PRESIDENT GERALD R. FORD - FIRST DAY COVER SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: FIRST LADY BETTY FORD - HFSID 35040

GERALD R. FORD and BETTY FORD
Gerald and Betty Ford sign a philatelic envelope honoring the Bicentennial of the American Revolution.
First Day Cover signed: "Gerald R. Ford" and "Betty Ford", 6½x3½. First Day Cover honoring the Bicentennial of the American Revolution, bearing 8-cent stamp, postmarked Washington, DC, July 4, 1971, FIRST DAY OF ISSUE. 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 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. He had married BETTY BLOOMER WARREN (1918-2011) on October 15, 1948 and the couple had four children. Mrs. Ford was known for her outspokenness on controversial topics, including her battle with breast cancer and her addictions to alcohol and drugs, which led to the establishment of the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California. In 1999, the couple was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Bill Clinton. Fine condition.