July 14, 1913: Leslie Lynch King Jr. — who would change his name to Gerald Ford — was born. He was the 38th president, serving between 1974-77. Ford, known as the "accidental president," was named vice president by President Richard Nixon after Vice President Spiro Agnew's resignation in the fall of 1973. He would then succeed Nixon himself after Nixon resigned in August 1974. Thus, Ford was the only person in American history to become both vice president and president without ever being elected to either office.
Ford was center and linebacker on the Michigan football team that went undefeated and won back-to-back national championships in 1932 and 1933. Offered NFL contracts by both the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, he chose to attend Yale Law School instead. He was a World War II naval officer and fought in the Pacific. He came home, married a fashion model, Elizabeth (Betty) Warren, and was elected to 13 terms in Congress.
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Quotes of the Day
"Truth is the glue that holds governments together. Compromise is the oil that makes governments go." -Gerald Ford
"I have had a lot of adversaries in my political life, but no enemies that I can remember." -Gerald Ford
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