Betty Ford, the wife of the late President Gerald Ford and founder of the famed drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic bearing her name, died on Friday at age 93.
Betty Ford was the First Lady of the United States from August 1974 to January 1977. Her willingness to speak candidly about her personal battles with cancer and addiction helped to shatter longstanding taboos in the United States. The Betty Ford Center has helped thousands battle drug and alcohol addiction.
Married for 58 years, Betty and Gerald Ford enjoyed mutual respect and an unshakeable bond. A fun-loving woman and outspoken feminist, Ford insisted upon moving into the White House that she and her husband share the same bed - unlike previous occupants.
Betty Ford credited her husband with inspiring her famously outspoken ways. My husband promised he would be forthright and honest, she said. And I felt I was following that lead.
Newlyweds Gerald and Betty Ford depart Grace Episcopal Church following their wedding ceremony in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in this handout photograph taken on October 15, 1948.ReutersPresident Gerald Ford, wife Betty Ford and their son Steve (L) are surrounded by Secret Service agents and the media on the South Portico of the White House upon returning home following an attempt on the president's life by Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme in Sacramento, Calfornia.ReutersPresident Gerald Ford and his wife, Betty, hug each other in the Oval Office of the White House in this December 6, 1974 handout photograph obtained on July 8, 2011ReutersFormer U.S. President Ford stands by as former first lady Betty Ford prepares to cut the birthday cake at a dedication ceremony for the Oklahoma State Fair Grounds' Independence Arch and Constitution Fountain in this handout photograph taken on September 19, 1975.ReutersFormer U.S. President Gerald R. Ford (L), daughter Susan (C) and his wife, first lady Betty Ford, walk with their dog Liberty at the presidential retreat Camp David in Maryland in this August 7, 1976 file photoReutersPresident Gerald Ford and his wife Betty Ford read a petition, signed by all 100 members of the United States Senate, following the first lady's breast cancer surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, in this handout photo taken on October 2, 1974.ReutersFormer first Lady Betty Ford wears a button expressing her support for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment while taking some personal time as President Ford plays in the Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic Celebrities Golf Tournament in Hollywood, Florida, in this handout photograph taken on February 26, 1975.ReutersFormer U.S. President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty arrive outside the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library and birthplace prior to burial services for former President Nixon in this April 27,1994 file photo.ReutersTalk-show host Larry King, former first lady Betty Ford and former President Gerald Ford pose during a ceremony held in Mrs. Ford's honor in Los Angeles in this August 31, 1994 file photo.ReutersFormer U.S. President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty talk to reporters outside the White House in this August 11, 1999 file photoReutersFormer first lady Betty Ford pauses by the casket of her late husband, former U.S. President Gerald Ford, during a service in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington in this December 30, 2006 file photo.
ReutersPresident Gerald Ford and his wife, Betty, return to the President's Suite at the Bethesda Naval Hospital, in Bethesda, Maryland, following the first lady’s breast cancer surgery in this October 4, 1974 handout photograph.
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