Gerald R. Ford Event Timeline

Gerald R. Ford (38) Event Timeline   

08/09/1974– 01/20/1977

10/10/1973

Spiro T. Agnew resigns as Vice President on charges of income tax evasion.

10/12/1973

Nixon announces he will nominate Gerald R. Ford to be Vice-President replacing Agnew. Ford then is the first to become Vice President under the terms of Section 2 of the 25^th Amendment.  

12/06/1973

Takes Oath of Office as Vice President following his confirmation by the House (12/06/1973 by vote of 387-35) and the Senate (11/27/1973 by a vote of 93-3). “I am a Ford, not a Lincoln.”

1974

08/09/1974

Assumes Presidency following resignation of Nixon. Ford is sworn in by Chief Justice Warren Burger. Nixon resigned after White House tapes reveal his efforts to obstruct justice in the Watergate Scandal.  Immediately after taking the Oath of Office, Ford makes Remarks, and declares “our long national nightmare is over.  Our Constitution works. . .”

08/12/1974

Address to Joint Session of Congress, voices concern over inflation and announces that he will oppose all excessive spending during this period.

08/20/1974

Announces nominee for Vice President, Nelson A. Rockefeller, the former Governor of New York.

09/08/1974

Proclamation 4311—Granting Pardon to Richard Nixon. Ford grants full pardon to President Nixon in attempt to end the political divide over the impeachment. Many Americans disapprove this decision.

09/16/1974

Proclamation 4313—Announcing a Program for the Return of Vietnam Era Draft Evaders and Military Deserters. Announces program of clemency for draft evaders of Vietnam. Individuals can achieve clemency through alternative military service.

09/30/1974

Executive Order 11808 Establishing the Economic Policy Board, which is responsible for all economic policy, both domestic and international.

10/08/1974

Addresses Joint session of Congress regarding the economy. Speech includes proposal to reduce reliance on foreign oil, as well as increase United States food production. Ford recommends a 5% tax increase as well as reduction in federal spending. Finally, he announces a plan called “Whip Inflation Now” that will focus on combating inflation.

10/11/1974

Signs Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, creating three new entities including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which assumes responsibility for licensing and regulation of nuclear facilities.

10/15/1974

Signs Federal Elections Campaign Act of 1974, which significantly reforms campaign finance. The act limits the amount that can be donated to candidates, establishes public funds for elections, and creates the Federal Election Commission to enforce the bill.

10/17/1974

In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, makes a long statement about the pardon of Richard Nixon and answers questions from Committee members.  Only Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson had appeared for testimony while President.

10/17/1974

Vetoes revisions to the Freedom of Information Act, which expands public access to government documents. Ford expressed concern about military and intelligence secrets and law enforcement files. Congress overrides the veto and passes the bill on 11/21/1974.

10/21/1974

Travels to Nogales, Mexico to meet Mexican President Luis Echeverria.

10/29/1974

Veto of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act Amendments. Ford argues that the bill engages inappropriately in administration; “the bill blurs accountability.” His veto was overridden on 11/21/1974 (together with the Freedom of Information Act Amendments), the first of 12 veto overrides (fewer than Andrew Johnson, but equaling Harry Truman).

11/05/1974

Midterm Elections. Republicans lose 48 seats in the House and 5 seats in the Senate.

11/17/1974

Departs on trip to visit Japan, Republic of Korea, and the Soviet Union.   He is the first President to visit Japan.

11/24/1974

Remarks Upon Returning from visit to Japan, Korea, USSR.

12/14/1974 – 12/16/1974

Meets French President Giscard d’Estaing in Martinique.

12/17/1974

Signs Safe Drinking Water Act.

1975

01/01/1975

Signs Privacy Act of 1974, which guarantees the right of Americans to their individual privacy.

01/04/1975

Establishes “Rockefeller Commission," to review the Central Intelligence Agency to determine if it has committed abuses of power.

01/15/1975

First Annual State of the Union Address. “The State of the Union is not good.”

03/02/1975

Announces that the military will help South Vietnamese evacuate Saigon. The North Vietnam army overtakes Saigon, and 100,000 South Vietnamese soldiers surrender, while Americans are evacuated from the city.

03/10/1975

Swearing in of Carla Hills as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, first woman to hold the post.

03/29/1975

Address to the Nation on Signing Tax Reduction Act of 1975, which includes a $22.8 billion tax cut, even after publicly opposing the bill.

04/08/1975

With Executive Order 11850, US renounces use in war of herbicides and riot control agents.

04/12/1975

In Cambodia, the communist Khmer Rouge seize power. Following an address to Congress to remember America’s duty to the world, Ford withdraws troops from Cambodia.

04/29/1975

Orders emergency evacuation of US Embassy in Saigon. “This action closes a chapter in the American experience.”

05/12/1975

Cambodia seizes the Mayaguez, a U.S. merchant ship, and holds the crew hostage for ransom. Ford sends Marines to rescue the crew. The mission succeeds after Ford orders airstrikes to accompany the Marines, fifteen Marines are killed.

05/27/1975

Addresses nation on energy policy, emphasizing the importance of reducing reliance on foreign oil.

05/28/1975 – 06/03/1975

Trip to Europe includes stops in Brussels, Madrid, Salzburg and Rome.

06/06/1975

Letter urging Congressional approval of Financial Support Fund of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which provides a safety net fund for nations given the rising price of oil.

07/08/1975

Announces Candidacy for the Republican Party’s nomination for the presidency in 1976 election.

07/26/1975 – 08/04/1975

Embarks on second trip to Europe. Has stops in Germany, Poland, Finland, Romania, Yugoslavia. Along with the Soviet Union, Turkey, and other 35 European states, signs the Helsinki Accords, which declare the rights of sovereignty and respect for human rights.

09/05/1975

Remarks following an assassination attempt. Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson attempted to assassinate the president.

09/22/1975

Remarks following a second assassination attempt in San Francisco.  A shot was fired at the President as he left a hotel.

10/06/1975

Address to the Nation on Federal Tax and Spending Reductions.  Emphasizes the need for a $28 billion dollar cut in taxes and spending.

10/29/1975

Refuses New York City’s request for federal aid, remarking that they should not pass their inability to budget unto the federal government.

11/03/1975

Fires both the director of Central Intelligence and the Secretary of Defense, dubbed the “Sunday Morning Massacre”. Henry Kissinger gives up the National Security advisor position, but remains Secretary of State. On November 4th, Donald Rumsfeld is named Secretary of Defense, Brent Scowcroft is named National Security advisor, and Richard Cheney is named Chief of Staff.

11/15/1975 – 11/17/1975

Remarks at conclusion of Economic Summit Meeting, Rambouillet France.

11/20/1975

Ronald Reagan announces his candidacy for President, challenging Ford for the Republican nomination.

11/26/1975

Requests $2.5 billion loan for New York City as well as other financial programs in an effort to prevent the city from going bankrupt.

11/19/1975 – 12/07/1975

Begins Asian trip that includes stops in Beijing, China; Djakarta, Indonesia; and Manila, Philippines.

12/22/1975

Signs Energy Policy Conservation Act in order to put the nation on the path to energy independence.

1976

01/19/1976

Second State of the Union Address.

01/30/1976

Remarks on the Supreme Court ruling that the 1974 Federal Election Campaign law was unconstitutional. The decision in Buckley v. Valeo held that several kinds of limits on candidate expenditures (but not individual contributions) are an unconstitutional limit on free speech.

02/10/1976

Message on the Observance of Black History Month. Calls for acknowledging African-American to national life while celebrating the Bicentennial anniversary of the United States.

02/18/1976

Executive Order 11905 reorganizing the intelligence community in order to make it more efficient and have more oversight.

04/30/1976

Urges Congress to adopt a spending ceiling to control deficit spending.

05/28/1976

Signs US-Soviet Treaty limiting underground nuclear testing.

06/17/1976

Executive Order 11923 recognizes the deaths of Ambassador Francis E. Meloy, Jr, and Economic Counselor Robert O. Waring who were murdered in Beirut on 07/16/1976. Subsequently American citizens were evacuated from Lebanon.

07/03/1976

Veto of Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Bill. Objects that the bill expands the sharing of Federal Leading revenues. The bill becomes law on 08/04/1976, when his veto was overridden. This was the last of the 12 overrides of Ford’s vetoes.

07/04/1976

Remarks at Valley Forge commemorating the 200th anniversary of American independence. This was just one of several events commemorating this historic date.

07/20/1976

Calls Viking I crew and NASA officials before the Viking mission to Mars. The next day, the spacecraft becomes the first spacecraft to land on Mars.

08/19/1976

Accepts Nomination for President of the Republican Party. Ford had been challenged in the primaries by Ronald Reagan who had innovated by announcing his proposed running mate before the convention. Ford narrowly beat Reagan on the first ballot by a vote of 1187 – 1070.

09/09/1976

Remarks on the Death of Mao Tse-tung. China is left in a state of turmoil after the death of their communist leader.

09/13/1976

Signs Government in the Sunshine Act.

10/06/1976

Presidential Debate. President Ford makes a famous political gaffe during a presidential debate by claiming that several Eastern European countries were not dominated by the Soviet Union. “I don't believe that the Poles consider themselves dominated by the Soviet Union.”

10/12/1976

Signs Toxic Substances Control Act.  Permits requiring testing of new chemicals in commercial products to determine if they present a health risk.

11/02/1976

Election Day. President Ford is defeated in his bid for reelection by Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. Carter wins 55% of the Electoral College and 50.1% of the popular vote.

12/17/1976

Reiterates need for oil independence after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries again raise the price of oil.

12/31/1976

Announces proposal for Puerto Rico statehood.

1977

01/12/1977

Third State of the Union Address. Ford gives his Farewell Address before a Joint Session of Congress reporting on the State of the Union. “I can report that the state of the union is good.”