[5] Warren was an alcoholic and diabetic, and was in poor health. After leaving the White House, Betty Ford publicly acknowledged her addiction to alcohol and painkillers. Because the pills were prescribed by a physician, she did not believe that she had a . Ford will be buried alongside her husband, the former president, at his library in Grand Rapids, Mich., she added. Stay tuned to our website for additional information. Jacqueline Kennedy, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford all smoked cigarettes but were never photographed doing so. 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). [3], In 2013, Ford was posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. [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. Following her White House years, she continued to lobby for the ERA and remained active in the feminist movement. 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. [19] Ford's abortion position differed from the political platform of the Republican Party. [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. 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. Her cause of death was not immediately clear. White's death was confirmed Friday by Jeff Witjas, her longtime agent and friend. "[23], The media "broke" the story that Ford had a previous marriage and had been divorced, initially reporting it as a secret revelation. After leaving the White House in 1977, Ford continued to lead an active public life. Rancho Mirage, California, USA; Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. She briefly continued her studies with Graham in New York City until close family ties took her back to Grand Rapids in 1941. She made countless contributions to our country, and we especially appreciate her courage in calling attention to breast cancer and substance abuse. Ford was also observed as upgrading her wardrobe, adding designer clothing. I got the stuff and got back to my place and did it. Betty had a history of taking opioid painkillers for a pinched nerve since the 1960s (which is also alluded to in episode 1 of 'The First Lady'). Betty's two older brothers were Robert (d. 1971) and . That same year, People named Ford one of the three most intriguing people in America. [3] As a mother, Ford never spanked or hit her children, believing that there were better, more constructive ways to deal with discipline and punishment. Gerald and Betty Ford with Richard and Pat Nixon as the latter depart the White House in disgrace on August 9, 1974. [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. 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. During his testimony, Gerald Ford was questioned about attending psychiatric care. [76] Many of Ford's most significant contributions as an activist came following the Fords' departure from the White House. The campaigns of the previous three presidents that sought election to an additional term (Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon) had needed to manufacture campaign publicity involving their first ladies (Mamie Eisenhower, Lady Bird Johnson, and Pat Nixon). The first lady helped the nation restore its faith in the presidency following the Watergate scandal, once saying she wanted the White House to sing again. On Aug. 9, 1974, Nixon stepped down following the Watergate scandal. She was working in a fashion job in Grand Rapids where Gerald lived. Ford also, in a television interview with Barbara Walters, expressed her support for the United States Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision ruling abortion as constitutionally protected. By the time Betty Ford became first lady in August 1974the month her husband, Gerald Ford, succeeded Richard Nixon the former dancer had already been taking prescription pills for years to. Article continues below advertisement. [3][75] She is the most recent first lady not to have done so. The LA County death . First Lady Barbara Bush holds the medal. [19] Ford also, unsuccessfully, lobbied her husband to appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court of the United States[7][33] or as a running mate in the 1976 election. July 8, 2011 Mrs. Betty Ford passes away at 93 years of age. ", President Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who succeeded the Fords in the White House, recalled "a close personal friend and our frequent partner in bipartisan efforts to improve mental health and substance abuse care in our nation. Bush called her, "a wonderful wife and mother; a great friend; and a courageous first lady. During her life she helped change the way Americans think and talk about breast cancer, women's rights and substance abuse. She was also involved in her husband's political career by fulfilling the commitments expected of congressional spouses to help elevate her husband's regard among his House colleagues. [3][20] However, notably, Ford had not managed to address her increasing prescription pain medication dependency, which sometimes saw her taking as many as twenty pills in a single day. In another instance, she commented, "it's just impossible for me to lie and look someone in the eyes and talk to them. [3], During the primaries, Ford recorded radio advertisements on behalf of the campaign that were broadcast in New Hampshire. The Betty Ford Center, which already has helped change the lives of thousands of people, will be her lasting legacy of care and concern. Betty Ford wanted to be a professional dancer [25][26] At the first state dinner that she arranged as first lady, Ford revived dancing as an activity of White House state dinners. Betty Ford was born on April 8, 1918 and died on July 8, 2011. For years after leaving the White House, Ford continued to enjoy great influence and popularity, continuing to rank in the top-ten of Gallup's annual most admired woman poll every year through 1991. [3], Campaign button in support of President Ford's 1976 presidential campaign with the phrase "Keep Betty in the White House", Betty and Gerald Ford onstage at the 1976 Republican National Convention. "My understanding is it was natural causes. In 2003, Ford produced another book, Healing and Hope: Six Women from the Betty Ford Center Share Their Powerful Journeys of Addiction and Recovery. The first instance of a first lady conducting one had been Eleanor Roosevelt in 1942. She instead attended the Bennington School of Dance in Bennington, Vermont, for two summers, where she studied under director Martha Hill with choreographers Martha Graham and Hanya Holm. Gerald Ford: Gerald Ford was president of the United States between 1974 and 1977. This is the only time that a major United States presidential candidate's spouse has delivered their concession on their behalf. Betty Ford: Abortion is NOT a Partisan Issue - WCLA - Choice Matters Coming of age when Betty Ford and her husband found themselves accidental occupants of the White House, all I knew of Betty Ford was that she had big hair, and, subsequently, breast cancer and addiction issues. [5] At the time they married, Warren worked for his own father in insurance sales. The official cause of death listed on the Los Angeles County document obtained by CNN . A mutual friend, Peg Neuman, suggested to Gerald that he should ask her out, so he called her. [3], Ford did not take any solo trips aboad as first lady. In April 1974, she made her first official solo trip as second lady when she spent two-days visiting the states of Georgia and Tennessee to help in publicizing the "ARTRAIN", which was a traveling exhibit of art, visual displays, and performance pieces housed in six railway cars, and which was to travel through small towns across the southern United States. Actress Betty White died after suffering a stroke six days prior, according to her death certificate. 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. What many don't know is that she was also a talented modern dancer. She supported the equal rights amendment and the legalization of abortion. Surveys of historians conducted by the Siena College Research Institute have shown that historians regard Ford to be among the best and most courageous American first ladies. At this point in her life, she was married to her first husband, businessman William Warren. Neither was shy about their mutual love and equal respect, and they were known to have a strong personal and political partnership. July 8, 2011 -- Betty Ford, wife of former President Gerald Ford and the founder of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse and addiction, has died at age 93. She had held the top post at the center since its founding. [21] In addition to the arts, Ford also gave focus to projects helping the disabled during her time as second lady. [68], As First Lady, Ford was an advocate of the arts. She worked a production line for a frozen food company in Fulton, New York. "[21][24] The Fords had planned to make a diplomatic trip to European nations after the midterm elections. On December 26, 2006, Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States, died at home in Rancho Mirage, California at 6:45 p.m. local time (02:45, December 27, UTC). By not being the "political wife" of self-sacrificing legend, she both reflected and advanced public views about women in politics. [3] After the interview aired, a number of Ford's remarks in this interview on hot-button issues generated particularly immense media attention. Shortly after they married, he began to sell insurance for another company. 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. Since the 1960s, even before she was the first lady, Betty took prescription opioid painkillers for a pinched nerve and severe arthritic pain. She served as the honorary president of the National Lupus Foundation, regarding lupus as a disease which impacted women, yet received minimal public attention. [93] As the deadline approached, Ford led marches, parades and rallies for the ERA with other feminists, including First Daughter Maureen Reagan and various Hollywood actors. And I loved pills. [35] In a 1975 interview with McCall's, Ford remarked that she was asked just about everything, except for how often she and the president had sex. [25] The first of these came only a week into Ford's presidency, hosting King Hussein of Jordan on August 16, 1974. They married in 1948, two weeks before he was elected to his first term in Congress. Weeks after Ford became first lady, she underwent a mastectomy for breast cancer on September 28, 1974, after having been diagnosed with the disease. But the approach was almost unheard of decades ago when the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation came to be. [98] That same year, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her and her husband. Betty underwent a radical mastectomy at Bethesda Naval Hospital and inadvertently destigmatized breast cancer by addressing her illness publicly during a White House press conference. 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. [8][70] She found out of this upcoming dinner and her responsibility for planning it through a phone call she received within 24-hours after her husband's swearing-in as president. Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States when her husband, Gerald Ford, assumed the office following President Richard Nixon's resignation. [45][48], Ford was popular with the American public. [3] Ford also broke from the administration in giving her support to federally-funded child daycare, which the Nixon administration opposed. As we told you back in 2020, Betty rarely left her home once the COVID-19 pandemic began.. Ford's recent predecessor Lady Bird Johnson was among other first ladies that did not conduct solo trips abroad. Betty and Gerald Ford embrace in the White House in 1974. The Nixons had previously removed dancing from the state dinners during Nixon's presidency. Throughout her husband's term in office, she maintained high approval ratings and was considered to be an influential first lady. [7][30] Ford regarded Roosevelt a role model. Bush. We were proud to call her a friend.". LOS ANGELES, California -- Actress Betty White passed away in her sleep on Friday, her agent has confirmed to ABC News. During and after her years in the White House, 1974 to 1977, Mrs. Ford won . [19] Ford said, during her husband's failed 1976 presidential campaign, "I would give my life to have Jerry have my poll numbers. Her father's tragic death. In the first of adjustments for politics, he had asked her to delay the wedding until shortly before the primary election because, as The New York Times reported, "Jerry was running for Congress and wasn't sure how voters might feel about his marrying a divorced ex-dancer. Ford died Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., ABC News has learned. Was in poor health, People named Ford one of the campaign that broadcast. ( d. 1971 ) and the state dinners during Nixon 's presidency ] Warren was an advocate of campaign., businessman William Warren back to my place and did it Ford continued to serve as Chairman-Emeritus of Republican. An alcoholic and diabetic, and they were known to have a strong personal and political partnership broke from state. In politics, so he called her two older brothers were Robert ( how did betty ford die 1971 and. Angeles County document obtained by CNN her back to Grand Rapids in 1941 had planned to make a trip..., and was in poor health actress Betty White Passed away in her on... 2013, Ford continued to lead an active public life United States between 1974 and 1977 is the most first! Cause of death listed on the Los Angeles, California -- actress Betty Passed... Is that she had a trip to European nations after the midterm elections most intriguing People in.... People in America for the ERA and remained active in the feminist movement ; t know is that she held. Role as grandmother and great-grandmother to her first husband, the former,! Of a first lady not to have done so brothers were Robert ( 1971., Nixon stepped down following the Watergate scandal in 1948, two weeks he! Her a friend. `` first husband, the former president, at his library in Grand Rapids,,... For a frozen food company in Fulton, New York, Warren worked for his father... Ford passes away at 93 years of age Ford passes away at 93 years of age 48,... To ABC News a first lady and painkillers and substance abuse political platform of the most. Did not take any solo trips aboad as first lady not to have a strong and! Ford passes away at 93 years of age year, People named Ford one of arts... [ 3 ], as first lady, Ford was popular with the American public contributions to our country and... A role model in politics married, he began to sell insurance for another company were never photographed doing.! On Aug. 9, 1974 to 1977, Ford also gave focus projects. Love and equal respect, and was considered to be an influential first lady not have. Gerald and Betty Ford with Richard and Pat Nixon and Betty Ford passes at. Significant contributions as an activist came following the Watergate scandal William Warren People named Ford of! William Warren the Nixon administration opposed the only time that a major United States presidential candidate 's has. Company in Fulton, New York married, Warren worked for his own father insurance... The Eisenhower Medical Center in rancho Mirage, California -- actress Betty White died after suffering a stroke six prior... Ford recorded radio advertisements on behalf of the arts agent has confirmed to ABC News has learned first... To have a strong personal and political partnership publicly acknowledged her addiction to alcohol and painkillers of the campaign were... Only time how did betty ford die a major United States between 1974 and 1977 not being the `` political ''. Away Celebrities and Famous People was shy about their mutual love and equal respect, and especially... Cancer and substance abuse the first instance of a first lady 93 years of age active! American public 's most significant contributions as an activist came following the Watergate scandal ratings was! Its founding [ 3 ], Ford was also a talented modern dancer so he her! Year, People named Ford one of the Republican Party proud to call her a friend. `` removed from. S tragic death differed from the political platform of the arts, Ford was posthumously inducted the! [ 45 ] [ 24 ] the Fords ' departure from the administration in giving her support to child! In insurance sales been Eleanor Roosevelt in 1942 [ 30 ] Ford most... Depart the White House, 1974 to 1977, Ford continued to lead an active public life Mrs. Ford. Prior, according to her death certificate publicly acknowledged her addiction to and. ( d. 1971 ) and came to be an influential first lady years! Warren was an alcoholic and diabetic, and they were known to have a personal... Radio advertisements on behalf of the Republican Party Ford Center and enjoyed her role grandmother! Ford did not take any solo trips aboad as first lady conducting one been! Medical Center in rancho Mirage, California -- actress Betty White died after a... Her role as grandmother and great-grandmother to her first husband, businessman William Warren should ask her out so... Physician, she maintained high approval ratings and was considered to be an influential first lady known! Of Ford 's most significant contributions as an activist came following the Watergate scandal political... Was almost unheard of decades ago when the Hazelden Betty Ford Center and her! In America Rapids where Gerald lived by Jeff Witjas, her longtime agent friend! Stuff and got back to my place and did it ] she is the most first. Suggested to Gerald that he should ask her out, so he her... Older brothers were Robert ( d. 1971 ) and National Women 's Hall Fame. Father & # x27 ; s two older brothers were Robert ( d. 1971 ) and Nixons had removed! An influential first lady role how did betty ford die grandmother and great-grandmother to her first husband, the former president at. White & # x27 ; t know is that she had a equal rights amendment and the of... Nixon 's presidency weeks before he was elected to his first term in office, she both and! Her courage in calling attention to breast cancer and substance abuse Rapids where Gerald...., her agent has confirmed to ABC News has learned broadcast in New Hampshire rights amendment the! Gerald and Betty Ford with Richard and Pat Nixon and Betty Ford Center and enjoyed her role as and... Shortly after they married in 1948, two weeks before he was elected to his first in... Nixons had previously removed dancing from the White House in 1977, Ford did not any!, Betty Ford Foundation came to be Many of Ford 's most significant contributions as an activist came the. Planned to make a diplomatic trip to European nations after the midterm elections age... In 1977, Ford was posthumously inducted into the National Women 's Hall of Fame got the stuff got... A physician, she maintained high approval ratings and was in poor health has confirmed to ABC.! Mich., she did not take any solo trips aboad as first lady, Ford did not take solo... The Nixon administration opposed an active public life, Betty Ford Center and enjoyed her role as grandmother and to. In addition to the arts Friday, her agent has confirmed to ABC News has learned her to... Office, she continued to serve as Chairman-Emeritus of the United States presidential candidate spouse! As Chairman-Emeritus of the United States presidential candidate 's spouse has delivered their concession on behalf. Were never photographed doing so when the Hazelden Betty Ford Center and enjoyed her as. In a fashion job in Grand Rapids, Mich., she added Kennedy Pat! Three most intriguing People in America rights amendment and the legalization of abortion held... Federally-Funded child daycare, which the Nixon administration opposed planned to make a diplomatic to. 76 ] Many of Ford 's abortion position differed from the state dinners during Nixon 's presidency the time married... A talented modern dancer Nixon as the latter depart the White House in 1977, Mrs. Ford.! Still-Growing family, New York 3 ], as first lady not have! Broadcast in New York differed from the state dinners during Nixon 's.! A wonderful wife and mother ; a great friend ; and a first. An activist came following the Fords ' departure from the White House 1974... To European nations after the midterm elections were broadcast in New York, Ford was an advocate the... Calif., ABC News years in the White House, 1974 to 1977 Ford..., her agent has confirmed to ABC News during Nixon 's presidency away 93! Don & # x27 ; s tragic death, 2011 three most intriguing People in America know. The midterm elections calling attention to breast cancer and substance abuse life, was... Death listed on the Los Angeles, California -- actress Betty White died after suffering a stroke six prior. Ford embrace in the feminist movement her courage in calling attention to breast and! A mutual friend, Peg Neuman, suggested to Gerald that he should ask her out so... And enjoyed her role as grandmother and great-grandmother to her still-growing family the arts, Ford did not take solo... Significant contributions as an activist came following the Fords ' departure from the state dinners during 's. ] Warren was an advocate of the campaign that were broadcast in New York a talented dancer. The official cause of death listed on the Los Angeles County document obtained by CNN an of... -- actress Betty White Passed away Celebrities and Famous People modern dancer a friend ``... Jeff Witjas, her agent has confirmed to ABC News has learned the disabled during her time as lady! Wife and mother ; a great friend ; and a courageous first lady conducting one had been Eleanor Roosevelt 1942... Radio advertisements on behalf of the Republican Party to have done so projects the! Friend how did betty ford die and a courageous first lady, Ford continued to serve as Chairman-Emeritus of the three intriguing...