Former First Lady Betty Ford Dies at Age 93

by cexline | July 11, 2011 at 08:39 am

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Betty Ford, former first lady and creator of the Betty Ford Center in California, died on Friday at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage. She was 93 years old.

She was one of the most candid first ladies to ever reach the White House. Her moderate to liberal beliefs and opinions sparked controversy among Gerald Ford's advisers who were trying to calm down the nation after the Watergate scandal. However, to a Vietnam-wearied, scandal-scarred, rattled nation, Ford's openness was refreshing. Throughout her husband's term in office, she received high approval ratings.

For one of many reasons, Ford was well known for lobbying women's rights. Following her mastectomy in 1974, she was a supporter and activist for the Equal Rights Amendment. She was pro-choice on abortion and a leader in the Women's Rights Movement. She also raised awareness for addiction, following her long-term battle with alcoholism.

After leaving the White House, Ford continued to lobby for the ERA and remained an activist of women's rights and founded the Betty Ford Center, which had helped such celebrities as Johnny Cash, Elizabeth Taylor and Mary Tyler Moore. For her good deeds, she received the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Historian and Betty Ford biographer John Robert Greene said:

She was the most important first lady of the post-World War II period. Her influence on American society in general and American women in particular transcends even Eleanor Roosevelt as well as Hillary Clinton.

President Obama also noted on Friday:

We know that organizations such as the Betty Ford Center will honor her legacy by giving countless Americans a new lease on life. Today, we take comfort in the knowledge that Betty and her husband, former President Gerald Ford, are together once more.

The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday at Saint Margaret Episcopal Church in Palm Desert. The White House says first lady Michelle Obama will travel to California for the funeral. Ford's remains will be flown to Michigan on Wednesday and interment is scheduled for Thursday at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids.