Previously, the longest-lived president in American history was Ronald Reagan, who lived for 93 years 120 days. So far, four American presidents have lived to be over 90 years old. In addition to Ford, there is a second john adams, the third1herbert hoover and the 40th Reagan.
The most special way to go on stage
Among all American presidents, Ford's way of coming to power is absolutely the most special and unique-his president and vice president were "replaced" without election, and he was "cleaned up" because of the mistakes made by his predecessor. So some people call him "the unexpected president". Ford is the only unelected president among the 43 presidents since the founding of the United States. And all this is related to the famous Watergate scandal in the history of American presidents.
1August 9, 974, Richard Nixon, then president, was forced to resign because of perjury and judicial justice scandal in Watergate. According to the Constitution of the United States, Vice President Ford, who is also a Republican, was directly appointed as the 38th President of the United States. At that time, President Nixon's term of office was more than three years.
It seems that history specifically requires Ford to implement the supplementary provisions of the US Constitution on the election of the president. From vice president to president, he doesn't need votes, and from congressman to vice president, he has never been elected.
1973 10, then vice president agnew stepped down because of the bribery scandal. Nixon had four Republican candidates, besides Ford, John F. Connery, the former Treasury Secretary of Nixon Administration, and Reagan, who later became the President of the United States. Nixon recalled that Ford had the biggest advantage that others did not have-he was the vice presidential candidate who was the easiest to get approval from Congress.
The most shocking decision was to lose the official position.
Watergate incident is one of the most influential events in the history of American constitution. The principle of separation of executive, legislative and judicial powers established since the founding of the United States was strongly challenged by the current president for the first time. After Nixon resigned, Ford said when he was sworn in: "My fellow Americans, the long nightmare of our country is over. Our constitution is at work. Our great America is ruled by law, not by man. Power belongs to the people. "
But a month later, Ford made a decision that surprised most Americans. He announced the use of presidential privileges and unconditional pardon for all crimes involving Nixon. These crimes will make Nixon the first American president to go to prison.
Ford's move not only caused great controversy and accusations, but also paid a huge political price. When Ford took office, he told the American public that he knew he was not elected by voting. He obviously hopes to enter the White House in the next election. However, contrary to expectations, Ford lost to Jimmy Carter, the democratic presidential candidate, in the presidential election held in June 1976+0 1, and withdrew from the election in June 1977, and pardoning Nixon was considered to be the main factor leading to the defeat. His days in the White House were only 895 days. Ford 1974 10 10 testified in Congress that there was no deal behind the decision to pardon Nixon.
But when time washed away the political storm and dust, Americans began to understand Ford's painstaking efforts to pardon Nixon. In 2002, the 30th anniversary of Watergate Incident, a poll conducted by ABC showed that 60% of Americans thought it was the right judgment to forgive Nixon.
Clark clifford, a Democratic politician who served as an adviser to President Truman, spoke for many Americans in his memoirs. He said that it is not good for the country to let an American president go to prison for several years after stepping down. "He (Nixon) has had enough of humiliation." Nixon was the first president in American history to step down because of a scandal.
The most honest president
Some people in the United States rated Ford as the most honest president in history. He is so modest and easy-going that some people say he is a boy scout in the White House. Perhaps for this reason, despite 30 years of political struggle, Ford has surprisingly few political enemies. Ford did not have any outstanding achievements during his tenure, but he was often laughed at by the press for walking and wrestling.
Ford also suffered two assassinations during his tenure, both of which were lucky to escape. 1975 On September 5th, a woman in California was arrested after aiming a semi-automatic pistol at Ford. On the 22nd of the same month, an activist in San Francisco shot and killed Ford and was arrested afterwards.
The lowest-key life
Former US President Richard Nixon once famously said, "The hardest job in the world is to step down as US president." However, for Ford, it seems not difficult to bid farewell to the White House, because keeping a low profile can solve everything.
Since 1977 left office, Ford has also given speeches, participated in some activities and served as a director of many large companies. However, compared with other former presidents, Ford seems to prefer the life of "hiding mountains and dew". After retirement, he stayed at home most of the time, kept a low profile and rarely made public appearances.