Customer Reviews

Gerald R. Ford (Thorndike Biography)

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Brinkley's account of the underappreciated Presidency and life of Gerald R. Ford was a fast and informative account of our 38th President. Though a biographer of Jimmy Carter, Brinkley gives Ford his due credit, but also manages to draw attention to Ford's mistakes, such as jettisoning Rockefeller from the Vice Presidency. Brinkley's 2003 interviews with Ford also provide rich background to a book that one can easily read in a single day. Since his death, the public adoration for Ford has been deafening. This biography hit the shelves only 6 weeks after his death, which is included in the
book. As a public school Social Studies teacher, I would highly recommend this book!

The American Presidents series, snapshot biographies of most of our presidents, is a great addition to our knowledge of this small number of men who have been our nation's Chief Executive. With the recent publication of Douglas Brinkley's book on Gerald Ford the series has just gotten even better. The timeliness of the book's release, so soon after President Ford's death, (not to mention the passing of Arthur Schlesinger, general editor of the series) is particularly welcome. Ford's growing popularity, as witnessed not only by Brinkley's offering but also by the former president's funeral, adds to the luster of a president who, during his tenure at the White House, was considered either a buffoon or just simply not up to the job.

Brinkley stresses Gerald Ford's midwestern roots, his service to the country during World War II and his ascension through the Republican ranks in the House of Representatives to become that party's Minority Leader. Politically ambitious, Brinkley recalls that Ford's wish was to become Speaker of the House. How things changed for him almost overnight! When Nixon needed a new Vice President after the disgraced Spiro Agnew resigned, there was really only one man who was acceptable...Jerry Ford.

His 896 days as president had some notable achievements, our extrication from Vietnam and the Helsinki Accords to name just two, but the pardon of Nixon....always the pardon...came around to haunt Ford for years. Fortunately, for those of us who were outraged at Ford for doing so at the time, now see the wisdom of his decision and Brinkley balances this nicely with other aspects of the Ford administration.

The assessment of President Ford's performance in office is far from complete but his personal attributes of honesty and integrity will only help to reinforce a rising look at Gerald Ford as a man and as a president. Douglas Brinkley has done an excellent job of reminding us what a good man President Ford was and how he helped get us through the aftermath of our "long, national nightmare".

Well known historian Douglas Brinkley has written this brief biography, as a part of the American Presidents series of works. In the series editor's Introduction, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. notes that (Page xv): "The president is the central player in the American political order." Gerald Ford was an accidental president, taking over after Richard Nixon's downfall resulting from Watergate and his subsequent resignation.

Gerald Ford's name at birth was Leslie Lynch King, Jr. His father had a violent temper and the marriage did not last long. His mother later married Gerald Rudolf Ford; after a time, her son was renamed Gerald Rudolph (an Americanized version of the stepfather's middle name) Ford. As a youngster, he excelled at athletics and even had the possibility of a pro football career. However, he chose law school and, shortly after that, electoral politics. He saw action in World War II.

When he was elected to the House of Representatives 1948, he began to formulate the ambition to become Speaker of the House. His chosen career was in the legislature. The book does a nice job profiling his rise in the House, with carefully crafted advancement through the ranks; it also depicts the start of a long-time friendship between Ford and Richard Nixon.

When Ford finally became Minority Leader in the House, he used his conciliatory approach well. As Brinkley says (Page 31), ". . .he played the good coach, giving his squad wide latitude to speak their minds. In exchange, he wanted no bickering. Ford's open forum proved smart strategy." Some tho9ught him rather slow of thought, but his amiability and ability to work with others represented a great strength.

When Nixon was elected President, he tended not to work so well with Congress--including his own Republican mates. Ford did not distinguish himself with his unabating support for Nixon after Watergate became a public matter; after former Attorney General John Mitchell reported that the White House was not involved, Ford clung to that long after so many others had seen through the falsehoods.

Then, the unlikely story of his rise to Vice-President and his subsequent ascension to the presidency after Nixon's downfall. The book does a nice job in a brief space noting the major decisions/actions of the Ford Administration, some working out well and some not so well. Here, we read about Whip Inflation Now, swine flu, the withdrawal from Viet Nam, the Mayaguez incident, the Helsinki Accords, and so on. The internecine Republic nomination politics of 1976 essentially doomed him to lose to Jimmy Carter. Then, the amazing life after the presidency and people's changing reflections on his accomplishments. . . .

Another well turned work in the American Presidents series. These short volumes cannot go into the depth that I would sometimes like, but the tradeoff is accessible books for people who might not have the patience to wade through a 600 page tome.

When he was sworn in as vice president on December 6, 1973, Gerald Ford said in his acceptance speech to the nation: "I am a Ford, not a Lincoln. But I am definitely not a Model T." This homespun, self-effacing comment became the hallmark of Ford's presidency. Eight months after becoming vice president, on August 9. 1974, Ford became the 38th president of the United States when Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace as a result of Watergate. Ford became to first and the only person to serve as vice president and as president without being elected in his own right.

One month after becoming president, on September 8, 1974, Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed as president. The pardon provoked an outcry at the time, and many believed that a form of "corrupt bargain" had been involved. The pardon probably cost Ford the election in 1976. Many years after the fact, a consensus developed that by putting Watergate and its corruption behind the nation at a critical moment, Ford had acted correctly and courageously and done the United States a service. For example, in 2001, Ford received the Profile in Courage award from the John F, Kennedy Foundation. Senator Ted Kennedy, who presented Ford the award, had been one of the most vociferous of the critics of the pardon.

Historian David Brinkley tells the story of Ford in his 2007 short biography which is part of the American Presidents series edited by Arthur Schliesinger Jr. and Sean Wilentz. I find these little books give an invaluable overview of our presidents and of American history and encourage reflection upon the nature of leadership. I tend to favor the histories of the earlier presidents because a sense of distance helps maintain objectivity. But I was moved deeply by Brinkley's account of Ford for many reasons, not the least of which was that I lived through his presidency as a grown adult in Washington, D.C.

When the then-new vice president described himself as "a Ford", there was a hidden irony as Gerald Ford (1913 -- 2006) was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. and became known as Gerald Ford in 1917 following his mother's divorce and subsequent marriage to a man of that name. Ford's family struggled during the Depression. Ford played football at the University of Michigan, graduated from Yale Law School and was first elected to the House of Representatives from Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1948. He rose in the ranks through his hard work, ideological moderation, spirit of camaraderie, and ambition. Ford yearned to become the Speaker of the House, a goal that eluded him.

When Spiro Agnew resigned the vice presidency in disgrace, Nixon selected the well-respected Ford to replace him, and Congress quickly confirmed the choice. As Brinkley's book shows, Nixon and Ford had been great friends since 1949. Ford assumed the presidency over a nation in near disarray with Watergate, double-digit inflation and Vietnam. It was a dauntingly difficult situation, probably matched only by the presidencies of Washington, Lincoln, and F.D.R. At first, the pardon of Nixon did not appear to help matters.

Brinkley's history emphasizes Ford's integrity, common sense, unassuming character, and generally good judgment. He defends the wisdom of Ford's decision to pardon Nixon, a view which has found widespread agreement. He also points to Ford's accomplishments in ending the Vietnam War at last, reducing inflation, and negotiating the Helsinki Accords in 1975 which would eventually be important in the fall of communism. Ford named John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court. He survived two assassination attempts. Ford was an ideological moderate who steered a course between the far right of his own party and the liberal left wing of the Democratic party that, together with Watergate, had threatened to polarize the nation. Most importantly, in his unpretentious way, Ford restored the faith of many Americans in their government and institutions and in the basics of American democracy. During his long life as elder statesman following his presidency, Ford received substantial if belated credit for his accomplishments.

Lacking in charisma, Gerald Ford was an unlikely leader for a perilous time. He acquitted himself and served the country well. Brinkley's book is an outstanding addition to the American president's series and a fine short study of our 38th president.

Robin Friedman

Here is a guy who should have been President for eight years, not the 2 1/2 he served. He was a decent fellow, who worked hard, played it straight, and told the American people what they didn't want to hear. The people turned their back on him, and elected an ideologue for their next President. They didn't get what they wanted from him either. However, as time as rolled on, people now appreciate Ford for who he was. Ford may have not been a great President, but I think the country realizes the importance of having someone like him leading the nation.

Brinkley has a nice little biography of Jerry Ford. It was composed when Ford was still alive, and Brinkley interviewed him for the book. The subject of Jerry Ford is very appealing, especially in these politically contentious times. Jerry Ford was respected by both parties. We need figures like Jerry Ford to lead our nation.

The American Presidents Series does a great job of presenting the highlights of each presidents life in a relatively short read. This one goes further as it accurately reflects the honesty, loyalty and objectivity of Gerald Ford. In addition to being a diplomat and chief executive, he was an athlete and all around "good guy". This book is easy to read and truly honors this son of Michigan.

This is a good book. It makes you realize that Ford was really a hard working, intelligent, well qualified person at the time that he was selected to be Vice President. It also brings to life, the 70's. As the country gets ready to celebrate another birthday, we can also celebrate the persons who have been willing to get involved in service to their country.

I have read a few of the books in this series and I think this is one of the better ones. The American Presidents Series is, by design, made up of concise bibliographies of the presidents. This one follows the same format but manages to do an excellent job of capturing the essence of President Ford. It highlights his squeaky-clean background as a Michigan Representative, his tireless work in the House as a die-hard but centrist Republican working to re-capture control of the House for Republicans, his danger-laden short stint as Richard Nixon's Vice President, his own transitional administration and finally, his rather low-key and long period of retirement. Throughout the whole narrative, a couple of key attributes shine through. First is Ford's well-known penchant for honesty and integrity. Others are his dedication to being even-keeled and always trying to find the best in people and his moderate positions that sometimes ran at odds with the growing extreme-right elements of the party that eventually gained precedence. This book does not whitewash the controversial aspects of Ford's presidency such as his support of Nixon until the end, his pardon of Nixon, his participation in the Helsinki Accords, his legendary gaffe in the 1976 presidential debates and other somewhat unpopular positions and actions. However, the author does conclude that in the end, most Americans came around to believing Ford was the right man for the job at the time he became president and that his decisions to pardon Nixon, end the Vietnam War and participate in the Helsinki Accords were, in retrospect what the country need to move ahead. I highly recommend this book. President Ford is probably one of the lesser known President of the last 40 years, partly because he was neither highly charismatic nor highly controversial. This biography of his life will most certainly add some perspective for those who haven't read much about him or who might not have lived through his presidency.

The American Presidents Series is a wonderful way to learn about each of the presidents in little time. This bio is very timely after the death of Ford. Brinkley is a great writer and brings the life of Ford to the readers in a flowing narrative. Brinkley also shows what a nice, honest, great man Ford was, as well as shows how Ford's accomplishments are being viewed in a different and better light later in history. Highly recommended

Moves like a novel. Very wasy to read. Story told in an interesting way. Text could have one a little more in-depth as the book was rather short.