Gerald Rudolff Ford

Gerald Rudolff Ford was born on December 9, 1890, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His parents were George R. Ford and Frances (née Pixley). In 1903, Ford's father died in a train accident, leading him to leave school to support his family. At age 19, Ford was working as a paint salesman at the Grand Rapids Wood Finishing Company. In 1913, Dorothy Ayer Gardner King arrived in Michigan after fleeing Omaha, Nebraska, following domestic abuse by her husband, Leslie Lynch King Sr., the biological father of her son, Gerald Ford.

Dorothy was the daughter of Levi Addison Gardner and Adele Augusta Ayer Gardner. She divorced Leslie Lynch King Sr. in 1916, and she married Gerald Ford's stepfather, Gerald Rudolff Ford, on February 1, 1917. Following the marriage, Dorothy's son was called "Gerald," and he later legally changed his name to Gerald Rudolph Ford in 1935. Gerald Ford and Dorothy had three children: Thomas Gardner Ford (born July 15, 1918; died August 28, 1995), Richard Addison Ford (June 3, 1924 – March 20, 2015), and James Francis Ford (August 11, 1927 – January 23, 2001).

The elder Ford established the Ford Paint and Varnish Company in 1929 prior to the onset of the Great Depression. During the economic downturn, he requested his employees to work for $5 per week and maintained the same salary for himself until all employees could be paid more. Gerald Ford was enrolled in the Grand Rapids school system under the name of his stepfather. In 1929 or 1930, Leslie Lynch King Sr. reappeared and searched for his son, inquiring for a "Junior Ford," but declined an offer to move to Wyoming with his biological father.

Leslie Lynch King Sr. had been paying child support until 1929 when the stock market crash eradicated his fortune. After his father’s death, Dorothy Ford sought to claim part of Leslie’s inheritance, but legal complications arose because Leslie had moved out of jurisdiction. Leslie Lynch King Sr. did not legally adopt Gerald Ford. In 1935, after the deaths of Leslie’s grandparents, Ford changed his name from Gerald Rudolph Ford to Gerald R. Ford, adopting the surname of his stepfather.

Gerald Ford’s early career included involvement in community activities and business. His father participated in founding the Youth Commonwealth organization, aimed at assisting disadvantaged youth, and served as director of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. From 1944 to 1948, Gerald Ford's stepfather was chairman of the Kent County Republican Committee. The elder Ford was also active with his four sons in the Boy Scouts of America, an organization in which Gerald Ford became the first Eagle Scout to rise to the positions of Vice President and President of the United States. He regarded the Eagle Scout achievement as one of his proudest accomplishments.

Gerald Ford was known to speak highly of his stepfather, describing him as the father he believed was his true father, someone he loved, learned from, and respected. Gerald Ford died in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on January 26, 1962. He and his wife are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids.