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An Ordinary Man: The Surprising Life and Historic Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

byRichard Norton Smith

Richard Norton Smith presents Gerald Ford as more than the unelected caretaker who followed Watergate. The biography follows his Michigan childhood, wartime service, congressional career, House leadership, vice presidency, pardon of Richard Nixon, and efforts to restore trust during economic and geopolitical turmoil. Ford's decency and institutional loyalty coexist with consequential decisions and political misjudgments. Smith argues that this apparently ordinary man helped move the country from postwar liberal consensus toward a more conservative era, while demonstrating how personal character can steady government even when it cannot guarantee electoral success.

Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers

Publication date

2023

Format

Print edition

Pages

—

ISBN

9780062684165