Betty Ford

Overcoming Adversity

Elizabeth Ann Bloomer Warren Ford (1918 - 2011), better known as Betty Ford, was First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977. Her husband, Gerald R. Ford, was the 37th President of the United States. As First Lady, Mrs. Ford was active in social policy and shattered precedents as a politically active presidential wife. She was noted for raising breast cancer awareness following her 1974 mastectomy and was a passionate supporter of, and activist for, the Equal Rights Amendment. Pro-choice on abortion and a leader in the Women's Movement, she gained fame as one of the most candid First Ladies in history, commenting on every hot-button issue of her time, including feminism, equal pay, ERA, sex, drugs, abortion, and gun control. Mrs. Ford also raised awareness of addiction when she announced her long-running battle with alcoholism in the 1970s. She founded the world-renowned Betty Ford Center for the treatment of alcoholism and chemical addiction. Mrs. Ford was the recipient of the USO "Woman of the Year" Award, the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities Award, the Hubert Humphrey Award from the American Cancer Society, the National Arthritis Foundation Award for distinguished volunteer service, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Betty Ford addressed the student delegates at the 1985 Achievement Summit in Denver, Colorado on the three phases of her life: youth, marriage, and her recovery from alcoholism and drug dependency.