PRESIDENT GERALD R. FORD - AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED 12/18 - HFSID 253666

GERALD R. FORD
Former President and First Lady send holiday greetings to a former worker.
Rare Autograph Letter Signed: "Gerald R. Ford", 1p, 6½x8½. No place, but accompanying envelope printed Rancho Mirage, California, no year, December 18. Fine condition. To Trey. In full: "Mrs. Ford and I extend to you our very best wishes for a fine Holiday Season. We have good memories when you worked with us. Those were enjoyable days. You have our prayers and best regards." Fine condition. The printed franked envelope is addressed by typewriter to Tray Bumpus, Newberg, Indiana. Ford is the only U.S. President and Vice President never to be elected to either office. Note: there are two different spellings of the recipient's first name. We don't know which is correct. On August 9, 1974, Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006) was sworn in as the nation's 38th President following the resignation of Richard Nixon. Ford had previously served as Nixon's Vice President (December 6, 1973-August 9, 1974) following the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew, becoming the only man to have held both of the nation's highest offices without being elected to either. Ford, who was previously a U.S. Congressman from Michigan (1949-1973; Minority Leader, 1965-1973), lost his bid for election to a full four-year term partially as a result of his controversial pardon of his predecessor. Ford, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999, celebrated his 93rd birthday on July 14, 2006. Before his death on December 26, 2006, Ford had surpassed Ronald Reagan (who also lived to age 93) as the longest-lived former U.S. President. Handwritten letters of modern Presidents are rare. Two items.