PRESIDENT GERALD R. FORD - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 10/29/1970 - HFSID 30783

GERALD R. FORD
Gerald R. Ford sends a typed letter of thanks for working on giving underprivileged children a better Christmas.
Typed Letter Signed: "Jerry Ford" as House Minority Leader, 1p, 5¼x8. Washington, D.C., 1970 October 29. To Mr. and Mrs. Carl Behnke, Grand Rapids, Michigan. In full: "While reading the Lowell Ledger I was very much impressed as I read about the preparations you have been making for the coming Christmas season. I think it is just great that you have chosen to devote your leisure time to converting the used toys of children in your neighborhood into useful gifts for crippled, underprivileged and retarded children. May I commend you on being the fine, generous people you are. Grand Rapids is fortunate to have you among its citizens. With warm regards," 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. Lightly creased and toned. Fine condition.