Gerald Ford was the last of a dying breed, a species that seems as unreal to many progressives today as a unicorn: an honorable, centrist Republican President.

Ford was famously our only wholly unelected President, having replaced the disgraced Spiro T. Agnew as Vice-President and then ascending to the Presidency upon Richard Nixon’s resignation. Ford then made the tough decision to pardon Richard Nixon; a move for which he was chastised at the time, but praised by historians later for putting the ugly Watergate chapter of history behind America. This may have contributed to the Republicans’ landslide defeat in the 1974 midterms, as well as Gerald Ford’s only loss in 1976. Yet the essential decency of Ford’s character always shone through; despite the hostile political climate, Gerald Ford was nearly elected in his own right in 1976. Had the election been held a few weeks later, Ford’s momentum probably would have carried him to victory over Jimmy Carter. A few thousand votes switched in Ohio would have elected Ford, and he was certainly not helped by the New York Daily News’ famous headline after failing to bailout the city; “Ford to City: Drop Dead.”

Gerald Ford’s narrow victory over a right-wing challenge from Ronald Reagan in the 1976 primaries was a harbinger of the direction the Republican Party would take. Gerald Ford was the last Republican President to come from the ranks of the entrepreneurial, small-town Midwest, and was the kind of man who dominated the Republican Party from the beginning of the twentieth century through the Goldwater Revolution. Ford was a committed internationalist as well as an anti-Communist, in favor of civil rights and civil liberties, and a small government, but not one so minute as to be cruel and ineffective. Ford’s Vice-President, Nelson Rockefeller, exemplified the fundamentally liberal Republican elite that would soon become obsolete in American politics. The Republican Party instead came to speak with a Southern accent, dominated by theocrats and overwhelming corporate power. Gerald Ford remained proudly pro-choice until the end in a party where such views had become unfashionable and Ford would not apologize for appointing John Paul Stevens to the Supreme Court, a man savaged by most of today’s conservatives as a “liberal activist.”

President Ford’s record as president in domestic and foreign policy was mixed at best, but it is a tragedy that today’s Republican Party is more a Party of Bush than a Party of Ford.

TIME.com:

He was not only an accidental President but a famously and endearingly accident-prone one as well. Fate evidently had elaborate designs on Gerald Rudolph Ford and fulfilled them on the world’s stage in a dazzling combination of high pomp and low slapstick.

He was the nation’s first appointed Vice President, chosen in October 1973 by President Richard Nixon under the terms of the recently ratified 25th Amendment to succeed the disgraced Spiro Agnew. Less than a year later, on Aug. 9, 1974, Nixon resigned rather than face a Senate trial on three articles of impeachment passed by the House of Representatives, and Ford took the oath to be the 38th President of the U.S.

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Will Bunch at the Philadelphia Inquirer did an interesting piece on President Gerald Ford’s connection to the city of Philadelphia.

My favorite line:

A lot happened to Ford and to his nation in those six decades. But though the flat-talking Midwesterner must have seemed like a slice of white bread in the provolone-and-onion-spiced world of Philly politics, this city still played a pivotal role in his career and his brief presidency.

Read the rest of this article.

I’ll update this post as more statements come in on the passing of America’s 38th President.

Betty Ford on the passing of her husband, President Gerald Ford:

My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather has passed away at 93 years of age. His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country.

President Bush on the passing of President Ford:

Laura and I are greatly saddened by the passing of former President Gerald R. Ford. President Ford was a great American who gave many years of dedicated service to our country. On August 9, 1974, after a long career in the House of Representatives and service as Vice President, he assumed the Presidency in an hour of national turmoil and division. With his quiet integrity, common sense, and kind instincts, President Ford helped heal our land and restore public confidence in the Presidency. The American people will always admire Gerald Ford’s devotion to duty, his personal character, and the honorable conduct of his administration. We mourn the loss of such a leader, and our 38th President will always have a special place in our Nation’s memory. On behalf of all Americans, Laura and I offer our deepest sympathies to Betty Ford and all of President Ford’s family. Our thoughts and prayers will be with them in the hours and days ahead.

Nancy Reagan on the passing of President Ford:

I was deeply saddened this evening when I heard of Jerry Ford’s death. Ronnie and I always considered him a dear friend and close political ally. His accomplishments and devotion to our country are vast, and even long after he left the Presidency he made it a point to speak out on issues important to us all. I know that his early support of stem cell research has been important in getting the U.S. Congress to debate the potential lifesaving cures and treatments that may result. I know the days ahead will be very difficult for Betty and my love and deepest sympathy go out to her and the entire Ford family.

President Clinton on the passing of President Ford:

Gerald Ford brought Americans together during a difficult chapter in our history with strength, integrity, and humility. All Americans should be grateful for his life of service; he served our nation well. To his great credit, he was the same hard-working, down-to-earth person the day he left the White House as he was when he first entered Congress almost 30 years earlier. We were honored to know President Ford. We are saddened by his death, and our prayers are with Betty and the entire Ford family.