The Ex-Presidents of the United States of America - Gerald Ford, Part Two

2010/04/04 |90 views|0

The Ex-Presidents of the United States of America - Gerald Ford, Part Two

By the early 1970s, Gerald Ford was considering resigning from Congress, however suddenly he was nominated by President Nixon to succeed Spiro Agnew as Vice-President after Agnew's resignation. Ford was not Nixon's first choice but he was the safest, he was a popular figure in Congress and the members were content to approve one of their own. His nomination was confirmed by both chambers and he took the oath as Vice-President on 6 December 1973. His subsequent tenure almost went unnoticed, as the Nixon administration became completely embroiled in the Watergate scandal. Nixon resigned on 9 August, 1974 and Ford was sworn in as the thirty-eight President of the United States becoming the only President to never have been elected to either the Presidential or Vice-Presidential office.

Ford entered an arena that was immersed in political discontent and economic deterioration.

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However, Ford did score some successes such as achieving a cap on federal expenditure, attaining a peace deal between forces in the Sinai peninsula and the Golan Heights and a successful rescue of the American merchant ship, Mayaguez in Cambodia. His greatest achievement was in restoring a sense of stability after the Nixon debacle and he decided to run in the 1972 presidential election. He was challenged for the Republican nomination by the former Governor of California, Ronald Reagan, he managed to see him off after a bruising contest. However, he was defeated in the election by the Democratic nominee, Jimmy Carter.

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Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source Russell Shortt, http://www.exploringireland.net - http://www.visitscotlandtours.com

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