Dorothy Ayer Gardner Ford

Dorothy Ayer Gardner Ford
Dorothy Ayer Gardner King (at the time Dorothy Ayer Gardner) in 1912.
Born	Dorothy Ayer Gardner (1892-02-27)February 27, 1892 Harvard, Illinois, U.S.
Died	September 17, 1967(1967-09-17) (aged 75) Grand Rapids, Michigan
Spouse(s)	Leslie Lynch King, Sr. (1912-1913, separated) Gerald Rudolff Ford (1917-1962, his death)
Children	Gerald Ford Thomas Gardner Ford Richard Addison Ford James Francis Ford
Parent(s)	Levi Addison Gardner Adele Augusta "Ayer" Gardner
Relatives	Michael Gerald Ford (grandson) Steven Ford (grandson) John Gardner Ford (grandson) Susan Ford Bales (granddaughter) Betty Ford (daughter-in-law)

Dorothy Ayer Gardner King Ford (February 27, 1892 – September 17, 1967) was the mother of U.S. President Gerald Ford.

Early life and marriage

Dorothy Ayer Gardner as a child.

Dorothy Ayer Gardner was born in the small town of Harvard, Illinois to Levi Addison Gardner, a businessman and one-time mayor, and Adele Augusta (Ayer) Gardner.

There she married her first husband, wool trader Leslie Lynch King of Omaha, Nebraska, on September 7, 1912. She had met him while she was in college, as he was the charming brother of her roommate.^[1]

The couple returned to Omaha, King's home. They lived at first with his parents at their Victorian mansion at 3202 Woolworth Avenue. His parents were wealthy banker and businessman Charles Henry King and the former Martha Alicia Porter, both from Fayette County, Pennsylvania.^[1][2]

Dorothy and Leslie King's son was born on July 14, 1913. They named him Leslie Lynch King, Jr. Soon after her marriage, Dorothy had discovered that her husband was abusive. In Omaha she further discovered he was a liar and alcoholic, but she was soon pregnant. With the support of his parents, she stayed with them and her husband until the birth of their son. After Leslie threatened her and the child with a knife a few days after the birth, Gardner King completed her plans to leave her husband.^[3]

Separation and divorce

Sixteen days after the birth of her son, Dorothy Gardner King left her husband. Divorce was unusual then, but she refused to continue to risk her son's safety or her own. She took Leslie, Jr. with her to the Oak Park, Illinois home of her sister Tannisse and her husband, Clarence Haskins James. From there she moved to the home of her parents, who had relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan. That was where her son grew up.^[2]

Dorothy Gardner King quickly filed for formal separation and divorce. On December 19, 1913, an Omaha court granted a divorce to the Kings. Leslie King refused to pay child support. His father Charles Henry King paid it until shortly before his death in 1930.^[4]

Second marriage and family

Three years later, Dorothy married Grand Rapids businessman Gerald Rudolff Ford on February 1, 1917. Then they called her first son Gerald Rudolff Ford, Jr., although he was not formally adopted by Ford. Gerald Ford, Jr. formally changed his name in 1935, in honor of his stepfather, the only father he really had. At the time, Ford adopted a more conventional spelling of his middle name. Later Ford recounted that his mother insisted he learn to control his temper, one he seemed to have inherited from his biological father.^[3]

Dorothy Ford bore three sons during her second marriage: Thomas Gardner Ford (July 15, 1918 - August 28, 1995), Richard Addison Ford (June 3, 1924 - March 20, 2015), and James Francis Ford (August 11, 1927 - January 23, 2001).^[5] All her children grew up with a rich relationship both with her parents, and with her husband and his family.

She and Gerald Ford, Sr. were buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Grand Rapids.

External links

• Dorothy Ayer Gardner Ford at Find A Grave

References

1. 1 2 Excerpted from an essay by James R. Cannon, "Character Above All: Gerald Ford", PBS Newshour, accessed 25 Jul 2008
2. 1 2 Gerald R. Ford Genealogical Information - University of Texas
3. 1 2 Excerpted from an essay by James R. Cannon, "Character Above All: Gerald Ford", PBS Newshour
4. ↑ Jeff C. Young, The Fathers of American Presidents, 1997 ISBN 0-7864-0182-6
5. ↑ Gerald R. Ford Library, "Gerald Ford Genealogy", University of Texas

Gerald R. Ford
38th President of the United States (1974–1977) 40th Vice President of the United States (1973–1974) U.S. Representative for MI-5 (1949–1973)
Presidency (timeline)	Inauguration Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974 Education for All Handicapped Children Act Vladivostok Summit Meeting on Arms Control Helsinki Accords National Security Study Memorandum 200 Nixon pardon Whip inflation now Wilson desk Assassination attempts (Sacramento San Francisco) State of the Union Addresses (1975 1976) Cabinet Federal judiciary appointments Supreme Court candidates controversies
Life	Early life Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens President Gerald R. Ford Jr. Boyhood Home Gerald R. Ford Jr. House Warren Commission AEI World Forum Death and state funeral Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Elections	United States House of Representatives elections, 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 Republican Party presidential primaries, 1976 1980 Republican National Convention, 1976 1980 United States presidential election, 1976
Legacy	Gerald R. Ford International Airport Gerald R. Ford Award Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Ford House Office Building USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) Gerald R. Ford Freeway U.S. Postage stamps
Family	Betty Ford (spouse Betty Ford Center) Michael Gerald Ford (son) John Gardner Ford (son) Steven Meigs Ford (son) Susan Ford Bales (daughter) Dorothy Gardner Ford (mother) Gerald Rudolff Ford (stepfather) Leslie Lynch King Sr. (biological father) Thomas Gardner Ford (maternal half-brother) Charles Henry King (paternal grandfather) Liberty (family dog)
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