Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation History. [116] She also received that year's "Commitment to Life Award" from the Los Angeles AIDS Project. [98] That same year, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her and her husband. "When other women have this same operation, it doesn't make any headlines," she told Time. [102] After the service, Betty Ford was buried next to her husband on the museum grounds. ", President George W. Bush said he and his wife Laura "admired her as a first lady and valued her as a friend. In 1964, a pinched nerve on the left side of Ford's neck sent her to the hospital for two weeks. [11] She had, three years into the marriage, concluded that their relationship was a failure. "She was Jerry Ford's strength through some very difficult days in our country's history, and I admired her courage in facing and sharing her personal struggles with all of us. [3], Ford filmed an interview with the television news program 60 Minutes which was broadcast on August 10, 1975. 9 min read. During her stay at the White House, her dependency on these drugs seemingly dissipated. 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. Ford had declared that she would be accompanying her husband at campaign functions, "when he wants me to. Actress Betty White died after suffering a stroke six days prior, according to her death certificate. [5], Growing up, she was subject to teasing about her surname, with other kids in school calling her "Betty Pants" (a play on "bloomers" being a name for a type of lower-body garment). [115] That same year, Ford received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, presented by her husband, President Gerald Ford, an Academy Awards Council member. Shortly after she decided to file for divorce, Warren fell into a coma. After leaving. Neither was shy about their mutual love and equal respect, and they were known to have a strong personal and political partnership. [3], During the primaries, Ford recorded radio advertisements on behalf of the campaign that were broadcast in New Hampshire. ", Gould, Lewis L. "Modern first ladies in historical perspective. [8][70] She found out of this upcoming dinner and her responsibility for planning it through a phone call she received within 24-hours after her husband's swearing-in as president. We were proud to know her. See full answer below. When they returned to Grand Rapids, she worked again at Herpolsheimer's, this time as the fashion coordinator. As a young girl, Betty took up dancing, which quickly became her passion. 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". At this point in her life, she was married to her first husband, businessman William Warren. Betty Ford was 93 years old when she died; therefore, she can be said to have died from old age. The 10-episode biographical drama, which . [25][69] Once she became first lady, it fell to Ford to arrange this already-scheduled dinner. Poor health and increasing frailty due to operations in August 2006 and April 2007 for blood clots in her legs caused her to largely curtail her public life. [110], 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. develop an addiction to prescription medication, 1974 United States House of Representatives election, 1972 United States House of Representatives elections, joint session of the United States Congress, Ford filmed an interview with the television news program, National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam, List of state dinners in the United States, wine from the Fords' home state of Michigan, discrimination in the United States military, List of breast cancer patients according to occupation, List of first ladies of the United States, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, "Betty Ford Dies at Age 93; A Look Back on the Former First Lady", "Betty Ford, Again Putting On a Brave Face", "Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum", "The 38th First Lady: not a robot at all", "Betty Ford, Former First Lady, Dies at 93", "Betty's life changed dramatically once she became", "Friends Asking: 'Is There A New Betty Ford? In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ford to the second National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year (the first had been appointed by President Ford). [3], Between Labor Day and election day, for the general election campaign, Ford conducted multi-stop speaking tours, during which she visited western states (including California, Colorado, Texas, and Utah) as well was northern midwest states including Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. I did not know at the time what was going on. "[23], The media "broke" the story that Ford had a previous marriage and had been divorced, initially reporting it as a secret revelation. As First Lady of the United States from 1974-1977, Betty Ford was known for her candor. She agreed, that day, to detox from her medicine. It amounted to as aestheticization of breast cancer and her coverage became the major discursive model for looking at all breast cancer survivors. [19] In her 1987 memoir she reflected on these addictions, writing, "I liked alcohol, it made me feel warm. "I just think it's important to say how easy it is to slip into a dependency on pills or alcohol, and how hard it is to admit that dependency.". [25][26] The dinner was held in the John Quincy Adam's Drawing Room, one of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the United States Department of State headquarters at the Harry S Truman Building. [31] Active in social policy, Ford broke new ground as a politically active presidential spouse. What many don't know is that she was also a talented modern dancer. [85], In 1982, after recovering from her own addictions, Ford established the Betty Ford Center (initially called the Betty Ford Clinic) in Rancho Mirage, California, for the treatment of chemical dependency,[86] including treating the children of alcoholics. [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. [3] It was never confirmed whether his death had been accidental or a suicide. Married and divorced in her 20s, in 1947 her life changed forever when she met Gerald R. Ford. Gerald R. Ford, the nation's 38th president, died on this day in 2006. She recalled that the first time she heard someone call her father an alcoholic was at his funeral. For state dinners held using this tent, the receptions, entertainment, and dancing portions of the evenings were still held inside of the White House. I took that first hit and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced. [3][5], Bloomer's mother was opposed to her pursuing a career in dance and insisted that she return home, and, as a compromise, they agreed that Bloomer would return home for six months and, if she still wanted to return to New York City at the end of that time, her mother would not protest further. [79] In September of that year, Ford traveled to Moscow for a television program taping and to serve as hostess for The Nutcracker. [84], Ford supported gay and lesbian causes, speaking in favor of same-sex marriage and against discrimination in the United States military. [7] Early into her time in the White House, during a televised tour of the White House she once again noted that she and her husband shared the same bed. "I certainly did not want it, and neither did our children. "Issues of Openness and Privacy: Press and Public Response to Betty Ford's Breast Cancer. This is the autobiographical story of the addiction and recovery of former First Lady Betty Bloomer Ford, wife of US President Gerald R. Ford. [3][12] With her husband assuming the office of vice president, Ford became the second lady of the United States. Elizabeth Bloomer, who was known from childhood as Betty, was born in 1918 in Chicago and grew up in Michigan. "[3], At the time her husband assumed the presidency, reporters speculated on what kind of first lady Ford would be, as they thought her predecessor, Pat Nixon, as noted by one reporter, to be the "most disciplined, composed first lady in history. Established in 1949 on lakeside acreage in Center City, Minnesota, the Hazelden Betty Ford . Ford was noted for raising breast cancer awareness following her 1974 mastectomy. Emergency responders, including police, showed up at her home Friday morning as a standard procedure. Betty Ford may be the most famous and least known First Lady in history. Ford made campaign appearances and delivered speeches across the United States. The Betty Ford Center board endorsed the merger Tuesday. The campaigns of the previous three presidents that sought election to an additional term (Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon) had needed to manufacture campaign publicity involving their first ladies (Mamie Eisenhower, Lady Bird Johnson, and Pat Nixon). As Betty Ford recounted at the time, the wedding was delayed until shortly before the election because, "Jerry was running for Congress and wasn't sure how voters might feel about his marrying a divorced ex-dancer.". Thats the way I feel. "This is not a lack of willpower, this is a disease," she said at the time. [3], Spiro Agnew resigned as vice president on October 10, 1973. A contrast was publicly drawn between Ford and Nancy Reagan, the wife of Ford's primary election challenger Ronald Reagan. Kalb shares a few things you may not know about the 38th . Though I told myself I would just use once. She was also outspoken on women's rights issues. That same year, she joined First Ladies Lady Bird Johnson and Rosalynn Carter to open and participate in the National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas, where she endorsed measures in the convention's National Plan of Action, a report sent to the state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, and the President on how to improve the status of American women. "[3][13] For their honeymoon, the two briefly traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they attended a college football game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Northwestern Wildcats, before driving to Owosso, Michigan, to attend a campaign rally for Republican presidential nominee Thomas Dewey. [3] Ford received support from her family and managed to resume a busy lifestyle. Since the 1960s, even before she was the first lady, Betty took prescription opioid painkillers for a pinched nerve and severe arthritic pain. [3], On August 9, 1974, after the resignation of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford ascended to the position of president of the United States,[12] and Betty Ford became the first lady of the United States. This set a contrast with First Lady Pat Nixon, who routinely rejected invitations to give formal speeches. Betty Ford began taking prescription pain killers in the 1960s for a pinched nerve. Her role as a public health advocate distinguishes her as one of the most influential women of the latter part of the twentieth century.[104]. "And if they'd asked me that I would have told them," she said, adding that her response would be, "As often as possible. [3] Ford also volunteered for local charitable organizations, including serving as the program director of the Alexandria Cancer Fund Drive. Showtime's "The First Lady" flips the camera's focus to the women who brought about transformational change from the East Wing of the White House. [33], Steinhauer of The New York Times described Ford as "a product and symbol of the cultural and political timesdoing the Bump dance along the corridors of the White House, donning a mood ring, chatting on her CB radio with the handle First Mamaa housewife who argued passionately for equal rights for women, a mother of four who mused about drugs, abortion and premarital sex aloud and without regret. [47] Kennerly has touted the image as both capturing Ford's personality and being a symbolic image showing the feminist first lady posing in what had conventionally been a room occupied predominantly by white men. Murray Close/SHOWTIME. [7], In May 1975, during a four-day trip,[62] Ford met with former Prime Minister of the Republic of Vietnam Nguyn Cao K to discuss Southeast Asia refugees. "[19], Ford avidly supported the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. [18], Ford served as a parent-teacher association member, Sunday school teacher at Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, and a Cub Scout "den mother". After graduating from high school in 1936 she attended the Bennington School of Dance in Vermont for two summers, where she met choreographer Martha Graham. She died peacefully, surrounded by her family, at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. [32], Repeatedly speaking out on women's issues, Ford was a leader in the changing status of women in American society. Betty White's cause of death has been revealed.. In the opinion of The New York Times and several presidential historians, "Mrs. Ford's impact on American culture may be far wider and more lasting than that of her husband, who served a mere 896 days, much of it spent trying to restore the dignity of the office of the president. Stroke six days prior, according to her death certificate her first husband, businessman William.! 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