Elizabeth Anne Ford (ne Bloomer; formerly Warren; April 8, 1918 - July 8, 2011) was the first lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977, as the wife of President Gerald Ford.As first lady, she was active in social policy and set a precedent as a politically active presidential spouse. Thats when he remembered Bill Fords offer for help. Ford also developed new crossover SUVs, such as the Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX, and Mazda CX-7. December 29, 2014 | 3:19am. "[91], Ford continued to be an active leader and activist of the feminist movement after the Ford administration. The chairman of Ford Motor and the great-grandson of Henry Ford is an elder statesman in an industry where C.E.O.s come and go. In this statement, Ford disclosed, "I have found I am not only addicted to the medication I have been taking for my arthritis but also to alcohol". [3] The campaign made a deliberate effort, ahead of the 1976 Republican National Convention, of sending Ford to liberal and moderate-leaning states and not more conservative states in the western and southern United States. [46], In Good Housekeeping's annual readers' poll of most admired women, Ford placed second in 1974[53] and first in 1975. It was a bad mistake. [5] After he recovered, they were divorced on September 22, 1947. [107] In 2000, the Lasker Foundation awarded Ford its annual Mary Woodard Lasker Public Service Award. He also briefly headed the Climate Control Division (since divested from the company as part of the Visteon spinoff). People often asked him if his work was being flexible. For most of his adult life, he lived adjacent to the school in a house he shared with his wife, Suzanne Ford, who was co-director of the Penland Gallery for many years. [15], Market competition, health care, and raw material costs led Ford to announce a second restructuring for its North American operations in four years. In 1981, Eleanor Smeal, the National Organization for Women's president, announced Ford's appointment to be the co-chair, with Alan Alda, of the ERA Countdown Campaign. The Woman Behind Harold Ford - Daily Beast When he decided it was time to propose, he wanted to make sure the venue was extra special. [3], Ford was also used, both by Ford supporters and detractors, as a symbol of liberal Republicanism, with her politics contrasting with the Republican Party's conservative and moderate wings. [54], Ford successfully lobbied her husband to, in 1975, sign an executive order to establish the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year. Betty Ford stands in the lower-left corner of this image, After leaving the White House in 1977, Ford continued to lead an active public life. During his testimony, Gerald Ford was questioned about attending psychiatric care. "[29] She was regarded to be the most politically outspoken first lady since Eleanor Roosevelt. Ford had declared that she would be accompanying her husband at campaign functions, "when he wants me to. [19] Ford lobbied state legislatures to ratify the amendment, and took on opponents of the amendment. William Clay Ford Jr. (born May 3, 1957) is an American businessman, serving as executive chairman of Ford Motor Company.The great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford, Ford joined the board in 1988 and has served as chairman since January 1999. 1957). Henry Ford III stepping down from job at automaker after 15 years She accompanied her husband to congressional and White House events, as well as on some trips abroad, and made herself available to newspaper and magazine articles. He also serves on the board of BlackRock. William Clay Ford Jr. (b. Deadline Detroit | A Match Made In Midtown: Bill Ford's Daughter She further taught ballroom dancing lessons for children with visual impairment and hearing loss and gave weekly dance lessons to African American children. She joined Ford in . [24][25], Last edited on 15 December 2022, at 18:27, Learn how and when to remove this template message, National Committee on United States-China Relations, "General Atlantic Opens Mexico City Office and Expands Local Presence in Latin America", "General Atlantic Appoints Andrew Crawford as Managing Director and Head of its Global Retail and Consumer Sector", "General Atlantic Taps Dipp, Slavitt For Key Healthcare Sector Roles", "William E. Ford - Chief Executive Officer", "Bank of America Sells First Republic Bank", "Short Take: General Atlantic invests in Priceline.com", "BlackRock Elects New Independent Directors", "EMPEA Board Profile for William E. Ford", "Endeavor Global Board Profile for William E. Ford", "Governor Cuomo Announces Life Science Advisory Board", "We Want to Rebuild U.S. Relations With China - WSJ", "Ford: I would love to see a renaissance in IPO market", "Snap will be a serious competitor to Facebook and Google, says investor", Partnership for New York City leadership page, National Committee on United States-China Relations board page, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (board of Overseers and Managers page), The New York Genome Center (supporters page), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_E._Ford&oldid=1127613021, Ford was ranked #5 on Forbes Midas List in 2009, Ford was ranked #6 on Forbes Midas List in 2008, This page was last edited on 15 December 2022, at 18:27. Ford assisted in fundraising for the little-known Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, D.C., whose patients were predominantly African American. [11] She had, three years into the marriage, concluded that their relationship was a failure. [98] On October 12, 1981, Ford spoke in support of the ERA on a rally held at the National Mall. Primary Menu Sections. Alexandra Ford English, daughter of Bill Ford, was elected to the board at age 33 with Henry Ford III. Additionally, Ford is establishing leadership positions in mobility solutions, including self-driving technology, and provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. . [120][121][122] Ford is also one of three former first ladies whose lives are the focus of the Emmy-nominated 2022 Showtime television series The First Lady, in which she is portrayed by Kristine Froseth and Michelle Pfeiffer. [54][33] Ford utilized phone calls, letter-writing, and telegrams as means of lobbying in support of the ERA. [36], During her time as first lady, Ford was an outspoken advocate of women's rights and was a prominent force in the Women's Movement of the 1970s. On his mother's side, his grandparents are Harvey S. Firestone Jr. and Elizabeth Parke. [60] The spike in women self-examining after Ford went public with the diagnosis led to an increase in reported cases of breast cancer, a phenomenon known as the "Betty Ford blip". [110], In July 2018, a statue of Ford was unveiled outside of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As the official vehicle of the parade, more than 40 Ford cars and trucks (including the F-Series Super Duty, Mustang and all-new Ford Focus Electric) participated in the festivities, pulling floats . [3], On August 9, 1974, after the resignation of Richard Nixon (who was facing the prospect of impeachment and potential removal from office), Gerald Ford ascended to the position of president of the United States,[12] and Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States. [119], Ford's life is the focus of the 1987 ABC biographical television film The Betty Ford Story, which has a story adapted from her memoir The Times of My Life. William was Henry Ford's last surviving grandchild. The march was led by prominent feminist leaders, including Ford, Bella Abzug, Elizabeth Chittick, Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem. He was looking for a grandiose location to give the occasion a unique, gritty Detroit feel. [40] In 1977, the World Almanac included Ford in its ranking of the 25 most-influential American women. [64] As previously mentioned, the Fords had hosted a state dinner for King Hussein months earlier, during Gerald Ford's vice presidency, on March 12, 1974, after president Nixon asked then-Vice President Ford to take over for him in hosting a planned dinner for the King. [6][failed verification], Ford received his M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1987 and his B.A. [21] Among those she met on the two-day trip was Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. In 2004, Ford reaffirmed her pro-abortion rights stance and her support for the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, as well as her belief in and support for the ratification of the ERA. [24] On May 31, 1973, Ford made her first major speech when she gave a commencement address to the graduates of the Westminster Choir College. [92] Ford continued to be an outspoken supporter of equal pay for women, breast cancer awareness, and the ERA throughout her life. [3] The broadcast of the interview saw strong interest from the public. Gay In The C-Suite At Ford: A Pioneer Looks Back - Forbes On September 5, 2006, Ford announced that he was stepping down as president and CEO, naming former Boeing senior executive Alan Mulally as his replacement. Sarah Fox and Calvin Ford: Weddings - The New York Times She visited states, including Illinois, where ratification was believed to have the most realistic chance of passing. [19], In March 1977, Ford signed with NBC News to appear in two news specials within the following two years along with contributing to Today,[79] and jointly signed with her husband to write their memoirs. The statement also declared, "I expect this treatment and fellowship to be a solution for my problems. [1] He lives in New York City. Following her White House years, she continued to lobby for the ERA and remained active in the feminist movement. Hortense and William married on November 9, 1904, in Chicago. In December 1999, he told interviewer Larry King that he, too, was pro-abortion rights and had been criticized for that stance by conservative forces within the Republican Party. Ford made campaign appearances and delivered speeches across the United States. Jesse James's Assassination and the Ford Boys | HistoryNet She is the first female member of the Ford family to serve on the board. [10][11], In 2000, he announced that the company would achieve a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency in the company's light truck fleet, including SUVs, by mid-decade.[12]. [33] On June 30, 1976, Ford attended the opening of "Remember the Ladies", a Revolutionary War-era women's exhibit. He joined the company in 2006 . [3], After Gerald Ford's defeat by Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election, she delivered her husband's concession speech because he had lost his voice while campaigning. Unknown to Carter at the time, this was likely due to Fords fragility caused by her prescription drug abuse. Bill with his wife and children moved to Fallon from Reno fifty some years ago. [116][117] In the 2014 Siena Research Institute survey, historians ranked Ford 3rd-highest among 20th and 21st century First Ladies in the greatness of post-White House service, 3rd-highest in advancement of women's issues, and 4th-highest in creating a lasting legacy. [14], Speaking at conference in November 2000 in London, Ford suggested that the company might one day offer a service where it owns vehicles and makes them available to people when they need access to them. The British beauty, who was imported from Harrods and handed a billion dollars to revamp the Saks Fifth Avenue chain, is dating Ford, the . [3], During her and President Ford's later years together, they resided in Rancho Mirage and in Beaver Creek, Colorado. [12] He has been a director of prior General Atlantic portfolio companies including Tory Burch, First Republic Bank, NYSE Euronext, E*Trade, Priceline, and NYMEX. Vehicles using those fueling alternatives were in test fleets, for example as taxis and shuttle buses, and some were available for sale to the public. [35] In a 1975 interview with McCall's, Ford remarked that she was asked just about everything, except for how often she and the president had sex. [16], Ford has been a vocal advocate for improvements to be made in all modes of global transportation, having stated that governments and private industry would need to rethink transportation infrastructure and technology as the global population expands and the existing infrastructure is unable to keep pace. [69][70], On January 19, 1977, her last full day as first lady, Betty Ford used her training as a Martha Graham dancer to jump up on the Cabinet Room table. [20][failed verification][6][failed verification], In July 2022, Ford helped found a group of U.S. business and policy leaders who share the goal of constructively engaging with China in order to improve U.S.-China relations. Burkman said that Bill Ford, who recently celebrated 40 years at Ford, had told . [95] The amendment did not receive enough states' ratification. The companys Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for and deepen the loyalty of those customers. William Clay Ford's Legacy Cemented Family's Dynasty - Forbes [20], "Bill Ford" redirects here. William E. Ford | General Atlantic "Issues of Openness and Privacy: Press and Public Response to Betty Ford's Breast Cancer. [86][100], Ford supported gay and lesbian causes, speaking against discrimination in the United States military. "[59] Her openness about her cancer and treatment raised the visibility of a disease that Americans had previously been reluctant to talk about. In November 1977, Ford and First Lady Rosalynn Carter joined together to advocate for its ratification at the National Women's Conference in Houston. He later worked for the Continental Can Company, and after that for the Widdicomb Furniture Company. [37] Ford ultimately played an important role in the 1976 election campaign. [43] In 1974, Ford placed second in the poll. [7], In May 1975, during a four-day trip,[55] Ford met with former Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam Nguyn Cao K to discuss Southeast Asia refugees. [46] The poll gauges Americans' most admired men and women without providing respondents any pre-arranged list of names. [83][84], Ford had suffered from a dependency on prescription medication and from alcoholism prior even to her husband's presidency. Bill Ford: 'Our Family Name Is on the Line Every Day'. She would be given prescription medication, including Valium. After this, Betty Ford was transparent with the news media that she had received psychiatric care.