Gerald Ford was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He went to the University of Michigan on a football scholarship then enrolled in Yale Law School, from which he graduated in 1941. Ford served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. In 1949 he was elected as a Republican to the House of Representatives, where he served until 1973. While in Congress, he served on the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In 1973, after the resignation of Republican Vice President Spiro Agnew, Ford was appointed vice president to Richard Nixon. In 1974, after Nixon resigned, Ford became president. One month after taking office, Ford granted Nixon a full presidential pardon for his illegal activities related to the Watergate break-in. During his presidency, Ford ordered the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Vietnam and vetoed non-military appropriations bills that would have increased the budget deficit. He ran for election in 1976 but was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.
