AEI joins the nation in mourning the passing of our 38th president and dear friend Gerald R. Ford. President Ford's formal involvement in AEI's activities began on January 20, 1977, although he had participated in AEI programs before that time and corresponded with the Institute as a new member of Congress in 1949. Under AEI's auspices, he visited sixty-four university campuses and spoke to 500 classes about his experiences in politics. Later, with British prime minister James Callaghan, French president Valery Giscard D'Estaing, and German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, President Ford launched the AEI World Forum, which continues to this day. In an interview with The American Enterprise, the former president and AEI distinguished fellow was asked how he would like to be remembered in the history books. His reply: "I hope history will record that I became president in extremely challenging times, with most Americans disillusioned because of Watergate, the Vietnam War, and an economic recession, and that I restored public confidence and healed distrust of the nation's leaders and their government." We salute the former president for his great service to the nation.

Gerald R. Ford in His Own Words

"Let me underscore the obvious truth that at any single moment in time our understanding of public policy issues can be only partial and fragmentary. We must continually seek new insights and new ideas. And that is one of the big contributions that AEI and its sister institutions can make--to shine the light just a little farther down the path than most of us can see on a day to day basis, to show the curves, the dangers on either side, and the forks down the way where fundamental choices must be made. The dogmas of the past are simply not sufficient for the uncertainties of the present."

Francis Boyer Lecture, 1977

"The Constitution is the bedrock of all our freedoms. Guard and cherish it, keep honor and order in your own house, and the republic will endure."

State of the Union, January 12, 1977

"Having become vice president and president without expecting or seeking either, I have a special feeling toward these high offices. To me, the presidency and the vice-presidency were not prizes to be won, but a duty to be done."

Accepting the Republican nomination for president, August 1976

"I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president by your ballots. So I ask you to confirm me as your president with your prayers."

First televised address upon assuming the presidency, August 1974

AEI Scholars on Their Colleague

"President Ford and I had many memorable times in our twenty-year collaboration organizing the AEI World Forum in his summer home of Beaver Creek, Colorado. One of the most stirring was Natan Sharansky’s impromptu tribute to him, a few minutes after they had met for the first time­, for championing and signing the Jackson-Vanik Amendment and the Helsinki Accords in 1975. It was these two acts, Sharansky explained, that led to his ten-year imprisonment by the Soviet government in 1978--and he was grateful for the opportunity, because they became “the two central milestones” in the collapse of communism. In appreciation, Sharansky demonstrated the customary means of secret communication in his Siberian labor camp­—quietly tapping out the Morse code for Ford’s name in Russian letters.

"Gerald Ford lived long enough to see many of his most unpopular decisions, such as his pardon of Richard Nixon, vindicated. The Jackson-Vanik Amendment had been strongly opposed by Nixon and the secretary of state they shared, Henry Kissinger, but it passed unanimously with the new president’s support. The Helsinki Accords were roundly attacked by conservatives, including Ronald Reagan. I believe that his vindication for these two farsighted acts was the most important to him, and the testimony from Natan Sharansky one of his sweetest moments. 

"The day after the Sharansky tribute I came upon President Ford in earnest conversation with my young daughter, Catherine.  She had just encountered a bear on a mountain hike and they were discussing the various strategies for dealing with bears. It was a subject he knew a great deal about."

Christopher DeMuth, January 2007

"[Gerald] Ford is an optimist. He has the proper degree of wonder as he looks at the world: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the budget surplus, the spread of prosperity. He laments the passing of a more congenial politics, but he will not criticize the perpetrators of today’s more contentious process."

James K. Glassman, The American Enterprise, May/June 1999

" . . . Ford confronted the runaway Democratic Congress with his veto pen and behind the scenes took the first steps toward economic and regulatory reform that reached full fruition under [Ronald] Reagan."

Steven F. Hayward, National Review Online, December 27, 2006

"Ford was a competitor all of his life, and was a partisan, but among the legacies he leaves is his lifelong belief in bipartisanship, particularly at the water’s edge. He supported Harry Truman when he first arrived in Congress, and he never lost sight of the importance of unity in the face of the enemy. That is a legacy we need to remember. It is forgotten too often in the blood bath going on in Washington today."

Herbert G. Klein, San Diego Union-Tribune, December 29, 2006

"President Ford paved the way for much that came after him. And, after his presidency, he could not have been more supportive of his successors, even when he disagreed with them. He was a man who kept the interests of the nation far, far above any interests of his own ego. He had learned at Michigan to be a team player--and earned highest honors by doing so. Thus, it will be no surprise to hear somewhere during the fond farewells the nation will pay to him the great Michigan fight song: 'Hail to the Victors!'"

Michael Novak, National Review Online, January 2, 2007

"In the White House, [President Ford's] initial call for 'communication, conciliation, compromise and cooperation' was met with universal applause--but the fact is that he fought tooth and nail with the Democratic Congress and issued a stunning sixty-six vetoes in his two and a half years as president. The vetoes, though, were not a sign that Ford was a divider, not a uniter. He protected presidential prerogatives and took on his partisan and ideological adversaries with verve, but he retained strong personal relations and mutual respect with everybody in Congress."

Norman J. Ornstein, Roll Call, January 4, 2007

Remembering the Life and Legacy of Gerald R. Ford

"President Ford was a great man who devoted the best years of his life in serving the United States. He was a true gentleman who reflected the best in America’s character. Before the world knew his name he served with distinction in the United States Navy and in the United States Congress. As a congressman from Michigan and then as vice president, he commanded the respect and earned the good will of all who had the privilege of knowing him. On Aug. 9, 1974, he stepped into the presidency without ever having sought the office. He assumed power in a period of great division and turmoil. For a nation that needed healing, and for an office that needed a calm and steady hand, Gerald Ford came along when we need him most."

President George W. Bush, December 27, 2006

"Throughout his career, as a naval officer, congressman, vice president and president, Gerald Ford embodied the best values of a great generation: decency, integrity, and devotion to duty. . . . I was proud to know President Ford, and to have served in the White House as his chief of staff. He was a dear friend and mentor to me until this very day."

Vice President Richard B. Cheney, December 27, 2006

"His forte was honor, not rhetoric, showing how civility could light even the dark cave of politics. I often compare Gerald Ford to Dwight Eisenhower, more president than politician. He would have liked the plaque that topped Ike’s desk: 'Gentle in manner, strong in deed.'"

Former president George H. W. Bush, The American Enterprise, May/June 1999

"Perhaps President Ford's greatest achievement was in demonstrating to a nation angry and dispirited over Watergate and Vietnam that its political system was resilient and the Office of the Presidency still worthy of respect. In that sense his Presidency was a triumph of Ford's personal character--not the first, or last, time America has been fortunate in the leaders our democracy has produced."

Wall Street Journal, December 28, 2006

"Those who believe that a kindly Providence keeps a watchful eye on America's welfare can cite the fact of Gerald Ford. On August 9, 1974, at a moment when the nation was putting aside an unhappy, tormented president, and was aching for serenity in high places, to the center of national life strode an abnormality--a happy, normal man as president."

George Will, Washington Post, December 28, 2006