First Lady Betty Ford Dead at 93

Betty Ford, the widow of late President Gerald Ford and a trailblazing co-founder of an addiction center in California that bears her name, has died at the age of 93, according to the director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.

Since her husband's death in 2006, Ford sought to keep her husband’s death a private affair, she limited the prayer service to family members only.

Ford and her late husband had spent the last 30 years living in a golf community and tending to her treatment center for alcohol and drugs.

Her husband became President at a time when mistrust in government was rampant. .

Ford was as hip as could be, she did the 'Bump' along the hallways of the White House and wore a mood ring, she advocated for rehab, abortion and womens rights.

Ford battled breast cancer, which lead to her leaving a significant commitment to public health issues. She had an undying commitment to treating alcohol and substance abuse, stemming from her own history of abuse.

Born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in Chicago in 1918 and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan much like her husband, Ford studied with Martha Graham in New York City, becoming a member of the Martha Graham's dance group. In 1941, she returned to Grand Rapids, and became a fashion coordinator for a department store, forming a dance group.

She first married a furniture salesman before meeting President Ford in 1947. She married him in '48, two weeks before he was elected to his first term in Congress. Ford leaves behind four children: Michael Gerald, John Gardner, Steven Meigs and Susan Elizabeth.

In 1974 she became first lady when President Ford was sworn in as the 38th president, after the resignation of Richard Nixon.