Only 17 days later, another woman tried to take out President Ford. Her name was Sara Jane Moore and she was reportedly mentally unstable. She pulled out a gun and tried to shoot the president but an ex-marine who was at the scene moved her arm and went on to restrain her.
Unfortunately, the bullet did hit a taxi driver but luckily he survived. Read on to find out who is the next president on our list.
Gerald R. Ford Jr.
When Richard Nixon resigned as president, Gerald Ford stepped up and became the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. Ford is famous for his pardon of Richard Nixon and more importantly, for his participation in the Helsinki Accords, several agreements which were meant to improve the relationship between the Soviet Union and the West and improve the conditions of people living under the Soviet regime.
Ford was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and was interested in becoming a lawyer, which led him to a career in politics. Ford was known for his strong values and his leadership during some tough economic times is the main reason he appears so highly on this list. He is also the only person in American history to serve as both vice president and president without being elected.
Ford’s First Assassination Attempt
President Ford had only recently been appointed commander and chief when Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme tried to end his life with a Colt M1911 revolver.
Luckily the gun didn’t actually fire, and the secret service apprehended the shooter and safely evacuated the president. Soon after, it was revealed that Fromme was part of Charles Manson’s nefarious cult.
Grover Cleveland
President Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms, the first from 1885 to1889, and the second from 1893 to 1897. He lost his first bid for reelection but managed to win just four years later. Cleveland was admired by conservatives for his economic policies and for his support of political reform. In his second term, Cleveland was faced with the Panic of 1893, an extremely difficult economic recession and with a nationwide railroad strike known as the Pullman Strike of 1894. Cleveland was a direct ancestor to one of the first families to immigrate to the New Word.
They traveled across the ocean from England and settled in Massachusetts in 1635. He was also known for his knack for public speaking, his biographer describes him in the following words: “He possessed honesty, courage, firmness, independence, and common sense. But he possessed them to a degree other men do not”. Although his second term was more challenging, Grover Cleveland is still considered one of the better presidents the country has had.
Cleveland’s Marriage
In his personal life, Grover Cleveland did what no other American president has ever done, he got married when he was already in the White House. He married a much younger woman named Frances Folsom Preston when she was only 21 – 28 years his junior.
The American public didn’t seem to mind the age gap. They found the president’s new wife to be very mature and felt that they were a good match.