III
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 19
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 4, 2007
Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. McConnell, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Levin, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Allard, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Biden, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Burr, Mr. Byrd, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Chambliss, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Coburn, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Coleman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Corker, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Craig, Mr. Crapo, Mr. DeMint, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Domenici, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hatch, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Kyl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Lott, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Martinez, Mr. McCain, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Obama, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Reed, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Smith, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Specter, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Sununu, Mr. Tester, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Thune, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Warner, Mr. Webb, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was ordered held at the desk
January 8, 2007
Considered and agreed to without amendment and with a modified preamble
RESOLUTION
Honoring President Gerald Rudolph Ford.
Whereas Gerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th President of the United States, was born on July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska;
Whereas Gerald Ford was raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he was active in the Boy Scouts, achieving the Eagle Scout rank, and where he excelled as both a student and an athlete during high school;
Whereas after graduating from high school, Gerald Ford attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he played on the university's national championship football teams in 1932 and 1933, and was honored as the team's most valuable player in 1934, before graduating with a B.A. degree in 1935;
Whereas Gerald Ford later attended Yale Law School and earned an LL.B. degree in 1941, after which he began to practice law in Grand Rapids;
Whereas Gerald Ford joined the United States Naval Reserve in 1942 and served his country honorably during World War II;
Whereas upon returning from his service in the military, Gerald Ford ran for the United States House of Representatives and was elected to Congress;
Whereas Gerald Ford served in the House of Representatives from January 1949 to December 1973, winning reelection 12 times, each time with more than 60 percent of the vote;
Whereas Gerald Ford served with great distinction in Congress, in particular through his service on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, of which he rose to become ranking member in 1961;
Whereas in addition to his work in the House of Representatives, Gerald Ford served as a member of the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy;
Whereas, in 1965, Gerald Ford was selected as minority leader of the House of Representatives, a position he held for 8 years;
Whereas after the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew in 1973, Gerald Ford was chosen by President Richard Nixon to serve as Vice President of the United States;
Whereas following the resignation of President Nixon, Gerald Ford took the oath of office as President of the United States on August 9, 1974;
Whereas upon assuming the presidency, Gerald Ford helped the nation heal from one of the most difficult and contentious periods in United States history, and restored public confidence in the country's leaders;
Whereas Gerald Ford's basic human decency, his integrity, and his ability to work cooperatively with leaders of all political parties and ideologies, earned him the respect and admiration of Americans throughout the country;
Whereas the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 recommended that America’s next nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, designated as CVN–78, be named as the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, in honor of our 38th President; and
Whereas Gerald Ford was able to serve his country with such great distinction in large part because of the continuing support of his widely admired wife, Elizabeth (Betty), who also has contributed much to the nation in many ways, and of their 4 children, Michael, John, Steven, and Susan: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate notes with deep sorrow and solemn mourning the death of President Gerald Rudolph Ford.
That the Senate extends its heartfelt sympathy to Mrs. Ford and the family of President Ford.
That the Senate honors and, on behalf of the nation, expresses deep appreciation for President Ford's outstanding and important service to his country.
That the Senate directs the Secretary of the Senate to communicate these resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the former President.