Gerald R. Ford (1913–2006) served as the 38th President of the United States from August 9, 1974, to January 20, 1977. A Republican and the only person to serve as both vice president and president without election to either office, he took office after Richard Nixon's resignation.
Ford assumed the presidency at the height of the Watergate crisis and sought to restore trust in government; his decision to grant Richard Nixon a full pardon was intended to move the nation forward but proved politically costly. He presided over the end stages of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, signed the Helsinki Accords to ease Cold War tensions, appointed John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court, and is remembered for his plainspoken integrity and emphasis on national healing.
Historians credit Ford with stabilizing the executive branch after Watergate and making pragmatic decisions amid economic and international challenges, though some of those choices—most notably the Nixon pardon—remain controversial in assessments of his presidency.
Succeeded Richard Nixon following his resignation (Aug 9, 1974); Granted a full pardon to Richard Nixon (1974); Managed U.S. response to the Fall of Saigon and the Mayaguez incident (1975); Signed the Helsinki Accords to reduce Cold War tensions (1975); Appointed John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court (1975); Signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975)
Key highlights and dated events associated with this presidency.
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President Gerald Ford signed the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1975, which added protections for language minority citizens and strengthened federal enforcement of voting rights.
President Gerald R. Ford signed the Helsinki Final Act in Helsinki, the concluding document of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).
The Apollo command module splashed down in the Pacific, safely returning U.S. astronauts and bringing the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project to a close.
The U.S. Apollo and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft successfully docked in orbit and their crews conducted joint activities, including a historic handshake and crew exchanges.
NASA launched the Apollo spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center, initiating the U.S. segment of the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project with the Soviet Soyuz mission.
President Ford signed the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, authorizing emergency funds and programs to aid and resettle refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.
On May 15, 1975 President Ford ordered U.S. forces to retake the Mayaguez, initiating air strikes and a Marine assault on Koh Tang (actions continuing into May 16) to recover the ship and free its crew.
On May 12, 1975 the Khmer Rouge seized the U.S.-flagged container ship SS Mayaguez and its crew in waters near Cambodian-held Koh Tang, creating an international incident.
Saigon fell to North Vietnamese forces and U.S. helicopters carried out Operation Frequent Wind to evacuate American personnel and at-risk Vietnamese from the U.S. embassy and other locations in the city.
Khmer Rouge forces entered and took control of Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital, after the fall of the city and the prior evacuation of the U.S. embassy.
U.S. military forces carried out Operation Eagle Pull, evacuating American personnel and selected Cambodians from Phnom Penh as Khmer Rouge forces closed in.
President Gerald Ford signed Executive Order 11850, renouncing certain wartime uses of chemical herbicides and restricting the use of riot control agents by U.S. forces.