White House Staff, Cabinet & Administration

Patricia Matson

Patricia J. Matson was the Assistant Press Secretary and Speech Writer in the White House’s Office of the First Lady for Mrs. Betty Ford. She also traveled extensively domestically and internationally as White House Press Advance during the Gerald R. Ford Administration. Matson later worked at ABC Television for 25 years, including as Senior Vice President of Communications.

Richard Keiser

Richard Keiser served as Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service’s Presidential Protection Division under President Gerald R. Ford and President Nixon. Keiser was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on November 15, 2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

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.

David Gergen

David Gergen served as Director of Communications for President Gerald R. Ford. David has served as a White House adviser to four U.S. presidents of both parties including Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton. Currently, he is a Professor of Public Service and Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School.

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.

Gary Walters

Gary Walters joined the Uniformed Division of the Secret Service in 1970. In 1976, Walters became an Assistant Usher in the Ford White House. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan appointed Walters Chief Usher of the White House.

Gerald Warren

Gerald Warren served as Deputy Press Secretary to Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald R. Ford. Gerald Warren was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on August 26,2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

Greg Willard

Greg Willard was White House Staff Assistant to President Gerald R. Ford and thereafter was President Ford’s personal aide in California. He later served as President and Mrs. Ford’s attorney and was President and Mrs. Ford and the Ford Family’s personal representative for President Ford’s State Funeral, responsible for overall planning and conduct of the State Funeral. He is Corporate Secretary and a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Hal Bruno

Hal Bruno covered the presidency of Gerald R. Ford as the chief political correspondent for Newsweek. After 18 years at Newsweek, Bruno went to work at ABC News where he oversaw election and political coverage during the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Helen Thomas

Helen Thomas was a journalist, columnist and author for almost 70 years. Thomas covered Gerald R. Ford’s presidency, as well as nine other presidents. Thomas began as a reporter at the United Press in 1943, which later became United Press International. In 1960, she began covering the White House, first as a correspondent and later as White House Bureau Manager.

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.

H.P. Goldfield

H.P. Goldfield served as an assistant and law clerk to the Counselor to President Gerald R. Ford. Goldfield would later serve as Assistant Counsel and as Associate Counsel to President Ronald Reagan, who also appointed him as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Development. Goldfield is Vice Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, as well a senior international advisor to Hogan Lovells. H.P.

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.

James Baker

James Baker served as Undersecretary of Commerce for President Gerald R. Ford and ran the President Ford’s 1976 campaign. He later served as White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of the Treasury under President Ronald Reagan. President George H.W. Bush appointed him as Secretary of State and later as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Jerry Jones

Jerry Jones served as Staff Secretary and Deputy Assistant to President Gerald R. Ford. He also served as President Ford’s Director of Scheduling and Advance. Jones served as Staff Secretary and Director of the White House Personnel Office under President Nixon. He later worked as a Special Assistant to Secretary Don Rumsfeld at the Department of Defense under President George W. Bush.

Jim Cannon

Jim Cannon was an esteemed journalist and policy maker in Washington, D.C., advising many Presidents. He served as Domestic Policy Advisor to President Gerald R. Ford and was the author of “Time and Chance: Gerald Ford’s Appointment With History” and “Gerald R. Ford – An Honorable Life.”

John Carlson

John Carlson served as Deputy Press Secretary to President Gerald R. Ford. He also served as Assistant Press Secretary to President Richard Nixon. Carlson also worked with George H. W. Bush when he was the U.S. Representative to China during the Nixon and Ford administrations.

John Knebel

John Knebel served as President Gerald R. Ford’s Secretary of Agriculture. He also served as General Counsel to the Small Business Administration and General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Nixon.

John Paul Stevens

John Paul Stevens was appointed by President Gerald R. Ford in 1975 as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Stevens previously served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He retired from the Supreme Court in 2010.

Ken Lazarus

Ken Lazarus was Associate Counsel to President Gerald R. Ford. He began his career as a trial attorney and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as Chief Minority Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Larry Buendorf

Larry Buendorf was a member of President Gerald R. Ford’s White House Secret Service detail. He was responsible for thwarting the attempted assassination of President Ford on September 5, 1975. In recognition of his bravery he was awarded U.S. Treasury Meritorious Service Award and the United States Secret Service Valor Award. He also served as Special Agent In Charge of President and Mrs. Ford’s post-presidency Secret Service Detail. After retiring from the Secret Service, Larry became Chief Security Officer of the United States Olympic Committee.

Lee Simmons

Lee Simmons served on President Gerald R. Ford and Mrs. Ford’s personal staff for over 30 years in California and Colorado. Prior to moving to California with the Fords in 1977, Lee was a member of the Air Force One crew.

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.

Lou Cannon

Lou Cannon was the senior White House correspondent at the Washington Post during Gerald R. Ford’s presidency. Prior to joining the Post, he served as state bureau chief for the San Jose Mercury News.

Maria Downs

Maria Downs served as Executive Assistant in the White House Bicentennial Liaison office before being appointed as White House Social Secretary during President Gerald R. Ford’s presidency. Maria coordinated the 1976 Bicentennial events at the White House.

Mary Fisher

Mary Fisher was a member of President Ford’s White House Staff. She is an HIV/AIDS activist, author and artist. Mary’s father, Max Fisher, was a close personal friend of President Ford.

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.

Pat Buchanan

Pat Buchanan was a senior advisor to Presidents Nixon and Reagan. Buchanan later worked as a conservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, broadcaster and politician.

Paul O’Neill

Paul O’Neill served as President Gerald R. Ford’s Deputy Director of the Office Management and Budget. After leaving the Ford Administration, he served as President of International Paper, Chairman of the Rand Corporation and President and CEO of Alcoa. He later served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President George W. Bush. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Peter McPherson

Peter McPherson was a Special Assistant to President Gerald R. Ford. After the Ford Administration, he would become managing partner of the Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease law firm. He served as general counsel to the Reagan-Bush transition in 1980. President Reagan appointed him as USAID Administrator and Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Peter Wallison

Peter Wallison served as Counsel to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller during President Gerald R. Ford’s Administration. He also served as General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Treasury and as Counsel to President Ronald Reagan.

Phil Jones

Phil Jones covered the Gerald R. Ford Presidency as a correspondent for CBS. Jones was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on February 28, 2009 by Richard Norton Smith.

Fred Barnes

Fred Barnes began covering President Gerald R. Ford in 1975 as a national political reporter for the former Washington Star newspaper. Barnes has also worked as a correspondent or written for the Charleston Post and Courier, Baltimore Sun, New Republic, American Spectator, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Washingtonian and others. He is one of the founders and editor of The Weekly Standard.

Frankie Welch

Frankie Welch is a designer and the owner of a woman’s clothing boutique in Alexandria, Virginia. Welch was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on September 10, 2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

Frank Ursomarso

Frank Ursomarso served as White House Staff Assistant to President Ford in the Office of Presidential Advance. He would later serve as Director of the White House Office of Communications under President Ronald Reagan. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Red Cavaney

Red Cavaney served as the Assistant to the President and Director of Scheduling and Advance for President Gerald R. Ford. He also served on the staff of Presidents Nixon and Reagan. After leaving government, Cavaney pursed a successful career in business and governmental affairs including becoming President and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute and Senior Vice President at ConocoPhilips. He is a Trustee and the President of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Richard Wennekamp

Richard Wennekamp was a Special Assistant to President Gerald R. Ford, as well as Executive Director of the Ford Transition Office. Wennekamp held a number of senior executive positions at Community Bank and Bank of America. He serves on the board of CytRx Corporation.

Robert Bork

Robert Bork 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.

Roberta Hartmann

Roberta Hartmann is the wife of Robert Hartmann, who was a White House speechwriter and Counselor to President Gerald R. Ford. Hartmann was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on September 15, 2009 by Richard Norton Smith.

Rod Hills

Rod Hills served as Counsel to the President and as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission under President Gerald R. Ford. After leaving government, Hills worked at the investment bank of Drexel Burnham Lambert, as the CEO of Peabody Coal and as an attorney at a number of law firms, including Hills & Stern, and as Chairman of Hills Enterprise, Ltd. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Roger Porter

Roger Porter was a White House Fellow and served as Special Assistant to President Gerald R. Ford, as well as Executive Secretary of the President’s Economic Policy Board. He also served as Executive Secretary of the Cabinet Council on Economic Affairs and as Director of White House Office of Policy Development under President Reagan and as Assistant to the President for Economic and Domestic Policy under President George H.W. Bush. He currently serves as Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Ron Nessen

Ron Nessen served as White House Press Secretary under President Gerald R. Ford. Prior to joining the Ford Administration, Nessen served five tours as an NBC war correspondent in Vietnam, and later was NBC News’ White House correspondent during the Administration of Lyndon Johnson.

Sam Donaldson

Sam Donaldson is a former ABC News White House correspondent and anchorman. He served as ABC’s Watergate correspondent and later covered Jimmy Carter during the 1976 presidential election.

Sheila Weidenfeld

Sheila Weidenfeld served as Press Secretary to First Lady Betty Ford. Sheila Weidenfeld was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on April 14, 2010 by Richard Norton Smith.

Strobe Talbott

Strobe Talbott was a White House correspondent for TIME magazine during President Gerald R. Ford’s presidency. He also covered President Ford during the 1976 presidential election. Talbott would later serve as Deputy Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton. He is currently the President of the Brookings Institution and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Stu Spencer

Stu Spencer is a political consultant who served as Deputy Chairman for Political Organization in the re-election campaign of President Gerald R. Ford. Stu Spencer was interviewed for the Gerald R. Ford Oral History Project on December 2 & 3, 2008 by Richard Norton Smith.

Terry O’Donnell

Terry O’Donnell served as White House personal aide to President Gerald R. Ford. He also served in the Nixon White House. After leaving the administration, O’Donnell practiced law at Williams & Connolly and served as General Counsel to the U.S. Department of Defense. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

Tom DeFrank

Tom DeFrank covered the presidency of Gerald R. Ford for Newsweek magazine. He was Newsweek’s White House correspondent for 25 years and is currently Washington bureau chief of the New York Daily News. DeFrank was an eyewitness to both assassination attempts on President Ford’s life in 1975.

Tom Kauper

Tom Kauper served at the Department of Justice during the Presidency of Gerald R. Ford and Richard Nixon. He served as Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel and then as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division. Kauper is a professor at the University of Michigan Law School. He is a Trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.

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.

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