the United States. He was not elected to
office. President Richard M. Nixon
appointed him vice president in 1973.
Ford became president in 1974 after
Nixon resigned over the scandal known
asWatergate.
Early Life and Career
Originally named Leslie Lynch King,
Jr., Gerald Ford was born on July 14,
1913, in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents
July 14, August 8, September December 26,
1913 1948 1973 1974 1974 1976 2006
Ford is born in
Omaha,
Nebraska.
Ford is elected
to the U.S.
House of
Representatives.
President
Richard Nixon
appoints Ford
as his new vice
president after
Agnew resigns.
Nixon resigns
and Ford
becomes
president.
Ford pardons
Nixon.
Ford loses the
presidential
election to
Jimmy Carter.
Ford dies in
California.
T I M E L I N E
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Ford, Gerald R. 51
divorced soon after his birth. His
mother, Dorothy Gardner King, moved
to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and
married Gerald Rudolph Ford. The
elder Ford adopted the boy and gave
him his name. The younger Ford
attended the University of Michigan,
where he was a star football player. In
1941 he earned a law degree from Yale
University.
Ford joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and
served inWorldWar II. After the war he
returned to practicing law. In 1948 Ford
married Elizabeth Anne Bloomer. They
had four children.
Congress and Vice Presidency
A Republican, Ford was elected to the
U.S. Congress in 1948. He served in the
House of Representatives for 25 years.
In 1973 Vice President Spiro T. Agnew
resigned after being charged with not
paying taxes and other crimes. President
Nixon named the popular and honest
Ford as Agnew’s replacement.
Presidency
After Nixon resigned in 1974, Ford was
sworn in as president. Ford granted
Nixon a full pardon for any crimes that
he might have committed as president.
The pardon angered many people.
Many also opposed Ford’s pardons of
men who had avoided military service
during the VietnamWar.
Ford tried to stop rising prices and
unemployment, but he could do little to
help the poor economy. Twice in September
1975 people tried to assassinate
him. Secret Service agents stopped one
shooter; the other shooter missed.
Defeat and Retirement
By the 1976 election many voters
viewed Ford as a weak president. He lost
to Democrat Jimmy Carter. In 1980
Ronald Reagan asked Ford to run as his
vice president, but Ford chose to retire
to private life. Ford died on December
26, 2006, in Rancho Mirage, California.
..More to explore
Carter, Jimmy • Nixon, Richard M.
• United States • VietnamWar
Forest
A large area filled with many trees is
called a forest. Forests grow in almost
every part of the world. The only places
bare of forests are deserts, some prairies
Gerald R. Ford
52 Forest BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
and mountaintops, and the North and
South poles.
Types of Forest
Two basic types of tree make up most
forests: hardwoods and softwoods. Many
forests contain either hardwoods or softwoods,
but some forests have both types.
Maples and oaks are examples of hardwood
trees. Hardwoods have wide leaves
and grow fruits. They are often deciduous,
meaning they drop their leaves
every fall. However, some hardwoods,
such as mahogany trees, keep their leaves
all year. Hardwood forests grow in places
with temperate (mild) or tropical (hot)
weather.
Pines and redwoods are examples of
softwood trees. Softwoods have cones
and needles rather than fruits and wide
leaves. Softwoods do not lose their
needles each year. Many softwoods are
known as evergreens because their
needles remain green year-round. Softwood
forests often grow near mountains
and in cool regions.
Thick forests that grow in wet parts of
the world are called rain forests. Rain
forests may contain hardwoods, softwoods,
or both.
Life in the Forest
Every forest is a complex living system
made up of thickly growing trees,
bushes, vines, fungi, and other plants.
Forests are also the homes of mammals,
birds, insects, and many other animals.
These living things all depend on each
other to survive.
As a forest ages or changes, it affects all
the living things in it. Diseases or insect
attacks may weaken its trees and plants.
Fire can destroy the food and shelter
that animals need to survive. Humans
can also endanger forest plants and animals
by chopping down too many trees.
After a forest changes, it may have a new
set of plants and animals.
Forest Products
Many important natural resources come
from the world’s forests. Forests provide
food, wood, fuel, natural fibers, and
other materials. These resources may be
made into furniture, shelter, paper,
clothing, medicines, and many other
products.
To save natural forests people sometimes
plant tree farms. As workers cut down
the trees grown on these farms, they
plant new trees to replace them.
Tropical rain
forests may
have trees that
are more than
150 feet (45
meters) tall.
Forests are home to many plants besides
trees.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Forest 53
Other Benefits of Forests
Forests are known as the lungs of the
planet. This is because they supply a
huge amount of Earth’s oxygen, which
animals need to breathe. The trees of a
forest give off oxygen as part of a process
