Gerald Ford is the only person to have reached the Oval Office without being elected president or vice president. Without seeking office, Ford inherited a country recovering from the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War.

The University of Michigan football player went on to earn a law degree from Yale. He served in the Navy during World War II, and in 1948 won a seat in the U.S. Congress. During more than two decades representing Michigan in Congress, Ford rose to House minority leader and gained a reputation for honesty and integrity. When Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned in October 1973 under terms of a plea bargain related to bribery and extortion charges, President Richard Nixon appointed Ford as vice president. Ten months later, Ford took the presidential oath of office after Nixon himself resigned in disgrace over Watergate.

During his administration, Ford took steps to repair the issues troubling the nation when he took office. He withdrew all remaining U.S. troops from Vietnam, issued a full pardon to Nixon, and offered amnesty to draft evaders.

Ford sought another term in 1976 but narrowly lost. He remained involved in Republican Party politics and charitable causes including the Betty Ford Center in California before dying on December 26, 2006, at the age of 93.