Gerald Ford built his political career in the House of Representatives before becoming vice president and president through constitutional succession. Following wartime naval service in the Pacific, he won election from Michigan in 1948 and entered Congress in 1949. He developed expertise in appropriations and defence matters, served on the Warren Commission investigating President Kennedy's assassination and became House Republican leader in 1965.

When Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973, Richard Nixon nominated Ford under the Twenty-Fifth Amendment. Confirmation by both houses of Congress made him vice president without a national election. Nixon's resignation amid Watergate then brought Ford to the presidency on 9 August 1974. Restoring public confidence in government became a central task, but his decision to pardon Nixon the following month immediately provoked controversy.

Ford argued that further proceedings against Nixon would prolong national division. Critics suspected an agreement, which Ford denied. He subsequently appeared before a congressional subcommittee to explain his decision. The episode cost him public support.

His domestic agenda confronted inflation, recession and unemployment. An appeal for voluntary restraint through the Whip Inflation Now campaign gave way to tax and spending measures as the downturn deepened. He frequently disputed economic policy with a Democratic Congress. Abroad, he continued negotiations with the Soviet Union and signed the Helsinki Final Act in 1975, linking European security arrangements with commitments that included human rights.

The collapse of South Vietnam in 1975 marked the end of American involvement in that country's war and required urgent evacuation efforts. Ford also faced challenges within his party, defeating Ronald Reagan for the Republican presidential nomination in 1976 before narrowly losing the election to Jimmy Carter.