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President Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford

President Gerald Ford: Short biography of President Gerald Ford and the key events during his presidency.

Life of President Fast Fact File
Gerald Ford (1913-2006), nicknamed "Mr. Nice Guy", was the 38th American President and served in office from 1974-1977. The Presidency of Gerald Ford spanned the period in United States history that encompasses the events of the Cold War Era and the age of the Space Race and the Cold War Arms Race. President Gerald Ford represented the Republican political party which influenced the domestic and foreign policies of his presidency.

The first action taken by Gerald Ford was to grant Richard Nixon an unconditional pardon. It was a highly unpopular decision and lost Ford the support of many Americans. He also had to deal with 'Stagflation', a combination of rising prices, inflation and economic stagnation. The other main events that occurred during the time that Gerald Ford was president included the 1974 Campaign Reform Law and the Privacy Act of 1974. His presidency witnessed the rise of the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979) of Pol Pot in Cambodia. The 1975 Helsinki Accords that dealt with the issues of cooperation, security and human rights.  Gerald Ford died of cerebrovascular disease on December 26, 2006, aged 93. The next president was Jimmy Carter.  

Birthday: July 14, 1913

Place of Birth: Michigan

Political Party: Republican 

Nickname: Mr. Nice Guy

Number: 38th President

Vice President: Nelson A. Rockefeller

Age at Inauguration: 61

Height: 6 feet

Weight: 190 pounds

First Lady: Betty Ford

Religion: Episcopalian

Date of Death: December 26, 2006

Date of Gerald Ford Presidency: August 9, 1974 to January 20, 1977

The Nickname of Gerald Ford: Mr. Nice Guy
The nickname of President Gerald Ford provides an insight into how the man was viewed by the American public during his presidency. The meaning of the nickname "Mr. Nice Guy" refers to his likable , pleasant, clean-cut image and his aversion to causing trouble or dissent.

Character and Personality Type of Gerald Ford
The character traits of President Gerald Ford can be described as genial, honest, direct, considerate and diligent. It has been speculated that the Myers-Briggs personality type for Gerald Ford is an INTP (introversion, intuition, thinking, perceiving). A modest, reserved, stoic character with a preference to work informally with others as equals. Gerald Ford Personality type: Quiet, analytical, impatient and thoughtful.

Accomplishments of Gerald Ford and the Famous Events during his Presidency
The accomplishments of Gerald Ford and the most famous events during his presidency are provided in an interesting, short summary format detailed below.

The Cold War (1945 - 1991)
Summary of the Cold War:
The Cold War (1945 - 1991) was a 'war of words'  involving the Cold War Space Race and the Cold War Arms Race involving the nuclear build-up between the USA and the West and the Communist countries dominated by the USSR and China in the East. Gerald Ford was one of the nine US Presidents who were in office during the dangerous period in history known as the Cold War in which the US adopted the policy of Containment to restrict the spread of communism abroad..

Stagflation (1970's)
Summary of Stagflation: Stagflation was the term used to describe the state of the nation's economy during the 1970's. Stagflation was a combination of economic stagnation, rising prices and inflation. President Richard Nixon failed to curb stagflation and President Ford faced the worst recession since the Great Depression. His economic policies failed to work and stagflation continued into the presidency of Jimmy Carter. The economy finally began to recover during the administration of Ronald Reagan.

The Privacy Act of 1974
Summary of the Privacy Act of 1974: The
Privacy Act of 1974 provided safeguards against the invasion of personal privacy through the misuse of data

The Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) and the SS Mayaguez Incident (1975)
Summary of the Khmer Rouge: The Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) and the merciless regime of Pol Pot in Cambodia hit the headlines during the SS Mayaguez Incident when an American cargo ship called the SS Mayaguez was seized by the Khmer Rouge. The “Mayaguez Incident”, aka the Battle on Koh Tang (May 12–15, 1975),  is officially referred to as the last battle of the Vietnam War.

The Helsinki Accords (1975)
Summary of the Helsinki Accords: The
Helsinki Accords were a series of agreements that were signed in August 1975 by leaders of the USA, the USSR and 35 nations who were members of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The Helsinki Accords dealt with three main issues of cooperation, security and human rights but the agreements were subsequently broken by the Soviets.

US American History
1945-1993: Cold War Era

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Updated 2018-01-01

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