In 25 years of political life, Betty Bloomer Ford did not expect to become First
Lady. As wife of Representative Gerald R. Ford, she looked forward to his
retirement and more time together. In late 1973 his selection as Vice President
was a surprise to her. She was just becoming accustomed to their new roles when
he became President upon Mr. Nixon's resignation in August 1974.

Born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer in Chicago, she grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
and graduated from high school there. She studied modern dance at Bennington
College in Vermont, decided to make it a career, and became a member of Martha
Graham's noted concert group in New York City, supporting herself as a fashion
model for the John Robert Powers firm.

Close ties with her family and her home town took her back to Grand Rapids,
where she became fashion coordinator for a department store. She also organized
her own dance group and taught dance to handicapped children.

Her first marriage, at age 24, ended in divorce five years later on the grounds
of incompatibility. Not long afterward she began dating Jerry Ford, football
hero, graduate of the University of Michigan and Yale Law School, and soon a
candidate for Congress. They were married during the 1948 campaign; he won his
election; and the Fords lived in the Washington area for nearly three decades
thereafter.

Their four children--Michael, Jack, Steven, and Susan--were born in the next
ten years. As her husband's political career became more demanding, Betty Ford
found herself shouldering many of the family responsibilities. She supervised
the home, did the cooking, undertook volunteer work, and took part in the
activities of "House wives" and "Senate wives" for Congressional and Republican
clubs. In addition, she was an effective campaigner for her husband.

Betty Ford faced her new life as First Lady with dignity and serenity. She
accepted it as a challenge. "I like challenges very much," she said. She had the
self-confidence to express herself with humor and forthrightness whether
speaking to friends or to the public. Forced to undergo radical surgery for
breast cancer in 1974, she reassured many troubled women by discussing her
ordeal openly. She explained that "maybe if I as First Lady could talk about it
candidly and without embarrassment, many other people would be able to as well."
As soon as possible, she resumed her duties as hostess at the Executive Mansion
and her role as a public-spirited citizen. She did not hesitate to state her
views on controversial issues such as the Equal Rights Amendment, which she
strongly supported.

From their home in California, she was equally frank about her successful
battle against dependency on drugs and alcohol. She helped establish the Betty
Ford Center for treatment of this problem at the Eisenhower Medical Center in
Rancho Mirage.

She has described the role of First Lady as "much more than a 24-hour job than
anyone would guess" and says of her predecessors: "Now that I realize what
they've had to put up with, I have new respect and admiration for every one of
them."