Gerald Ford's First White House

For ten days in 1974, this was the White House When Richard Nixon resigne following the Watergate Scandal, his Vice Gerald Ford, was sworn in as the countrys 38th President on August 9th, 1974, This happened so quickly the Nixons hadn't even had time to move their things out of the White House.

So in the meantime, and for the next ten days, the President and First Lady kept living in their colonial home in Alexandria, Virginia, where they'd raised their four children.

The morning after he was sworn in as President, his wife Betty recorded this in her memoir, “August 10th at 7 A.M., The President of the United States appears on his doorstep looking for the morning paper, then goes back inside to fix his orange juice and English muffin.” But making the Fords house safe enough to live in took a lot of work.

The Secret Service had to establish a “Command Post” in the garage of the house, and bulletproof glass was installed in the master bedroom.

They also had to reinforce the driveway with steel rods for the presidents motorcade.

“Our poor neighbors went through hell,” Ford said.

Finally, on August 19th, 1974, the Fords moved into the White House.

Betty Ford said later: For me, leaving the White House wasn't nearly so much of a wrench as leaving our house in Alexandria.

After we decide we weren't going to move back, I never went over there again.

I didn't want to.

I wanted to think of my new life, To look forward.

To learn more.

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