This web page provides access to images of about 230 photographs comprising Series H (Historical Photographs) of the Ford Library's White House Photographic Office collection. They cover members of the Ford, Gardner, and Bloomer families. The Gardners were President Ford's mother's family and the Bloomers were Betty Ford's family.
The primary mission of the White House Photographic Office was to supply all the photographic needs of the President, the Vice-President, and the White House staff, especially the Press Secretary. The Photographic Office was responsible not only for photographing the Ford family and Ford Presidency but also for filling all photographic requests from journalists and others. Early in the Ford administration, the Photographic Office borrowed numerous historical photographs from President and Mrs. Ford and reproduced them to use in answering such requests. As they received specific requests during the course of the administration, the Photographic Offfice copied additional photographs belonging to the Fords and added them to this collection.
The primary focus of the collection is President and Mrs. Ford's lives prior to their move into the White House. Included are photographs covering his childhood, high school and college years, service in World War II, and homes in which he lived. Another facet of the collection is early photographs of Betty Ford's family and her early life. Later photographs cover their wedding, their children, Mr. Ford's work as a member and later Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, and his Vice Presidency.
The Ford Library has other early historical photographs of the Fords which are not included here. Contact the audiovisual staff for more information.
Gerald R. Ford
Childhood
President Gerald R. Ford was the son of Leslie Lynch King and his wife Dorothy Ayer Gardner, who divorced soon after the birth of their only child. Their son was known as Leslie Lynch King, Jr., until his mother married Gerald R. Ford, Sr. in 1916, after which he went by the name Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
Betty Bloomer Ford
This section contain early photographs of Betty Ford's parents, William Stephenson Bloomer and Hortense Neahr Bloomer and her brothers Bill and Bob.
Childhood & Youth
This section contain early photographs of Betty Ford's parents and brothers.
