Gerald Ford: America’s Only Unelected President 

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One of my favorite Gerald Ford quotes: 'I'm a Ford. Not a Lincoln.'

No mention of Willis Ward? A black player at Michigan, he was also Ford's roommate. When Georgia Tech refused to play a game if Willis played, Ford threatened to quit the team. He was a staunch advocate for equal rights even in College.

"Well you voted for him Red" "Kitty, nobody voted for him" - that 70s show

I'm from Grand Rapids Michigan. We have the GR Ford Airport, presidential museum, GR Ford Freeway, and many other things named after the man. There is definitely a pride from having a president come from your hometown!

He got a whole super carrier class named after him. That’s a hell of a thing!!

Just imagine if Gerald Ford took the football contracts and went to be a famous football player

Met him once as a young pfc in the army. Nicest man, he actually spoke to me. Very uncommon for the era.

If folks want a really telling story about the character of the man, watch the documentary Black and Blue. It is the story of how he almost quit the Michigan football team because during the 1934 home game against Georgia Tech there was a demand that Michigan bench their black starting running back Willis Ward. And Ford pretty much said "if you bench Willis you can count me out."

He might’ve been President by dumb luck, but I think the USA got lucky that it was Ford. We all know we could’ve gotten a lot worse on that dice roll

Kitty: "How can you say that you voted for Gerald Ford." Red: "Kitty no one voted for Gerald Ford"

He was by all estimations a good guy. And loyal almost to a fault. Also, he was probably the most athletic president.

My grandfather had a saying: “Ford was the best president we ever had. Because after watergate we didn’t let him do a damn thing.”

My aunt was his secretary after his presidential term. My grandpa and Ford used to golf together a lot.

Can you do one on Joe Medicine Crow. He was a Native American writer, historian and war chief of the Crow Nation and the last Plains Indian war chief, which he managed to achieve while serving in WWII completing all four tasks required to become a war chief: touching an enemy without killing him (counting coup), taking an enemy's weapon, leading a successful war party, and stealing an enemy's horse and this is only part of this True Native American Badass. No bone spurs here.

I remember when he died. I had a president obsession, and when I saw that the flag was half-staff at school, I asked my dad if one of them had died. My parents are still upset to this day over the fact that the teacher didn't tell us. I still don't have the heart to explain to them that it's probably not standard kindergarten protocol to talk about a dead president. (If they can avoid it, at least.)

As a native Michigander, I have been to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum a good number of times. If you ever get the chance to go to it, I highly recommend going.

I disagree with Ford on almost every political issue. But in terms of being a good person, he's in the top 3 best human beings to ever hold the office.

Ford did have an aircraft carrier named after him, so I suppose he wasn't that bad.

I am related to him. My grandmother’s mother took care of him, housed his football team whenever they were traveling for games, and was familiar with his paternal family. No one was ever really close to him, but we do have a couple of documents and letters from him when he was in office. He’s a pretty cool cat

I always enjoyed how he was portrayed on the Simpsons.

Very interesting. My great-uncle was President Ford's physician. His stories about that time are fascinating.

As someone from Grand Rapids, Ford loomed large in my young life. He was perhaps second in popularity in the city only to Jesus.

Gerald Ford: Say, Homer, do you like football? Homer Simpson: Do I ever! Gerald Ford: Do you like nachos? Homer Simpson: Yes, Mr. Ford. Gerald Ford: Well, why don't you come over and watch the game and we'll have nachos, and then some beer.

Bonus Fact: While playing for the University of Michigan, Gerald Ford threatened to quit if the university acquiesced to Georgia Tech and not play Willis Ward, a black player on the Michigan team. Mr. Ward did not play in that game but convinced Mr. Ford that defeating Georgia Tech on the field would be better than quitting. Michigan won the game 9-2.

Nachos, beer and football. Simple man.

Thank you so much people always forget about him . But he was an important person

I wrote a letter to President Ford in 1975 at the age of 9...got a response from the White House answering my queries...I'm sure now he didn't answer it personally, yet it had his form signature on it...I thought that was cool...

I had the opportunity to shake hands with President Ford not once but twice. First was during the 1976 Election Campaign. I found out he was going to have a rally at the Rochester, NY airport and begged my parents to take me (A two hour drive round trip). It was pouring rain, but an estimated 10,000 supporters were there cheering as Air Force One landed. We were right up at the front of the receiving line, and for a 12 year old kid, I was thrilled beyond belief when he passed by and grabbed my hand. 24 years later, I attended a dinner in his honor at my undergraduate alma mater. I sat at the next table. As soon as the dinner was over, I thrust my Kodak disposable camera into the hands of the University President and said "Take my picture with President Ford." I introduced myself, telling him I was a fellow left-hander and Eagle Scout, and reminded him of the Rochester event. He recalled it fondly, and now on my wall, I have a cherished photo of the both us looking at each other and shaking hands. In addition, I have a signed photo and a signed letter he sent me in response to a letter I had written to him years earlier, thanking him for getting me interested in a public policy career. He was the right man at the right time.

Keep those president videos coming. I can’t wait to see biographies on George H W Bush, Jimmy Carter, Calvin Coolidge, etc

“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have” Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon is an example of how the view of history can change in many directions. It was first viewed poorly, then praised as healing a nation divided. As we now see, it didn't work. It created the precedent that the President is above the law, which had disastrous consequences in the last administration.

When my dad was in the Army in Germany during the '70s. One time Ford came to speak to the troops so they had a multiple Brigade formation for it. After he did his speech he said "you are dismissed" and everyone fled. There wasn't much anything they could do to stop it.

I can't help but feel sad for Ford because I can see myself in him. Thrust into a job I wish could do good, but everything fails and I just keep falling.

My home town finally made the Biographics channel!!! Thank you Simon for all the amazing work you and your staff have done over the years! You are all certified legends!

I didn’t know his last name wasn’t originally Ford and I’m from Grand Rapids and have gone through his museum like 20 times 😂😂

Greatness was thrust at him, at the end of the day what matters is he was a GOOD Man

In the mid 80's former VP Ford gave a talk at the local college and I was able to attend. I came away thinking that he was an extremely intelligent man when it came to politics and the world. I didn't expect this. I always thought that pardoning Nixon was the best way to just move on with solving more important problems.

My father had the privilege to become acquainted with Gerald Ford. Ford was on the board of directors in a company that my father was the CFO for back in the 1980s. This of course, was post presidency. My father was very proud of the fact that he had dealings with President Ford. Ford had what most politicians lack today- Honor. Honor is a dying trait, yet it was instilled in me by my family and those around me in my youth. When I deal with people or company’s today, I feel like I’m not on the same playing field. Nearly every interaction ends with me being screwed. I’ll be dead in 20 years, and I’m ok with that. I just feel for my children.

As a ten-year-old boy, I received a WIN button in the mail from President Ford, and, because I was a ten-year-old boy, I was convinced that he had stuffed it in the envelope and written the letter to me himself. But today, at the age of fifty-seven, I harbor suspicions that this may not have been the case. ;-)

Another factor that endeared Gerald Ford initially was something he said early in his first speech as President. "I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President. I have not campaigned for this enormous responsibility, but I will not sherk it. I have not gained the office through some secret deal, those who selected me as Vice President were my friends and are my friends, I am indebted to no man, but to one woman, my dear wife."

Now we need a biographic on Jimmy Carter.

My grandmother was a dyed in the wool Democrat. She was also born on January 20. She loved sharing her birthday with the inauguration of Democratic presidents, but hated it when a Republican was inaugurated on her birthday. She died at the end of 2006, and she had her funeral on the same day as Ford’s funeral. We all wondered what she would have thought of that!

I’m an avid viewer of biographies and seeing those early photos of that area of Grand Rapids and comparing it to how it is now is quite insane. The blue bridge is a popular hangout area, kind of surreal seeing a much older photograph of it on a RU-vid channel I love.

Gerald Ford being president is like if Forrest Gump ended up in the White House.

Underrated, real students of history realise he was a good president.

The conclusions at the end are deeply missed every time I watch an older video, when it just stops after they die. These are really nice.

Lose the Vietnam War? It was already over, it ended in 1973 with the Paris Peace Accords. North Vietnam attacked again in 1975 after the US left.

Title: “Gerald Ford: America’s Only Unelected President” Johnson, Tyler, and Fillmore: hold my beer

Perfect timing Simon! Keep up the good work fella and stay safe. Geographics after this

"I'm Gerald Ford and your not"

His parents fuggin hated him: "Lynch King" is his middle name at birth??? I'd change my name too!

John Quincy adams be like: what about me!

I remember him from that episode of the Simpsons with George H.W Bush

Sounds like Ford was the real life version of Star Wars' Finis Valorum.

I really like how you approach these videos. This one and the one on Hoover in particular have been very enlightening. I really appreciate how you show them as people and not just as “the president”. It really changes the perspective when you think of it that way.

That ending was awesome Simon! Super powerful ✊🏻

Man, the ending of Simon's videos always hit me in the feels

Ah, the days when actions had consequences in Washington.

Fascinating stories - VERY well told. Bravo BIOGRAPHICS!!!

For a second, I misread that as “America’s Only *Ugly* President”, and I was like, “Um… so Nixon and Clinton are a joke to you?”

Ford was also our only President who was called “King” as that was his real last name. Ford was from his adopted Father.

I felt like this video spent almost no time on Ford’s invention of the car. Big omission.

Awesome!!! You kept me glued for the 20 odd minutes

I’ve been looking forward to this one for ages

That Black and White picture of Grand Rapids looks pretty close to present day, minus the tall buildings it now has

He always seemed like a nice, decent man. Nixon was ambitious and occasionally brilliant, but his demons drove him to paranoia and brutality. In retrospect, Ford would have been the better leader all along.

fact: he was also the then longest living U.S. President from 2006-17 until G.H. Bush breaks on Nov. 2017

Gerald Ford, he was an honest president who said what was on everybody’s mind, this is best summarized by his quote: “I’m Gerald Ford, and you’re not.” Truly a honest president.

I learned more history from this channel in a few weeks than my 18 years of k-12 school hahahah XD. So much better than cramming for tests and actually learning about their lives.

Young Gerald looks like a young Dolph Lundgren. in the football picture I thought he was about to deck Rocky.

Thank you. I learned something. I'll be looking for more information.

Well done Simon!!

Still waiting for a William Wilberforce episode. A man who brought an end to the English slave trade and who is responsible for child labor laws/child protection would be a good example in today’s modern chaos

House Minority Leader, "Minority Speaker of the House" isn't a thing

Your videos are getting better and better Whistler !

I grew up in Grand Rapids and my Grandparents knew Gerry Ford. My Grandfather and he both loved football and would often go watch High School teams practice in the morning before going to their jobs. I can say that Gerry Ford was loved by the people of Grand Rapids. As a congressman he took good care of his constituents.

I've always felt President Ford and many others like him deserve more recognition than what history often bestows upon them, and more often than not your channel helps reinforce that

I remember this time vividly. Gerald Ford was a decent man, and just the man we needed at that moment in time.

Started watching but with the ads in the video and the RU-vid ads I just stopped and looked him up on wikipedia

These Biographics presentations are excellent.

Have you done the Marquis de Sade?!?! I'd love to see that one.

I would not call President Ford as accidental. There was the 25th ammendment and its system, and it worked. President Ford didn't go back to Vietnam, and ditching Nixon was the correct thing to do. The economy was hurting and that had been going on long before Ford. It was not Ford's fault that the world's economy was changing and USA's part was shrinking.

You should do a video about the Alday killings in Donalsonville, GA. It is truly stomach turning.

You need to make this a podcast like your casual criminalist. I would love to listen to these on my car drives.

Thank you, it's good to know that there was such person in that shitty period of time. It's inspiring and nice...

The first time I watched a Business Blaze video I was taken back by the tonal change. But after binging Business Blaze videos and coming back to Biographics and Today I Found Out, I'm once again taken back by the tonal change. Haha

I absolutely love this series.

Love this page!

Imagine replacing your FORD with a CARTer.

A great person to do a biographic of would be Colonel Hackworth. He was one of the most decorated US army veterans ever. He fought in Korea and Vietnam. He survived many wounds one being a bullet to the head. He wrote a very descriptive book about the events called About Face. He’d be perfect for a video on this channel

He was great in the movie Breverly Hills Cop with Eddie Murphy

Cool vid! Can u do a bio on ayrton senna/niki lauda or the german track nordschleife? *.*

I've watched almost all of your videos in a span of a week... I'm very much interested in history and love the diverse coverage of yours in terms of personalities and events Thank you.. Keep rocking

You know it's interesting that people say Ford's chance at re-election was completely doomed like he never had a chance to win when in 1976 Carter barely squeaked a win with 297 Electoral Votes. So I don't think Ford's chances must have been THAT weak.

Growing up in The Greater Grand Rapids area, and going on field trips to the Gerald R Ford Museum, I only knew Ford by name. Thanks for the history lesson.

Great video! How about one on Dwight D. Eisenhower?

Was hoping for an a shout out of him being an Eagle Scout. Still an enjoyable video!

A drill instructor could get a fast ticket to the front by brawling with another drill instructor, according to my dad. He found out the hard way in 1944.

bro there is no escape.... how many channels do you own.. Love the content nonetheless. Good day