Profile
Gerald Rudolff Ford
Politician + Businessman + President
Male
Born
Dec 9, 1890
Hometown
Grand Rapids, Mic...
Died
Jan 26, 1962
Death Place
Grand Rapids, Mic...
Gerald Rudolff Ford was a Grand Rapids businessman and Republican politician who was the stepfather of U.S. President Gerald Ford and for whom Ford legally changed his name. Ford was born and died in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he raised the future… Read More
Romance
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Family
Discover the family history of Gerald Rudolff Ford.
Gerald Rudolff Ford
d.1962
children
News + Updates
Browse recent news and stories about Gerald Rudolff Ford.
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Laughter Known For High Profile Golf Fund Raiser Dayton Daily NewsGoogle News - Sep 10, 2011
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Army Reaches Agreement With Armed Forces Bowl Army Black Knights Official Athletic SiteGoogle News - Sep 08, 2011
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Mementos Gathered By First Couple Head To Museum Exhibits The Desert SunGoogle News - Sep 06, 2011
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Morning Minutes: Sept. 5 Norwich BulletinGoogle News - Sep 05, 2011
Timeline
Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Gerald Rudolff Ford.
CHILDHOOD
1890
Birth
Born on December 9, 1890.
TEENAGE
1903
12 Years Old
The senior Ford's father George Ford died in a train accident in 1903 forcing him to drop out of school to support the family. He was working as a paint salesman at the Grand Rapids Wood Finishing Company when he met the future President's mother Dorothy Ayer Gardner King. Dorothy had fled to Michigan from Omaha, Nebraska in 1913, 16 days after the President's birth, claiming that her husband (and her son's birth father), Leslie Lynch King, Sr., had physically abused her. She came to Grand Rapids to be near her parents, Levi Addison Gardner and Adele Augusta Ayer Gardner, who lived in the town. The couple married on February 1, 1917 following Dorothy's divorce from King when the future President was three and began calling Dorothy's first son "Gerald."
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THIRTIES
The elder Ford founded the Ford Paint and Varnish Company in 1929 just before the Great Depression.
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FORTIES
1935
44 Years Old
The elder Ford never legally adopted the President. The President changed his name in 1935 after the deaths of his paternal King family grandparents to an Americanized version of his stepfather's name Gerald Rudolph Ford.
FIFTIES
1944
53 Years Old
The elder Ford was active on various functions including the formation of the Youth Commonwealth to help disadvantaged youth. He was director of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Kent County, Michigan Republican Committee from 1944 until 1948 when he stepped down after the future President began his first run for Congress.
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LATE ADULTHOOD
1962
71 Years Old
Died on January 26, 1962.
Original Authors of this text are noted on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Rudolff_Ford.
Text is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
Text is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.