Betty ford spoke her mind. Prochoice and a supporter of the equal rights amendment, she and president gerald ford openly discussed her experience with Breast Cancer. For much of her familys public life, she struggled with drug and alcohol dependency, and confronting it defined her postwhite house years. Good evening and welcome to cspans series first ladies influence and image. Tonight well tell you the story of elizabeth ford, the wife of gerald ford. Here for the next 90 minutes to tell her story is Richard Norton smith, president ial historian. If youve been watching our series, you know him. Hes one of the academic advisers for the project. Hes launched a number of president ial libraries, among them the gerald r. Ford library in michigan. You developed a relationship with the fords. So, you bring that to the table as well. Sure, in interest of full disclosure, i try to be as objective as possible. But i was very fortunate to become friends with both of the fords. But we want to st
Canonized her, she was my wife. It is quite remarkable, despite the fact that she has not had a particularly positive people remember her as being dignified, they remember her as one devoted to her family. They remember her as one who might not have worn designer gowns, but she was blessed with Natural Beauty so she didnt need them, she was criticize. She shouldve considered why didnt she make speeches . That shows she didnt have a mind of her own. But she is smart. She knows you cant have to voices out of the white house. She had her ideas and she express them privately. Critics among the leaders of the past, they wouldnt understand, they wouldnt appreciate it all, she was self assured, selfconfident, she didnt have such a big ego that she had to go out and prove that she had her own right, to her what was important was the career of her husband. We hear a lot of criticism about the president , the former president that much have went, in an friendly media. Thats not surprising, thats
Test test test well, the Nixon Administration made a big effort with regard to hiring more women into the federal service. Barbara franklin was the point person for this and it was a Real Initiative on the part of the Nixon Administration. Did this come from pat nixon . We dont know. We know that julie played a role working with barbara franklin. Theres no doubt that pat nixon was supportive but i dont know, perhaps you found evidence that she was the one who was pushing this. We do know that she was very disappointed in october of 1971. President nixon had two open seats on the supreme court. She really hoped that one of them would go to a woman. When that didnt happen, she let president nixon know in a private family dinner that julie writes about. She really let him know that she was not happy. And then didnt speak to him for a while, which was kind of her way of letting him stew on things and getting back at him and because she was very she thought she had a promise from him that h
I say dont come out too often. This is unusual for me. I do want to thank all of you for your friendship and your loyal support and for planning this wonderful evening for me. I shall remember it always and thanks to the young people for this great pat nixon, first republican first lady to address a national convention, miami, 1972. She went interest a hard background to the white house. She traveled more widely than anybody before her, made volunteerism her issue and was chief supporter and behind the scenes political adviser to her husband president Richard Nixon. Good evening and welcome to cspan series first ladies influence and image. Tonight well tell you the story of pat nixon. Though her time in the white house was really eclipsed by her husbands resignation from office in the wake of watergate, so were going to tell more about her record and learn more about her life before the white house, what she did while she was there, and her legacy. Here are our two guests to tell her s
So this is quite unusual for me but i did want to thank all of you for your friendship and your loyal support and for this wonderful evening for me. I shall remember it always. And thanks to the young people for this great welcome. Pat nixon, the first republican first lady to address a national convention, miami, 1972. She went from a hardscrabble background to the white house. As first lady, she traveled more widely than any before her, made volunteerisms her issue, and was a chief supporter and behindthescenes political adviser to her husband, president Richard Nixon. Good evening, and welcome to cspans series first ladies influence and image. Tonight, well tell you the story of pat nixon, although her time in the white house was really eclipsed by her husbands resignation from office in the wake of watergate. So were going to tell more about her record and learn more about her life before the white house, what she did while she was there, and her legacy. Here are our two guests to