Four More Years
1972
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Nixon selected Ford, then the House Minority Leader, largely because he was advised that Ford would be the most easily confirmed of the prominent Republican leaders. Ford was confirmed by overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress , and he took office as vice president in December 1973.
Ford was eager to revive U.S. power and prestige after the collapse of Cambodia and South Vietnam. Preventing a new war in the Middle East remained a major objective; by providing aid to both Israel and Egypt, the Ford administration helped persuade the two countries to accept an interim truce.
Gerald Ford on the football field of Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan, 1933. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum/NARA. Show Me More
Gerald R. Ford; James Carter Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush William J. Clinton George W. Bush Barack Obama Donald J. Trump Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Ford succeeded to the presidency when Nixon resigned in 1974, but was defeated for election to a full term in 1976. Ford is the only person to serve as president and vice president without being elected to either office.
Nixon, who was under increasing pressure due to the Watergate scandal, surprised many by nominating Ford for the vice presidency. This was not out of any belief that Ford would play a role in policymaking that was compatible to Nixon's goals; rather, Nixon chose Ford because Congress would easily confirm him.
In Ford's defense, rising unemployment, soaring inflation, and the energy crisis, in addition to the nation's longer-term economic decline, were complex and interrelated challenges that confounded the era's most prestigious economists. Ford's chief economic error, however, was political in nature.
