United States. [3] Ford also held active membership in groups such as the 81st Congress Club and National Federation of Republican Women. [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. Gerald and Betty Ford with Richard and Pat Nixon as the latter depart the White House in disgrace on August 9, 1974. Thus, Michelle Obama did, in fact, receive a letter from Betty Ford soon after she moved into the White House. Betty Ford died in 2011 at age 93, having overcome her addictions and founding the Betty Ford Center in 1982 to help other addicts recover. [103], Only a part of Betty Ford's legacy will be that of her role as first lady. He later worked for the Continental Can Company, and after that for the Widdicomb Furniture Company. [53] In 1977, the year her husband left office, she placed fourth. But, before . [116] She also received that year's "Commitment to Life Award" from the Los Angeles AIDS Project. [35] The New York News Service wrote that Ford was, "constitutionally incapable of uttering 'no comment' or otherwise fudging an answer.". In attendance were former president Bill Clinton, former vice president Dick Cheney and former first lady Barbara Bush. [3], After Gerald Ford's defeat by Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election she delivered her husband's concession speech because he had lost his voice while campaigning. "[29] She was regarded to be the most politically outspoken first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt. Penn State World Campus (2013). She studied dance under Martha Graham in New York, working as a fashion model to finance her studies. The couple moved frequently because of his work. Soon after leaving office, she raised awareness of addiction when she sought help for and publicly disclosed her long-running struggle with alcoholism and substance abuse. [24] Ford's attendance at the funeral was, in actuality, a break from the administration. [3] Following her husband's death, Ford continued to live in Rancho Mirage. Elizabeth Anne Ford (ne Bloomer; formerly Warren;[2] April 8, 1918 July 8, 2011) was the first lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of President Gerald Ford. [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. During his testimony, Gerald Ford was questioned about attending psychiatric care. Ford had declared that she would be accompanying her husband at campaign functions, "when he wants me to. [19] For a long time, it was unclear whether Gerald Ford shared his wife's pro-abortion rights viewpoint. [15] This open affection was evident from the beginning of Gerald Ford's presidency. Read the rest of "Betty Ford, champion of women's rights . The Washington Post reported that Ford's disclosure of alcoholism came as a surprise to a number of Ford's close friends, who had regarded her as merely a social drinker and were oblivious to her drinking problem. [3], Ford's busy life took a toll. [32], Repeatedly speaking out on women's issues, Ford was a leader in the changing status of women in American society. Betty developed a passion for dance at an early age. No one confronted life's struggles with more fortitude or honesty, and as a result, we all learned from the challenges she faced. Reagan had contrasting views on issues such as drug experimentation by teenagers and the Equal Rights Amendment (which she opposed passing). [3][16] The speech was delivered on the day after the election. [3][14][17] Gerald Ford had ambitions to rise to the rank of speaker of the house, and therefore maintained a busy travel schedule, regularly crisscrossing the United States to fundraise and campaign on behalf of other Republicans in hopes that they would, in turn, provide him with the support he'd eventually need to become speaker. [3], Ford accompanied her husband on a trip to mainland China in 1972. She involved herself in the Los Angeles AIDS Project. Betty Ford was a former First Lady of the United States (August 9th, 1974 - January 20th, 1977). [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. As a supporter of abortion rights and a leader in the women's rights movement, she gained fame as one of the most candid first ladies in history, commenting on the hot-button issues of the time, such as feminism, equal pay, the Equal Rights Amendment, sex, drugs, abortion, and gun control. Betty's two older brothers were Robert (d. 1971) and . 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 . As we told you back in 2020, Betty rarely left her home once the COVID-19 pandemic began.. [21] Ford became overwhelmed by the media attention she received and became somewhat reclusive for a period early into her time as second lady. Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Bloomer Ford was the widow of former United States President Gerald R. Ford and served as the First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977. Since the 1960s, even before she was the first lady, Betty took prescription opioid painkillers for a pinched nerve and severe arthritic pain. One day in 1934, when she was 16, Betty came home and her father, a traveling salesman who had recently lost his job, had. Through the work she did at the Betty Ford Center, Ford recognized the link between drug abuse and AIDS. She suffered from severe arthritic pain in her neck and muscle spasms. She was married to Gerald Ford for 58 years. [21] Ford would, ultimately, for most of the nine months she was second lady, be a high-profile public figure. Her overall approval rating was, at times, as high as 75%. While her death is a cause for sadness, we know that organizations such as the Betty Ford Center will honor her legacy by giving countless Americans a new lease on life. ", Tasha N. Dubriwny, "Constructing breast cancer in the news: Betty Ford and the evolution of the breast cancer patient.". By her second birthday, however, she was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the city she always considered her home. Betty and Gerald Ford embrace in the White House in 1974. By not being the "political wife" of self-sacrificing legend, she both reflected and advanced public views about women in politics. [79] In September of that year, Ford traveled to Moscow for a television program taping and to serve as hostess for The Nutcracker. [114], In 1975, when Time named "American women" as its "Time Person of the Year",[39] the magazine profiled Ford as one of eleven women selected to represent "American women". "[34] This reflects a common trend of American first ladies often being more popular than the presidents to which they are married. "Jerry did not want this," she wrote. [24] With her husband, as vice president, tasked with heavily campaigning on behalf of his party for the 1974 midterm elections, Ford occasionally hit the campaign trail herself. [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". Ford reads her husband's 1976 presidential concession speech to the press. [3][19] Ford also posed for newspaper publicity photographs and was a clothing model for charity fashion shows, after a Republican had urged her to do so since they felt that Democratic Party spouses had far outnumbered Republican spouses in such publicity-generating activity. July 12, 2011 It made a lot of women realize that it could happen to them. [98] That same year, she and President Ford were given a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars. [53], In Good Housekeeping's annual readers' poll of most admired women, Ford placed second in 1974[60] and first in 1975. In the 1950s Bette Ford turned heads and raised eyebrows when she became a model-actress-bullfighter. She also co-authored with Chris Chase a book about her treatment, Betty: A Glad Awakening (1987). [19], In 1977, the Fords moved to Rancho Mirage, California. However, even after this, Ford continued with her planned campaign schedule. [19] Ford's abortion position differed from the political platform of the Republican Party. As first lady, she was active in social policy and set a precedent as a politically active presidential spouse. During and after her years in the White House, 1974 to 1977, Mrs. Ford won . [31] Active in social policy, Ford broke new ground as a politically active presidential spouse. In public, she was one of the most visible and outspoken first ladies in history. We were proud to know her. [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". [84], Ford published her first memoir in 1978, The Times of My Life, in which she discussed her battle with addiction. However, Ford simply responded by giving the explanation that it was not something she had tried to hide, but, rather, something she had only not shared with the news media because none of them had broached the topic in their previous questions to her. The IMDb credits for the May 1 episode, "Please Allow Me," show that Thomas E. Sullivan an actor who has had recurring parts on . In private, she triumphed over serious personal adversity. Ford made campaign appearances and delivered speeches across the United States. The state dinners that Ford planned as first lady made a deliberate effort to showcase American ingredients. You see, Betty (played on The First Lady by Michelle Pfeiffer and Kristine Froseth) was married to William before she wed former President Gerald Ford (Aaron Eckhart). [34] Ford's popularity often was higher than her husband's. Betty Ford was at his side. [3], Ford did not take any solo trips aboad as first lady. [3], Spiro Agnew resigned as vice president on October 10, 1973. [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. She knew the name from his . [76] In her remarks, Mrs. Cheney noted that July 14 would have been Gerald Ford's 98th birthday. Betty Ford "became known for her openness and candor" (Northouse, 2013) and remained true to herself, she did not change who she was, or her core values because of her new position as First Lady. Bloomer disliked the surname. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ford to the second National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year (the first had been appointed by President Ford). [19], During a January 1984 address in Michigan to a crowd of individuals who were in the early stages of alcohol and drug dependency treatment, Ford declared that the six years since she began her treatment for alcohol and drug abuse, "have been the best years in my life from the standpoint of feeling healthier and feeling more comfortable with myself". [3][75] She is the most recent first lady not to have done so. White's death was confirmed Friday by Jeff Witjas, her longtime agent and friend. [19] Ford lobbied state legislatures to ratify the amendment, and took on opponents of the amendment. President Obama noted how Betty Ford "distinguished herself through her courage and compassion. The former, then in her 90s, sent the latter a letter in 2009, shortly after Barack Obama's presidential inauguration. Betty Ford was 93 years old when she died; therefore, she can be said to have died from old age. "[19], Ford avidly supported the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. 4 Mrs. Ford later reasoned, "I thought that there are women all over the country like me. [61] Her active political role prompted Time to call her the country's "Fighting First Lady" and was the reason they profiled her, among several others, to represent the "American Women" as the magazine's 1975 Person of the Year. [7][38][37], In 1975, when Time named the "American women" as its "Person of the Year",[39] the magazine profiled Ford as one of eleven women selected to represent "American women". Ford was noted for raising breast cancer awareness following her 1974 mastectomy. [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. [46][47] The photo was subsequently published and is regarded as an "iconic" photograph of Ford's time as First Lady. She was 93. ", Gregory Knight, Myra. [45][48], Ford was popular with the American public. She became well known for her openness. [15], Barbara Bush, a later first lady, opined that Ford, after discovering she was dependent on drugs, "transformed her pain into something great for the common good. Shortly after she decided to file for divorce, Warren fell into a coma. [63], Ford's involvement in political issues received some conservative criticism. Photos of this moment were published widely in the American press, resulting in Betty Ford somewhat upstaging President Ford in the press. They married in 1948, two weeks before he was elected to his first term in Congress. The President outlined his criteria for the post: quality, confirmability, ageso that the nominee could be there for a whilebreadth on the Court so the Court did not have eight people of any. Ford also publicly expressed admiration and friendship toward First Lady Pat Nixon. [53] The poll gauges Americans' most admired men and women without providing respondents any pre-arranged list of names. [19] In her 1987 memoir she reflected on these addictions, writing, "I liked alcohol, it made me feel warm. Elizabeth Bloomer, who was known from childhood as Betty, was born in 1918 in Chicago and grew up in Michigan. [7], Ford supported numerous charities as first lady. [15] An anecdote that was later reported was that, when Gerald Ford left Grand Rapids for Washington, D.C., Betty Ford's new sister-in-law Janet Ford remarked to her, "with Jerry, you'll never have to worry about other women. "But the fact that I was the wife of the President put it in headlines and brought before the public this particular experience I was going through. Bush called her, "a wonderful wife and mother; a great friend; and a courageous first lady. A mutual friend, Peg Neuman, suggested to Gerald that he should ask her out, so he called her. [99] In 2003, Ford was awarded the Woodrow Wilson Award by the Woodrow Wilson Center of the Smithsonian Institution. In another instance, she commented, "it's just impossible for me to lie and look someone in the eyes and talk to them. [71] As previously mentioned, the Fords had hosted a state dinner for King Hussein months earlier, during Gerald Ford's vice presidency, on March 12, 1974, after president Nixon asked then-Vice President Ford to take over for him in hosting a planned dinner for the King. Gena Rowlands won both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of Ford. Leadership: Theory and Practice. "In the end, simply by being herself, she made it easier for millions of American women to be themselves," Smith told ABC News. In 1982, she co-founded the Betty Ford Center in California. [69], Among the most notable state dinners the Fords hosted was a July 7, 1976 state dinner honoring Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. And I loved pills. Her role as a public health advocate distinguishes her as one of the most influential women of the latter part of the twentieth century.[104]. She also fundraised for No Greater Love, in appreciation of its work benefiting Children of Vietnam War MIA and POWs. [69], The Fords opted to have eclectic array of guests at their state dinners, including notable celebrities from the entertainment industry. John Robert Greene. In this statement, she also praised the reputation of the hospital's addiction treatment program, and declared her pleasure to have the opportunity to attend the treatment. [33] Ford took personal credit for the appointment of Carla Anderson Hills as secretary of Housing and Urban Development. In her September 4, 1974 press conference, Ford declared her support for it. First Lady Barbara Bush holds the medal. After being accepted by Graham as a student in 1940, Bloomer moved to New York to live in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood; she worked as a fashion model for the John Robert Powers firm in order to finance her dance studies. Betty Bloomer Warren dances in "Fantasy," 1945. She received an award from Parsons The New School for Design in recognition of her style. In 1964, a pinched nerve on the left side of Ford's neck sent her to the hospital for two weeks. She continued to serve as Chairman-Emeritus of the Betty Ford Center and enjoyed her role as grandmother and great-grandmother to her still-growing family. 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. This response proved effective in killing the speculation that she was covering-up her past, and earned her some admiration in the media. She served as the honorary president of the National Lupus Foundation, regarding lupus as a disease which impacted women, yet received minimal public attention. She was also the Second Lady of the United States from 1973 to 1974, when Ford served as the 40th U.S. vice president. ", President George W. Bush said he and his wife Laura "admired her as a first lady and valued her as a friend. She explained that, while her husband had attended two sessions with a psychiatric doctor, those sessions were for her care, and not care of his own. Throughout her husband's term in office, she maintained high approval ratings and was considered to be an influential first lady. [45] A Ford family friend said that he "about fell off his chair" when he saw the photo for the first time. Betty Ford passed away in June 2011 at the age of 93. Ford was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George H. W. Bush in 1991. In the opinion of The New York Times and several presidential historians, "Mrs. Ford's impact on American culture may be far wider and more lasting than that of her husband, who served a mere 896 days, much of it spent trying to restore the dignity of the office of the president. She was 93 years old when she died. She joined Graham's auxiliary troupe and eventually performed with the company at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Ford surprised the media and the public by explicitly supporting a woman's right to an abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), and grass roots activism. [3][5], In 1942, Elizabeth Bloomer married William G. Warren,[5][4] whom she had known since she was 12. TMZ was the first to report the news.. A cerebrovascular accident, commonly known as a stroke, is a loss of blood flow to part of the brain, which damages brain tissue. Her candor in talking about and dealing with substance abuse and treatment helped led to an improvement in how Americans talk about such matters. [40] By late-1975, Harris found Ford to have established herself as one of America's most popular first ladies. As a young girl, Betty took up dancing, which quickly became her passion. Bloomer became immersed in her life in Grand Rapids and did not return to New York. Much of this progress began in the 1970s through the voice and advocacy of Betty Ford. Warters, T. Alissa. She decided to establish the Betty Ford Center with gender specific treatment for men and women (Northouse, 2013) Northouse, P. G. (2013). After this, Betty Ford was transparent with the news media that she had received psychiatric care. She was working in a fashion job in Grand Rapids where Gerald lived. In Congress most beautiful thing I had ever experienced to African American Children policy Ford! 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