Gerald Rudolff Ford (December 9, 1890 – January 26, 1962) was an American businessman and Republican politician. He was the stepfather of U.S. President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

and for whom Ford legally changed his name.

Early life

Ford was born in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

in 1890 to George R. Ford and Frances (Pixley). Ford's father George died in a train accident in 1903, forcing him to drop out of school to support the family.The Fathers of American Presidents – Jeff C. Young – 1997 He was working as a paint salesman at the Grand Rapids Wood Finishing Company when he met Dorothy Ayer Gardner King. Dorothy had fled to Michigan from

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, in 1913, 16 days after the birth of her son, after her husband (and her son's birth father), Leslie Lynch King Sr., had physically abused her. She came to Grand Rapids to be near her parents, Levi Addison Gardner and Adele Augusta Ayer Gardner, who lived in the town.

Family

The couple married on February 1, 1917, following Dorothy's divorce from King in 1916 and began calling Dorothy's first son "Gerald." Ford and Dorothy had three children, Thomas Gardner Ford (July 15, 1918 – August 28, 1995); Richard Addison Ford (June 3, 1924 – March 20, 2015); and James Francis Ford (August 11, 1927 – January 23, 2001). The president would later write that in Ford’s household, there were three rules for him and his half brothers: "tell the truth, work hard and come to dinner on time." Ford founded the Ford Paint and Varnish Company in 1929 before the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. After the Depression hit, Ford asked his employees to work for $5/week and paid himself the same salary until all could be paid more. The future president was enrolled in the Grand Rapids school system under the name of his stepfather. When the president's birth father Leslie Lynch King reappeared in 1929 (or 1930 depending on accounts), he stopped at schools searching for a "Leslie King" before finding him at Grand Rapids South High School after asking for a "Junior Ford." The future president turned down an offer from his biological father to move with him to Wyoming. Leslie's father Charles King had been paying child support for Ford until 1929 when the stock market crash wiped out his fortune. After Leslie's father died, Dorothy sought an order to get money from the $50,000 Leslie had inherited. However, since Leslie had moved to Wyoming he was out of the jurisdiction of the Nebraska court. The elder Ford never legally adopted the president. The president changed his name in 1935 after the deaths of his paternal King family grandparents to an Anglicized version of his stepfather's name: Gerald Rudolph Ford.

Early career

The elder Ford was active in various functions including the formation of the Youth Commonwealth to help disadvantaged youth. He was director of the Grand Rapids

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

and chairman of the

Kent County, Michigan Kent County is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the county had a population of 657,974, making it the fourth most populous county in Michigan, and the largest outside of the Metro Detroit, ...

Republican Committee from 1944 until 1948 when he stepped down after the future President began his first run for Congress. The elder Ford was active with his four sons in the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

. The future President would be the first Eagle Scout to become Vice President or President. The President was to say later that the award was one of his proudest accomplishments. The President was to write later: :He was the father that I grew up to believe was my father, the father I loved and learned from and respected. He was my dad... Dad was one of the truly outstanding people I ever knew in my life.

Death

The elder Ford died on January 26, 1962, in

. He and his wife are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

Early life

Family

Early career

Death

References

Further reading