Gerald R. Ford, who as the 38th president of the United States helped restore the nation's political stability after the trauma of the Watergate scandal, has died, his widow, Betty, announced Tuesday night.
"My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, has passed away at 93 years of age," the former first lady said in a brief statement issued from her husband's office in Rancho Mirage. "His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday December 28, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 0 inches; 28 words Type of Material: Correction
President Ford obituary: A photo caption accompanying the obituary of Gerald R. Ford in some editions of Wednesday's Section A misidentified Chief Justice Warren Burger as Earl Warren.
He died at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday at his home in Rancho Mirage. No cause of death was released.
Ford had been in declining health for several years. In August he had a cardiac pacemaker implanted during a stay at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. A few days later, he underwent a second heart procedure when stents were placed into two of his coronary arteries to increase blood flow.
With Ford's death, George H.W. Bush, 82, becomes the oldest living former president. He and President Carter were both born in 1924, but Bush was born in June and Carter in October.
President George W. Bush's chief of staff, Joshua B. Bolten, told Bush of Ford's death just before 8 p.m. PST, Deputy White House Press Secretary Scott Stanzel said. Bush, at his ranch near Crawford, Texas, called Betty Ford about an hour later "to express his personal condolences," Stanzel said.
In a prepared statement released by the White House, said Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were "greatly saddened" by Ford's death. "The American people will always admire Gerald Ford's devotion to duty, his personal character, and the honorable conduct of his administration," the statement said. "We mourn the loss of such a leader, and our 38th president will always have a special place in our nation's memory. On behalf of all Americans, Laura and I offer our deepest sympathies to Betty Ford and all of President Ford's family. Our thoughts and prayers will be with them in the hours and days ahead."
Ford, a Republican, served first as vice president and then as president without benefit of election. He was House minority leader in 1973 when he was chosen by President Nixon to serve as vice president after Spiro T. Agnew was forced to resign because of financial irregularities. Less than a year later, Ford was thrust into the Oval Office when Nixon resigned because of Watergate.
