So Nixon's successor and the longest lived US President in history has died at the age of 93. Just about thirty four years to the day after the death of another long-lived US President, Harry Truman.Whilst he was not the most popular US President (the only man never elected to either the Vice Presidency and the Presidency, having held both offices), Gerald Ford was liked as a person and well respected as an elder statesman. His wife founded the Betty Ford clinic.
Whilst many disagreed with his pardoning of Nixon (and it may have cost Ford the 1976 election), I think he did the right thing in so far as the office of Presidency was not tainted further and that Nixon had already been punished enough and was probably suffering from a mental breakdown during his last year in office. To move further against him may well have been an act of vindictive revenge in some people's eyes and not justice.
3 comments:
"the only man never elected to either the Vice Presidency and the Presidency"
Ford's own VP, Nelson Rockefeller, was also "never elected" to the Vice Presidency. One could also make a case for John Quincy Adams - in 1824 the electoral college did not produce a clear winner and so the House of Representives voted for Adams in a run-off. Andrew Jackson (who had the largest number of both popular and electoral votes) was not amused and so founded the Democratic Party!
And I forgot to put that John Quincy Adams was President, not Vice President. (JQA's VP, John C. Calhoun, did however secure a majority in the college in 1824, mainly because no-one else wanted the job.)
Richard Jackson, VP 1837-1841, is the only other case of no-one getting a majority in the college due to Virginia Democrat electors refusing to vote for him. (I think because of stories he had a black wife.) However the Senate voted for him in a run-off.
Tim, apologies I should have clarified and said "both" as opposed to "either"
Although, not for the first time, I am impressed with your knowledge of VP's
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