US Congress

Mel Laird

Mel Laird served with Gerald R. Ford in Congress for many years. Laird served as the Congressman from the 7th District from Wisconsin. He became Secretary of Defense under President Richard Nixon. President Ford awarded Laird the Medal of Freedom in 1974. After government service, he remained active and served on the board of directors of numerous corporations and not-for-profit organizations.

Gail Raiman

Gail Raiman was a staff member in Gerald R. Ford’s congressional office. She would later join his White House staff. Gail Raiman was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on May 6, 2011 by Richard Norton Smith.

Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State to President Gerald R. Ford. He also served in both positions for President Richard Nixon. In 1973, Dr. Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1977, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Ford. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Jack Marsh

Jack Marsh served with Gerald R. Ford in the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia from 1963 until 1971. President Nixon appointed him as Assistant Secretary of Defense in 1973. In 1974, he was selected to serve as National Security Advisor to then Vice President Ford and later served as Counselor to President Ford. From 1981 to 1989, he served as the U.S. Secretary of the Army under President Ronald Reagan. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

John Dingell

John Dingell served in Congress with Gerald R. Ford. Dingell was first elected to Congress in 1955 after his father, John Dingell, Sr. died after 22 years in office. Dingell, Jr. was elected to his first full term in 1956 and is the longest serving member of Congress in U.S. history.

Lee Hamilton

Lee Hamilton served with Gerald R. Ford in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented Indiana’s 9th District for 34 years. He served as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Intelligence Committee.

Leon Parma

Leon Parma was a close personal friend and advisor of President Gerald R. Ford and a frequent golfing companion of President Ford. The special friendship among President and Mrs. Ford and Leon and Barbara Parma spanned over forty years. He was an Honorary Pallbearer at President Ford’s State Funeral. Leon enjoyed a very successful career in a variety of businesses. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Max Friedersdorf

Max Friedersdorf was President Ford’s White House Assistant for Congressional Relations. He also served in the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Congressional Relations staff under President Nixon. Max then served as Federal Election Commission Chairman under President Carter. He also served as Ambassador to Bermuda and Switzerland in the Reagan administration.

Peter Abruzzese

Peter Abruzzese was a former neighbor of President and First Lady Betty Ford’s in Alexandria, Virginia. Abruzzese was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on July 8, 2009 by Richard Norton Smith.

Robert Griffin

Robert Griffin was the United States Solicitor General under President Gerald R. Ford and President Richard Nixon. He served as Acting Attorney General and was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by President Ronald Reagan. After leaving the bench, he became a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Tom Korologos

Tom Korologos served as Deputy Asistant for Legislative Affairs to President Gerald R. Ford and Richard Nixon. He served as Director of Congressional Relations for President Ronald Reagan’s transition and assisted both the Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations with various Senate confirmations. Korologos also served as Ambassador to Belgium under George W. Bush. He is the co-founder of Timmons and Company, a Washington consulting firm.

Vern Ehlers

Vern Ehlers served as Kent County Commissioner, then served in the Michigan legislature in both the House and Senate. He was elected to President Ford’s former Congressional seat and served from 1993 until 2011.

William Brock

William Brock served in Congress with President Gerald R. Ford. Brock is a former Congressman and Senator from Tennessee. He was Secretary of Labor and U.S. Trade Representative under President Ronald Reagan. Brock also served as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Don Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld served with Gerald R. Ford in the U.S. House of Representatives, as a four-term Congressman from Illinois. In the Nixon Administration, he served in the Office of Economic Opportunity, Counselor to the President, and as the United States Permanent Representative to NATO. President Ford appointed him as his White House Chief of Staff and later as Secretary of Defense. He also served as Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Bob Michel

Bob Michel was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956 representing Illinois’ 18th District. Michel later served as Minority Whip during much of President Ford’s time in office. He would go on to serve as House Minority Leader for 14 years.

Bob Hynes

Bob Hynes served as Minority Counsel to the Rules Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. When Gerald R. Ford was nominated as Vice President, Bob was a member of the team that handled the Congressional confirmation hearings. He later joined NBC’s Washington office where he served for twenty-one years, the last nine as NBC’s Vice President. Hynes is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Bob Dole

Bob Dole was President Gerald R. Ford’s vice presidential running mate for the 1976 election. Dole served 4 terms as a U.S. Congressman from Kansas prior to being elected U.S. Senator. Dole served as both Senate Minority and Majority Leader. In 1996, he ran unsuccessfully as the Republican Presidential Nominee against incumbent President Bill Clinton.

Bill Timmons

Bill Timmons was the Assistant for Legislative Affairs for both Presidents Gerald R. Ford and Richard Nixon. After leaving the White House he formed Timmons & Company, a lobbying and political consulting firm.

Bill Archer

Bill Archer served with Gerald R. Ford in Congress and served as the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee during the Ford Administration. Archer served in the House of Representatives from 1971 until he retired in 2001.

Alan Greenspan

Alan Greenspan was President Gerald R. Ford’s Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. Under President Ronald Reagan he was appointed Federal Reserve Chairman and served in that capacity from 1987 until 2006. He is an Honorary Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Cokie Roberts

Cokie Roberts has served as a long-time Washington, D.C. Senior Correspondent for both NPR and ABC News. Her father, Congressman Hale Boggs, and their family were close friends of the Ford Family. Cokie was an eulogist during the Funeral Ceremonies for Mrs. Betty Ford.

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