Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum

Regardless of your politics, there is always something interesting to learn about anyone holding the office of President of The United States. While in Michigan this year we made the journey to Grand Rapids to visit the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. To me, the most interesting thing about Ford's political career was his unexpected appointments to first the Vice Presidency, and then the Presidency during the political upheaval of the Watergate scandal. Ford was the first person to be appointed to the Vice Presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment, after Spiro Agnew resigned. When he became the 38th President upon Richard Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974, he was the first and to date only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being voted into either office, or elected by the Electoral College. He couldn't have picked a more tumultuous time to serve as Commander in Chief, but despite the challenges, he ran again in 1976, only to be narrowly defeated by Jimmy Carter. Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr., the son of Leslie Lynch King and Dorothy Ayer Gardner King, in 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska; two weeks after his birth, his mother fled Omaha and an abusive relationship. Dorothy eventually settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan and in 1916 married Gerald R. Ford, a Grand Rapids paint salesman. The Fords began calling her son Gerald R. Ford, Jr. and eventually his name was legally changed. Touring the museum and learning about his life before, during, and after his political career was very enlightening, giving me a broader perspective on the era of his Presidency.