Ford, Gerald R. (1913–)

GERALD RUDOLPH FORD, the 38th president of the United States, was born on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. He was the only child of Leslie Lynch King and Dorothy Gardner King, and was originally named Leslie Lynch King, Jr. When his parents divorced, Ford, who was only two years old, and his mother moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she married Gerald Rudolph Ford and renamed her child, giving him the same name as her new husband. Ford went to local grade school and South High School in Grand Rapids, where he participated in a wide range of sports. Athletic and extremely competitive, Ford loved being outdoors and became an accomplished Eagle Scout.

After completing high school, Ford studied law at the University of Michigan, ...